Damon Humes has been involved with The COLOURS Organization in several different capacities. The openly gay 42-year-old served as deputy director of Unity, which ended up merging with COLOURS, and went on to become an interim administrator during leadership transitions. Additionally, he worked as a consultant and helped recruit new executive directors throughout the years.
Now, Humes will take on a higher leadership role in the black LGBT health and wellness organization: executive director.
“I’ve been with COLOURS in so many different ways, so it feels good to finally take the helm of it,” said Humes, who began the position on May 30.
Lee F. Carson, who served as interim executive director for 10 months, will return to the organization’s board. Carson noted Humes’ leadership skills in an email to PGN.
“Damon has accumulated a very strong skill set over his career and I am very confident that I am leaving COLOURS in good hands,” Carson said.
Carson added that during Humes’ interview for the position, he discussed Robert K. Burns and Lawrence “Fuzzy” Frasier — two former COLOURS leaders who died at a young age. Humes had close friendships with both of them.
“Each day, I cry before going to work because I have to walk in the shoes of people that are no longer here,” Humes said. “But I think that’s what energizes me to do the work that needs to be done, in ways that I think will leave the organization characterized by words like ‘trust’ and ‘accountability.’ And I think those words may not have been used in the same regard in the past.”
Humes said he is most excited about building coalitions and focusing on elders, in addition to youth, which he said is typically the focus. Additionally, he said he’s aware there needs to be a focus on individuals other than gay men.
“That’s who I am and that’s my identification but [we need] to now look and say, ‘Well, what are we really doing for our lesbian community, our trans, our queer community and our questioning community?’” Humes is also planning a town hall with assistance from Carson.
“We will have the opportunity for folks to come in and talk about what they experience — both good and bad — and have opportunities to heal in places where they were hurt and opportunities to grow and enhance in places that work pretty well,” Humes said. “I ask folks to get involved, to give COLOURS a chance and just to be a part of this movement. It’s not just a new time for us. It’s a new movement and I hope people will walk with us once again as they did in the past.”
Humes said the most exciting part of the new transition is the opportunity to promote community buy-in. He noted the changes the organization has gone through since its establishment in 1991 and how he plans to get feedback.
“When COLOURS was started, it was a magazine,” Humes said. “It moved from that to more medicalized services like HIV and STI testing and screenings. It now has supportive services like case management and navigation. I think now is an opportunity to go back and ask our community what has worked now, what hasn’t worked well and what are your new needs?”
Visit coloursorganization.org for more information on the organization.