Local
African-American LGBT charity group debuts
D.C.’s Kindred: An African American LGBT Giving Circle is scheduled to award its first grant
Aisha Moodie-Mills told the Blade that Kindred is scheduled to award its first grant or “gift” of $13,000 to D.C.’s Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League (SMYAL). (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
A newly launched LGBT charitable organization in D.C. called Kindred: An African American LGBT Giving Circle is scheduled to award its first grant on Monday, opening the way for what organizers say will be a unique new venue for philanthropy in the city.
“Kindred utilizes the power of collective giving to uplift the African American LGBT community in Washington, D.C.,” a statement announcing the group’s mission says.
“By pooling our time, talent, and treasure we empower our community from within, nurture ourselves as philanthropists, and honor organizations working to enhance the lives of black lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the District,” the statement says.
Lesbian activist Aisha Moodie-Mills, who was among the lead organizers of the campaign to pass D.C.’s same-sex marriage law in 2009, is the spokesperson and member of the new group’s five-member “Guiding Circle” leadership team.
Moodie-Mills told the Blade that Kindred is scheduled to award its first grant or “gift” of $13,000 on Monday to D.C.’s Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League (SMYAL). She said Kindred selected SMYAL for the first award, among other things, because of SMYAL’s longstanding work in support of African-American LGBT youth.
According to Moodie-Mills, the Washington Area Women’s Foundation, a tax-exempt charitable group, is serving as Kindred’s fiscal sponsor, allowing all donations to Kindred to be tax deductible.
The group’s mission statement says organizers modeled Kindred on the African-American tradition of community giving and support.
“Our African American history is rich with individual philanthropists – people who provided warm meals for families in the community in need, and books and resources for young people trying to make it through school,” the statement says.
The statement says the group is recruiting inaugural members to what it calls its “giving circle,” which initially will consist of 12 to 25 people who each commit to donating $420 or more each year to Kindred.
Members of the giving circle are also asked to participate in the organization’s “collaborative grant-making process” to decide on the recipients of future grants, the statement says. It says the Gill Foundation, a Colorado based LGBT philanthropic organization, gave Kindred a $10,000 seed grant to help the group begin its work.
In addition to Aisha Moodie-Mills, the other founders of Kindred are Danielle Moodie-Mills, Aisha’s wife; who, along with Aisha, was a spokesperson and organizer for D.C.’s marriage equality campaign in 2009. Both also serve as advisers for LGBT Policy and Racial Justice at the at the D.C. based Center for American Progress.
Other founders include Anna Bavier, an event planner who assists with programs associated with the Moutner Project for Lesbian Health and D.C. LGBT Community Center; Nicole Cozier, a 13-year D.C. area resident who “has been professionally involved on issues affecting women and girls,” according to Kindred statement, and who is immediate past chair of the board for Funders for LGBTQ Issues; and Earl-Rodney Holman.
Kindred can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at 202-421-5755.
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Congratulations to Yadiel Meléndez, on their new role as Community Associate, with the Wanda Alston Foundation. Meléndez is piloting a new role as a Community Associate at the Wanda Alston Foundation, where they support queer and trans young people in finding their footing, building independence, and experiencing a housing community where they are seen, valued, and affirmed. They are coming into this role with more than a decade of experience as a community organizer and operations specialist, supporting diverse communities through service, advocacy, and program coordination.
Previously they worked for Right Proper Brewing Shaw as a server and bartender and at Sephora, Washington, DC, and at FreshFarm, DC, in bilingual food access. They also worked freelance to build foundational structures for local queer BIPOC performance art coalitions, producing variety shows to curate space for marginalized performance artists in the community. They were a production manager for Haus of Hart Productions, a BIPOC centric performance art production. They also worked as field staff with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in Stafford, Va.
Meléndez is bilingual, Spanish and English. Their work is guided by a commitment to dignity, safety, and trauma-informed engagement, particularly within LGBTQ and BIPOC communities.
Congratulations also to Ben Rosen LICSW, on his new role as program director, with the Wanda Alston Foundation. Rosen previously worked with Fountain House’s OnRamps program, helping to build a new, innovative outreach program for individuals considered chronically homeless, and living with serious mental illness, in the Times Square area of New York. Rosen is a Psychotherapist, having worked with SG Psychotherapy, and as the psychotherapist with the Nest Community Health Center (URAM).
Rosen has a B.F.A. in Theatre Arts: Musical Theatre, Minor in Psychology (Cum Laude) from Malloy University Conservatory; and his M.S.W. in Clinical Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups, from The Silberman School of Social Work, Hunter College, N.Y. He is independently licensed in New York and Washington, D.C.
Rehoboth Beach
BLUF leather social set for April 10 in Rehoboth
Attendees encouraged to wear appropriate gear
Diego’s in Rehoboth Beach hosts a monthly leather happy hour. April’s edition is scheduled for Friday, April 10, 5-7 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to wear appropriate gear. The event is billed as an official event of BLUF, the free community group for men interested in leather. After happy hour, the attendees are encouraged to reconvene at Local Bootlegging Company for dinner, which allows cigar smoking. There’s no cover charge for either event.
District of Columbia
Celebrations of life planned for Sean Bartel
Two memorial events scheduled in D.C.
Two celebrations of life are planned for Sean Christopher Bartel, 48, who was found deceased on a hiking trail in Argentina on or around March 15. Bartel began his career as a television news reporter and news anchor at stations in Louisville, Ky., and Evansville, Ind., before serving as Senior Video Producer for the D.C.-based International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union from 2013 to 2024.
A memorial gathering is planned for Friday, April 10, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the IBEW International Office (900 7th St., N.W.), according to a statement by the DC Gay Flag Football League, where Bartel was a longtime member. A celebration of life is planned that same evening, 6-8 p.m. at Trade (1410 14th St., N.W.).
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BLUF leather social set for April 10 in Rehoboth
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