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Comings & Goings
Lewis, Wilson assume new roles at NBJC
The ‘Comings & Goings’ column chronicles important life changes of Blade readers.
The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at [email protected].
Samuel Brinton
Congratulations to Samuel Brinton, who recently founded Core Solutions Consulting to serve the national need for expertise on socio-technical translation on issues ranging from nuclear waste management to congressional outreach on advanced nuclear energy innovation policy. Along with his technical expertise on nuclear engineering issues and political connections in the energy policy field, Brinton will continue his state-level political work to end conversion therapy through the 50 Bills 50 States effort.
He recently served as a fellow at the Breakthrough Institute, Clean Air Task Force and at Third Way. He was also a senior policy analyst at the Bipartisan Policy Center. Brinton earned his dual master’s degrees at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in nuclear engineering and the technology and policy program. He is a graduate of Kansas State University earning a bachelor’s in mechanical and nuclear engineering and a bachelor’s in vocal music performance, with a minor in Chinese language.
His activism included co-founding NuclearPride an LGBT organization in the nuclear field and creating the ‘Stand With Science’ campaign uniting 10,000 students and allies from across the country to advocate for federal science and engineering research funding.
Congratulations also to both Nakisha M. Lewis and Isaiah R. Wilson who have new positions on the staff of the National Black Justice Coalition. Lewis as director of programs and Institutional Development and Wilson as director of External Affairs.
Lewis is known as a thought leader in the field of philanthropy specializing in developing grant-making strategies addressing racial, gender and educational inequities. She worked extensively with individual donors and foundations to foster grant-making seeking to support, empower and strengthen marginalized communities, including in her most recent position as program officer and senior strategist for Safety at the Ms. Foundation for Women. She is co-creator of the Philanthropic Action for Racial Justice, an effort to organize black philanthropic practitioners around a shared vision for racial justice and investment in black communities centering on the needs and experiences of black women, youth and LGBTQ people.
She is a writer, speaker and lifelong community organizer most recently working to establish Black Lives Matter NYC. She is a co-founder of the #SheWoke Committee, the catalyst for the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls, established in 2016, and is the co-chair of Grantmakers for Girls of Color.
Wilson’s new position focuses on the public policy implications of critical issues for black LGBTQ and same-gender loving (SGL) people including: health and wellness; HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention; safe and inclusive schools; employment non-discrimination; relationship recognition; anti-violence; and economic justice.
He will lead the organization’s efforts to advocate for sound policy solutions empowering black LGBTQ/SGL people in the United States and play an integral role in the development of NBJC’s rapid response messaging strategy speaking to the diverse needs of its constituency at the intersection of racial justice and LGBTQ equality.
Prior to joining NBJC in January of 2014, Wilson spent five years working for former Rep. Steve Rothman (D-N.J.). There, Wilson worked on issues important to both working-class and marginalized communities. He was Rothman’s chief aide on the judiciary and LGBTQ issues drafting several pieces of legislation, including the original Juror Non-Discrimination Act, prohibiting attorneys from striking potential federal jurors on account of their sexual orientation or gender identity. He was as an officer of the Congressional Black Associates and member of the Congressional LGBT Staff Association.
Nakisha M. Lewis and Isaiah Wilson
Rehoboth Beach
Rehoboth Summer Kickoff Party set for May 15 with Ashley Biden
The Washington Blade’s 19th annual Summer Kickoff Party is scheduled for Friday, May 15 in Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Ashley Biden, daughter of President Joe Biden, has joined the list of speakers, the Blade announced. She will accept an award on behalf of her brother Beau Biden for his LGBTQ advocacy work as Delaware attorney general. (Her appearance was rescheduled from last year.)
The event, to be held this year at Diego’s (37298 Rehoboth Ave. Ext.) from 5-7 p.m., is a fundraiser for the Blade Foundation’s Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship in Journalism, which funds a summer position reporting on LGBTQ news in Delaware. This year’s recipient will be introduced at the event.
The event will also feature remarks from state Rep. Claire Snyder-Hall. New CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Dr. Robin Brennan and Blade editor Kevin Naff will also speak. The event is generously sponsored by Realtor Justin Noble, The Avenue Inn & Spa, and Diego’s.
A suggested donation of $25 is partially tax deductible and includes a drink ticket and light appetizers. Tickets are available in advance at bladefoundation.org/rehoboth or at the door.
District of Columbia
Curve magazine honors Washington Blade publisher
Lynne Brown named to 2026 Power List
Washington Blade Publisher Lynne Brown has been named to the 2026 Curve Power List celebrating LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary individuals in North America who are blazing trails in their chosen fields.
“From sports and entertainment icons to corporate leaders and lawmakers, these individuals are breaking barriers, challenging norms, and shaping the future,” Curve Foundation/Curve magazine said in announcing this year’s list, which includes ABC newscaster Robin Roberts, comedian/actress Hannah Einbinder, and singer/actress Renee Rapp, among others.
Brown has worked for the Washington Blade for nearly 40 years. She was named publisher in 2007 before becoming a co-owner in 2010.
“I am honored to be recognized by Curve magazine during Lesbian Visibility Week,” Brown said. “Receiving this Curve honor is twofold. I was an early subscriber to Curve. I enjoy the product and know its history. Its journalism, layout and humorous features have inspired me.
“As an owner/publisher, receiving recognition from a similar source acknowledges my work and efforts, with a sincerity I truly appreciate. Franco Stevens, the publisher of Curve, is a business person of duration, experience, and purpose. The fact that they are in the media business, and honoring me and my publication makes it a tiny bit sweeter.”
Nominations for the Curve Power List come from the community: peers, mentors, fans, and employers.
Curve explained the significance of the list in its announcement: “An annual, publicly nominated list of impactful LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary changemakers is crucial in current times to counter discrimination, legislative rollbacks, hostility, and the invisibility of queer women within mainstream and marginal spaces and endeavors. Such a list also fosters encouragement and solidarity, and elevates voices and achievements—from high-profile roles to under appreciated areas of life.”
Rehoboth Beach
Auction of Rehoboth’s Blue Moon canceled
Details on sale of iconic bar, restaurant not disclosed
The Blue Moon in Rehoboth Beach, Del., has been an iconic presence in the local LGBTQ community for four decades but its status remains murky after a sheriff’s auction of the property was abruptly called off on Tuesday.
The property was listed for sale in December. At that time, owner Tim Ragan told the Blade that he is committed to preserving its legacy as a gay-friendly space.
“We had no idea the interest this would create,” Ragan said in December. “I guess I was a little naive about that.”
Ragan explained that he and longtime partner Randy Haney were separating the real estate from the business. The two buildings associated with the sale were listed by Carrie Lingo at 35 Baltimore Ave., and include an apartment, the front restaurant (6,600 square feet with three floors and a basement), and a secondary building (roughly 1,800 square feet on two floors). They were listed for $4.5 million.
The bar and restaurant business is being sold separately; the price was not publicly disclosed.
But then, earlier this year, the Blue Moon real estate listing turned up on the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office auction site. The auction was slated for Tuesday, April 21 but hours before the sale, the listing changed to “active under contract” indicating that a buyer has been found but the sale is not yet final. As of Wednesday morning, the listing has been removed from the sheriff’s auction site.
Ragan didn’t respond to Blade inquiries about the auction. Back in December, he told the Blade, “It’s time to look for the next people who can continue the history of the Moon and cultivate the next chapter,” noting that he turns 70 this year. “We’re not panicked; we separated the building from the business. Some buyers can’t afford both.”
The identity of the buyer was not disclosed, nor was the sale price.
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