Just over a year since Mark Wilson took the reins of COLOURS, the organization’s budget has doubled, and Wilson is working with his new board to bring back favorite projects like a safe-sex calendar and magazine.
There are also plans to improve accountability for the weekly support groups and a preliminary search is underway for a building that COLOURS could occupy on its own. The group that serves LGBT people of color now has one floor in a Chestnut Street building.
“It’s almost like a revolution,” said board president Lynette Medley.
Internally, there’s more faith in the organization’s future, which seemed uncertain in the wake of two former executive directors being arrested in separate incidents of stealing money from the organization and one former director dying unexpectedly.
“I look forward to getting people excited about the fact that after 25 years, some of which have been turbulent for the organization, it is still here and is growing,” said board member Lee Carson. “I don’t think there has been a public forum for us to let people know what COLOURS has been doing recently.”
To that end, people are invited to celebrate the 25th-anniversary of COLOURS from 6-9 p.m. March 30 at the William Way LGBT Community Center, 1315 Spruce St. It’s free to attend. Light refreshments will be served.
The celebration will include a tribute to Michael Wickliffe, a former facilitator of the Men of Color United support group at COLOURS who died last month. Then it will function like a town-hall meeting with people invited to share stories of their experiences at COLOURS and ideas around further community building.
“Philadelphia is a space where you get such a melting pot of diverse cultures,” Wilson said. “Those issues of being black don’t go away because I’m LGBT. Before people know my sexual orientation, they see my color.”
“For a long time, COLOURS has been seen as a black MSM organization,” Wilson added, using the acronym for men who have sex with men. “We want to hold COLOURS accountable so that we’re serving lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people of color.
Medley echoed Wilson’s sentiment about prioritizing the inclusion of sexualities and gender identities beyond cisgender gay men.
“The board is right on board with Mark,” she said, adding they have been working on a strategic plan and will unveil expanded services soon.
Carson characterized the 25th year as one of invigoration and growth. He recalled several favorite programs that could be revisited in the continuing efforts to eradicate new HIV infections among black men who have sex with men. They included the Black Men’s Health Survey, HIV social networks project and Project RISE, which aided bisexually active black men.
“As time goes on, I would love to see the organization providing behavioral-health services, to be in a larger space with more room for programs and services and to expand the number of staff at the organization,” Carson said.