Michael Hinson called the 25th-anniversary celebration of The COLOURS Organization bittersweet.
“It’s exciting the organization has survived,” said Hinson, who founded the group in 1991 for LGBT people of color. He now serves the organization in a consultant capacity as needed. “I’m excited about the possibilities for the future of the organization. But some of the same issues we were struggling with 25 years ago, we’re still struggling with today.”
Hinson spoke at COLOURS’ anniversary event March 30 at William Way LGBT Community Center alongside Mark Wilson, COLOURS executive director, and Nate Pace, a facilitator of the Men of Color United group at the organization.
The event kicked off with about 20 people in attendance, but swelled to more than 60 as the panel discussion got underway. It concluded with a chicken dinner and socializing.
“The turnout was great,” Wilson told PGN. “I like the fact that Mike was able to tell a lot of stories.”
Hinson shared how COLOURS grew out of a desire among the black gay community to see themselves reflected in media. He helped create COLOURS as a magazine and shared some favorite early features like “Dr. Feel Good,” an advice column that tackled sex and relationships, and “Brother X,” which covered opinions on an array of issues from politics to religion.
The magazines were distributed throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania and mailed as far away as bookstores in California. Soon readers started writing letters about the need to meet in person and COLOURS the organization took shape.
“We wanted to share our family lives, our struggles and our advocacy,” Hinson said. “In some ways, we are more together now than we’ve been. But we still have the elephant in the room, which is our lives are seen as less important than some other folks’ lives.”
Pace said two challenges that he would like COLOURS to overcome going forward have to do with recognition in the broader LGBT community and getting LGBT people of color to volunteer and come together in service of a common vision. He said he’d also like to see groups that could be attended by lesbians, gay men and transgender people of color, instead of having separate meetings.
“Success to me means quality of lives are improving,” Hinson said, noting COLOURS and other LGBT organizations should put particular emphasis on homeless youth. “If we don’t get these young people off the streets, we give them away to people and systems that will abuse them.”
Wilson described his leadership style as one that “shoots for the stars.” In just over a year since becoming executive director, he has doubled the budget of COLOURS and soon will expand staff and programs at the organization. Wilson encouraged people to contribute to COLOURS in any way they could, whether it be through “time, talent or treasure.”