February 15, 2023

HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH!

This month, LGBT Meeting Professionals Association is honoring Black History Month! During the entire month of February, LGBT MPA's Weekly Insider will provide articles all about Black History Month and highlighting Black LGBTQ+ History!

Black History and Black LGBTQ History Should Be Commemorated Year Round

"Each year, Black History Month is celebrated throughout the entirety of February. Individuals and organizations take to social media, news outlets, and public events (among other platforms and activations) to learn about, uplift, and recognize the historic contributions that Black folks have made to culture and society."



GLAAD | February 1, 2022

LGBT MPA 2023 Board Meeting in Knoxville, TN!

Last week, LGBT MPA had the pleasure of traveling to Knoxville, TN to kick off the 2023 calendar year with our board members! Our trip was three days full of connections, meeting new people, and exploring what Knoxville has to offer!

Thank you to the teams at Visit Knoxville, Knoxville Convention Center, and the Cumberland House Knoxville for hosting LGBT MPA and showing us around the amazing city of Knoxville, TN!

Charles Silverstein, a Psychologist Who Helped Destigmatize Homosexuality, Dies at 87

LGBT+ History Month: Gay Games 2023 - Where It's the Taking Part that Counts

"'Participation is first, personal best is second.'



Welcome to the Gay Games, where anyone can become an athlete and represent their country, no matter their age, gender, athletic skill - or indeed sexuality.

And for the first time in its 41-year history, the event will take place in Asia and Latin America as Hong Kong and the Mexican city of Guadalajara will act as co-hosts."

BBC| February 13, 2023

Corporate Festivals Win Over Young Staff

"The festivalization of events trend reached a whole new level in 2022 with a private three-day experiential music festival featuring superstar Bruno Mars. Corporations globally are investing in festival experiences as strategic incentives to attract and retain young talent."

Skift Meetings | February 1, 2023

Ways to Celebrate Black History Month in Washington, DC

DID YOU KNOW: 

African Americans have lived, worked and worshipped in Georgetown since its founding – making up 30-40 percent of the residential population at one time. Discrimination, gentrification and public housing policies, such as the Alley Dwelling Elimination act and the Old Georgetown Act, largely pushed out much of the Black Georgetown community from the 1930s to 1950s, but their legacy and impact remain.

WHY IT MATTERS:

Herring Hill, a 15-block area of eastern-most Georgetown, was home for families migrating to Washington, DC after the Civil War.

Points of interest include the formerly enslaved Georgetown resident Yarrow Mamout’s home, the Mount Zion/Female Union Band Society Cemetery and the Rose Park tennis courts – dedicated to the star Peters sisters. 

LEARN MORE:

Follow the African American Heritage Trail to see institutions and homes of Herring Hill or join your colleagues on February 20 (President’s Day) for a self-guided walk.

Stay tuned for more details.

3 Team-Building Workshops from Toronto’s Creative Community

Cultivate creativity and tighten team bonds through painting, pottery, and glass-blowing workshops offered by local Toronto artists.

Across the city, Toronto artists, innovators and creators from a range of disciplines are imparting their artistic talents through immersive workshops and team-building sessions. Have your group find connection and inspiration with the city’s creative makers. Here are three ideas to get your planning started. 

TurEspaña: PLUS - Platform for Legacy with US

PLUS is the result of the Madrid Convention Bureau’s work. The tool for incorporating sustainability into your meetings and events in Madrid.

In recent years the Madrid Convention Bureau (MCB) has been working on the development of tools that will help meeting organizers incorporate sustainability criteria and legacy projects in the design of meetings held in Madrid. In this way, they can ensure that their meetings will generate a positive impact on the destination.

PLUS is a digital platform that aims to help meeting organizers effectively manage their events’ sustainability and legacy. In line with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN 2030 Agenda, PLUS makes it possible to generate sustainability reports specific to each meeting that takes place in Madrid. It also offers a sizeable catalogue of recommendations to minimize the meeting’s environmental and social impact, as well as suggestions on how to leave a positive mark on the city.

PLUS’s ultimate goal is to facilitate the implementation of the SDGs and the creation of a legacy strategy for each meeting held in Madrid.

Celebrate Black History Month in Loudoun

History

There are many sites to visit throughout Loudoun that honor Black heritage. In September 2022 the historic Oak Grove community in eastern Loudoun, an area built and developed by African Americans in the late 19^th Century after they purchased their own land following emancipation, received the first commemorative sign of the new “Journey to Freedom Heritage Trails.” The trail is set to incorporate other Black Loudoun landmarks such as the Settle-Dean Cabin in Chantilly, ultimately creating a countywide trail connecting Loudoun’s Black history sites.

Another essential stop is the African American Burial Ground for the Enslaved at Belmont, the largest cemetery for enslaved people in Loudoun. Located off Route 7 east of Leesburg, the ground features a cleared pathway through the woods linking burial sites of formerly enslaved people at Belmont Plantation. The Loudoun Freedom Center preserves it as a historic site for visitors.

For other locations and monuments, check out our page here.  

February is Black History Month – a celebration of Black achievement and a time to recognize the central role African Americans have had in shaping U.S. history and culture. Here we highlight five ways to honor the occasion in Loudoun, from visiting public art pieces in downtown Leesburg to attending local events and supporting Black owned business.

Art

Several murals in downtown Leesburg depict the extraordinary contribution of African Americans to the county’s history. In January 2023, the “Journey to Freedom” mural on the wall of the Loudoun Museum was officially unveiled. Created by Black, Washington DC artist Shawn Perkins, the piece depicts Bazil Newman, a Black 19^tth Century Loudoun landowner and ferry business operator taking a young Black boy across the Potomac to freedom in Maryland on a moonlit night, Newman’s brother looking on. Revered Loudoun abolitionist Leonard Grimes observes from the riverbank. 



A short walk east of the museum, on the walls of the public garage on Lassiter Way, murals by local artist Kim P. Kim depict two beloved Black Leesburg business owners: Robinson’s Barbershop proprietor and US Marine Nelson “Mutt” Lassiter who passed away in 2020 aged 83, and Marie Medley-Howard, said to be the first African American woman to own a business in town – a beauty salon.

Events

The Thomas Balch Library: Hybrid Class to Highlight African American Genealogy

On February 2 at 10 a.m. join Steve Hammond, a 7^th generation member of the African American Syphax family of Washington, DC and Lori Kimball, a member of the Black History Committee of the Friends of the Thomas Balch Library as they host a two-hour virtual and in-person class on how to trace genealogy. Hammond and Kimball will use case studies and examples from their research and Hammond will share his efforts to make the field more relatable and relevant to the public at large.

Loudoun County Public Library: Nathan Leslie

On February 15 at 7 p.m. at the Loudoun County Public Library in Leesburg author and Northern Virginia Community College professor Nathan Leslie will present a survey of African American writers who have made an indelible impact on American life and culture.

Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum: Just Country Living

February 19 the Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum in Sterling will unveil an exhibit of artifacts from the Nokes family, the prominent Black farming family who lent their name to Nokesville, an unincorporated hamlet populated by Black Loudoun residents during the Jim Crow era in what is today’s Sterling. The exhibit includes details of their ingenious manure spreader and stories of other Black farmers in eastern Loudoun. The exhibit runs until December 31.  

Black History Month Wine Pairing Dinner:  Market Salamander In honor of Black History Month, Market Salamander executive Chef Pete Smith presents the second annual Black History Month Wine Pairing Dinner at 7pm on February 24, 25 and 26. Chef Pete and Kindra Dionne of The Fifty Leven Collection collaborate on a locally-source menu – expect dishes like shrimp & grits, blackened lamb chop with collard greens, Southern fried chicken – paired with Fifty Leven wines. Cost is $155 per person. 

Black History Month Wine Pairing Dinner:  Market Salamander In honor of Black History Month, Market Salamander executive Chef Pete Smith presents the second annual Black History Month Wine Pairing Dinner at 7pm on February 24, 25 and 26. Chef Pete and Kindra Dionne of The Fifty Leven Collection collaborate on a locally-source menu – expect dishes like shrimp & grits, blackened lamb chop with collard greens, Southern fried chicken – paired with Fifty Leven wines. Cost is $155 per person. 

Navigating Slavery: The Goose Creek Meeting and Hopkins Family

On February 25 at 2 p.m. at the Goose Creek Meeting (18204 Lincoln Rd, Purcellville), the Black History Committee of the Friends of the Thomas Balch Library will co-sponsor a discussion on the prominent Hopkins family, Quakers from Maryland, who owned a large wholesale business in the area, interacted with enslavers in Loudoun and were represented by prominent Loudoun lawyer John Janney. Panelists include Gary Clemens, Clerk of the Circuit Court, and Sydney Van Morgan of the International Studies Program at Johns Hopkins University.



For other African American events during and after Black History Month visit here.

Support A Black-Owned Business

Aforementioned entrepreneurs Nelson “Mutt” Lassiter and Marie Medley-Howard paved the way for the many thriving Black-owned businesses we have in Loudoun today.

Where to shop? For stylish athletic footwear, former Secret Service agent Dana Green’s pint-sized Restocked Sneakers in Leesburg sells the latest athletic pumps from Adidas, Nike and beyond.

Over in Purcellville, Silas Redd’s upscale three-story thrift store Nostalgia Boutique sells vintage gems from around the country including a stunning line of 1950s frocks and decadent fur coats. 

Over in Purcellville, Silas Redd’s upscale three-story thrift store Nostalgia Boutique sells vintage gems from around the country including a stunning line of 1950s frocks and decadent fur coats. 

Stay, Eat, Drink

While Black female billionaire Sheila Johnson’s Salamander Resort & Spa in Middleburg needs no introduction, did you know that Jacksonville native and Market Salamander Executive Chef Roderick “Pete” Smith was the youngest African American chef to ever run a Forbes Four-Star, AAA Four-Diamond restaurant in Florida? Now showcasing his talents in Loudoun, don’t miss his signature bread pudding, hot sauce and gourmet sandwiches at the downtown Middleburg favorite.

Have a sweet tooth? Jamaican born master baker Godfrey McKenzie and his wife Tatiana oversee the quirkily named Dolce & Ciabatta Bakery on Leesburg’s Catoctin Circle. Pick up everything from fresh baguettes and croissants to decadent sponge cakes at the sweet-smelling emporium.

As for wine fans, if you want to visit some of Loudoun’s 50-plus wineries, book a trip with Black entrepreneur Renee Ventrice’s Cork & Keg Tours – bespoke guided wine tours in a luxury Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. Cork & Keg was listed as one of the Ten Best Wine Tour Companies in the US in the 2020 USA Today Readers’ Choice Awards.

After visiting Loudoun, check out the website of Loudoun’s first Black-owned wine label Fifty Leven, launched by Kindra Dionne, and purchase a bottle-or two- to share with friends.

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