Collections By Michelle Brown

Tarik Daniels is founder and executive director of Austin-based What’s in the Mirror - a social movement committed to bringing suicide and mental health awareness and prevention through art and advocacy in minority communities. As a member of the House of Xclusive Lanvin ballroom family he is Tarik Lanvin, Overall Father Lepore, . Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, he has for the past 9 years called Austin, Texas home. He is the author of “No Bonds So Strong”  a coming of age drama about four black queer friends growing up in Detroit. Tarik Daniels was the recipient of this year’s National Future Leader Award. 

Scott Ellis began as volunteer just wanting to help organize the great lakes bay area LGBTQIA+ community’s pride events. Today he is the executive director of the Great Lakes Bay Pride. Great Lakes Bay Pride (formerly known as Perceptions) is the LGBTQIA+ education, advocacy, networking, and resource organization in Michigan's Great Lakes Bay Region of Bay, Isabella, Midland, and Saginaw counties. Ellis brings his background in business and communications to the organization to develop its programming including the Harmony Diversity Choir, Tobacco Cessation, and a Transgender group. He also produces the Great Lakes Region Pride Festival celebration. After two years of Celebrating Pride at Home, this year’s Great Lakes Bay Pride festival, takes place Saturday June 25th. It is the festival’s 20th anniversary. The Great Lakes Bay Pride Festival is FREE to attend and open to all. 

You don't have to go into the old record vault and listen to Margaret Whiting's song to have those "Those far away places with the strange-sounding names " call you. Just tune in here and listen to our latest conversation with The Black & Gay (BAG) Collective​ founder/CEO Mike Henderson​ and you will hear the call. From national parks to places "Far away over the sea" the road will be calling you!! Are you ready to recover from winter’s cabin fever, to get out of the house and hit the road? Are you trying to decide how to use those accumulated vacation days and dreaming of faraway places, hanging out with friends, or meeting new friends? Our friend, adventurer, traveler, and founder/CEO of BAG travel Mike Henderson has some great ideas for your consideration. From Memorial Day through New Year’s Eve, it’s one adventure after another not just at some National Parks but trips to Mexico, Europe, and beyond. Whether you’re traveling with BAG travel or on your own, Henderson offers tips to traveling drama

We first met at a past Esteem Award in Chicago. Ken Mejia Beal was a guest that year. This year he is receiving the award for Chicago’s Outstanding Service - Male. Ken is a community organizer and Chair of the DuPage County Democratic Party. As a long-time resident, community activist, and a leader in the financial sector, Ken Mejia-Beal has spent the better part of his life helping others. A part of the greater Chicago area’s LGBTQ+ community, he was elected chair of the Democratic Party of DuPage County in 2021. DuPage County is the second-largest voting sector in Illinois. He is also an award-winning writer that has written for such publications as “Patriot Not Partisan” and “DemCast”. He has been a guest speaker and cohost on various radio shows. Ken has worked as a community organizer and served on several boards to usher in an era of social equality and healthcare equality for all.

May is Lupus Awareness Month and we are honored to celebrate another Lupus Warrior. Diagnosed at age 19, Christina Hayes has more than survived her diagnosis but thrived becoming an advocate not only for other Lupus Warriors but for other social justice issues as well. Now in her 30's this mother advocates for paid sick leave with the Mothering Justice organization which has allowed her to tell her story of navigating employment while dealing with Lupus. She founded "The Christina Project" to provide inspiration, comfort and care to patients with Lupus and Lupus related conditions that are hospitalized and their families. Love and support during hospital stays are imperative for healing and recovery which brighten the lives of the Lupus Warriors and their family.  She is also active in and a big supporter of Lupus Detroit - A nonprofit dedicated to eliminating lupus as a health problem through advocacy & service - attending monthly support groups, the annual gala, and annual Lupus Walk. She is another

It should come as no surprise that young people given life without the possibility of parole sentences have been disproportionately Black and Brown. James Windell, the author of Sentencing Youth to Life in Prison: Justice Denied is an adjunct faculty member in Criminal Justice, a court clinical psychologist, and has more than 25 years of conducting group therapy with delinquent adolescents. The Supreme Court decisions in Miller v. Alabama and Montgomery v. Louisiana clearly demonstrated that the Court’s view of juveniles evolved over decades to reflect advances in our understanding of the unique characteristics of youth and their involvement in juvenile crimes. This book, co-written with Kathy Miliken Boyd, analyzes the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court rulings deeming juvenile life without parole sentences to be cruel and unusual punishment. These Court decisions brought about controversy and resistance in the criminal justice field, while at the same time providing hope for those 2,300 people who never th

Born and raised in New Orleans, LA Dr, Enchante Franklin is a Forensic Social Work Consultant, Community Advocate, and Author. She is dedicated to the art of prose, storytelling, and poetry through the lens of resilience. ´She served five years as a New Orleans Police Officer during and after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. She earned a Bachelor in Social Work from Southern University at New Orleans and received her two Master’s degrees at Southern University in New Orleans. She received her Doctoral degree in Philosophy at the Whitney M. Young Jr., School of Social Work at Clark Atlanta University. She did all of this while caring for her mother and grandmother. She is the author of The Blue Lotus Flower which tells her story of resilience-pushing through the traumas of an impoverished, flooded city, facing childhood pain and community violence in the central city of New Orleans. She is dedicated to the art of prose, storytelling, and poetry through the lens of resilience. She currently is Assistant

At the tender age of ten, Mike Henderson first felt the urge to explore. Charting excursions on a city map each weekend got on the bus and explored another section of Los Angeles. On family vacations, he would hike and camp while dreaming of faraway places. Henderson has traveled to many places nationally and internationally but considers Yosemite National Park not only his most memorable adventure but one of his favorite places. With 20 years as a travel consultant, Henderson is passionate about cultural immersion, outdoor adventures, and historical tours. As founder of the Black & Gay (BAG) Collective, and CEO of BAG Travel, Henderson curates travel adventures for groups of varying sizes for members of the Black LGBTQ+ community. With a background in urban planning, he also desires to share how places function - beyond glamourous travel ads.

Attending the annual Creating Change Conference has been a rite of passage for LGBTQ activists for over 30 years,  We would come together, share ideas, make new friends, catch up with old friends and even find love. What’s happened to Creating Change in the time of COVID??? Pivoting to a virtual format in 2021, activists, organizers, and newbies were looking forward to coming together in 2022 once again in New Orleans when the omicron variant of the coronavirus begin showing up in communities around the world. After dealing with the momentary disappointment of having to cancel the in-person conference, the staff went to work reimagining Creating Change and looking forward to 2023 when the conference also include a celebration of The Task Force’s 50th anniversary. Communications Director Cathy Renna is a veteran of Creating Change.  She’s watched the conference grow not just by the number of participants but in the programming, diversity, and inclusion of varying and new voices in the LGBTQ community. Confe

“Alabama Grandson began as a series of letters Rev, Cedrick Bridgeforth wrote to his maternal grandmother. Although she died in 1989, Bridgeforth has fond and profound memories of her presence, the aromas in her kitchen, and the life lessons that rolled effortlessly from her tongue. This story intersperses the lessons taught by his grandmother but learned through the living of his life in search of meaning and purpose through the service of others. A native of Decatur, Alabama Rev. Cedrick Bridgeforth is an ordained minister, author, educator, executive coach, consultant, public speaker, and the founder of 20/20 Leadership Lessons. As a child of the South, a Gay African American, an Air Force Veteran, and Ordained Methodist Minister, Bridgeforth had been a master of hiding in plain sight. In 2015 when he nonchalantly acknowledged his life partner during a public Methodist gathering all kinds of drama broke out. His hope is that by telling his story, others will make connections with their motivations for

Emme Zanotti moved from Michigan’s city on the bay, Bay City, to southeast Michigan stepping out and stepping up as a DE&I specialist, community advocate, and political activist. After reaching out to Stand For Trans as a resource and to connect with others in the Transgender community she went on to serve as the board treasurer for many years. She more recently became engaged in politics where her efforts helped flip two key congressional seats in Michigan’s 2018 elections. She currently serves as third vice chair of the Michigan Democratic Party’s LGBT&A Caucus. A big leap forward for transgender representation in the heart of progressive politics in Michigan.  She was recognized for her work by making The Race Relations Task Force of Birmingham’s Diversity Honor Roll and her political efforts and rigor helped flip key congressional seats in Michigan’s 2018 elections, resulting in her being honored by the Human Rights Campaign, as the state of Michigan’s sole awardee for political action at their

Roland Leggett is smart, strategic, politically savvy, and a nationally recognized movement leader He’s worked as an organizer with the Obama for America campaign, with the Detroit Branch of the ACLU, Equality Michigan, Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition, and former director of mobility initiatives at MoGo Detroit.  He was a regional political director during the Biden campaign and is currently the movement politics director at Michigan United. Roland is also an outspoken LGBT advocate serving on the LGBTQ and Allies Caucus of the Michigan Democratic Party. Through his consultancy firm "Roland Leggett Strategies" he works at building inclusive communities. The personal is still political and no one knows it better than this community activist and political strategist. He shares his thoughts on why staying engaged from the local to national levels has never been more important!!! Redistricting. Midterm elections. What we've learned. What's at stake with Redistricting and the 2022 Midterm election. Th

Tracee McDaniel’s personal motto is “Show up and participate for equality.”  She was the first trans person to deliver the keynote speech at the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. birthday celebration march and rally. Tracee marched in Washington, DC, and lobbied in support of a fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act and increased HIV/AIDS housing. She published “Transitions-Memoirs of a Transsexual Woman”, which chronicled her unordinary life growing up Trans in the South and then eventually in 1990 escaping to Los Angeles, CA to save her life from a domestically violent intimate partner relationship. It also details her evolution working in the corporate world by day and then effortlessly transitioning into her performance artist Alter-Ego by night to make ends meet. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Juxtaposed Center for Transformation which is an advocacy, consulting, and social services referral organization, specifically designed to empower the non-monolithic Trans and Gender Non-C

Originally from New Jersey Peirrce “Peach” McCoy now calls Delaware home. She is the LGBTQ Chair for the Central Delaware NAACP.  She not only has a seat at the table, but she wrote the “menu” personally writing and delivering to the organization guidelines for the committee. I Am Me is more than the name of her non-profit organization. For Peirrce “Peach” McCoy "I am me!" has been her life statement expressing her commitment to bringing her full self, unapologetically to everything she does and spreading that gospel to other members of Delaware’s LGBTQIA community. I Am Me was created to combat the continuous discrimination LGBTQIA people face in their personal lives, workplaces, and other social settings that can have detrimental effects on their psyche affecting their financial, mental and physical well-being. I Am Me Inc. was formed to offer safe social spaces with programs that uplift and unify the LGBTQ community. Through its Seminars, Workshops, Forums and Events I Am Me builds positive relationship

Bayard Rustin was an African American leader in social justice movements for civil rights, nonviolence, and gay rights. He worked with on the March on Washington in 1941, to press for an end to racial discrimination in employment. He later organized Freedom Rides, and helped to organize the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Bayard Rustin was gay and, due to criticism over his sexuality, he usually acted as an influential adviser behind the scenes to civil-rights leaders.  As a young activist, cutting my teeth in the civil rights and social justice movements, I did not hear about Bayard Rustin. I felt that I needed to suppress my sexuality in order to be effective in the movement. But then through books, involvement with LGBTQ organizations and the movie “Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin” I recognized the importance of bringing my full self to everything I was doing to truly create change. Along the way, I discovered other “Angelic Troublemakers” equally inspired by Rustin’s life and doi

Steph Turner identifies as a trans-spirit individual who is grounded in her own Native American heritage. After coming out in 1993 as transgender, she learned firsthand about needs when she was falsely accused and incarcerated for a crime she did not commit. No consideration was given for her gender identity and she was placed in an all-male facility. Since this experience Steph has felt compelled to transcend political and other divisive activities to deeply connect with all sides to resolve the impacted needs. After earning degrees in Sociology, Anthropology, Counseling and Public Administration she realized these fields exist to find answers our many needs. She went on to found Anankelogy the disciplined study of need. In her book “You Need This: Introducing Anankelogy, the Study of Need” she explains how our actions, beliefs, and thinking all occur after our factual needs. She plans two follow-up books on the subject “We Need This: Introducing Anankelogy Principles and Wisdom” followed by “We Need You

Kim Ford is one of those people who always has something to say that is informative, inspirational, and transformative changes. She co-founded Kitchen Table Giving Circle. The non-profit provided philanthropic support to Black/African Descent Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer women-led projects and organizations working to improve the lives of Black/African Descent LBTQ women. After years working in the non-profit sector, she changed directions starting “Mind Body Balance with Kim” providing health and wellness advocacy as well as transformational life coaching, When last we spoke it was at the beginning of the pandemic, her business was developing, she was offering classes online and taking classes to expand her practice using her fitness journey to assist and motivate others to find body and soul balance. And then the pandemic hit. Kim believes each of us moves along our own unique journeys and paths filled with dreams and visions of the lives we want to live. This movement and our interactions

As we celebrate and thank our veterans for their service this Veterans Day it is so appropriate that we catch up with past guest and US Air Force Veteran Vanessa Sheridan. So much has happened since we last spoke with our guest Vanessa Sheridan. She has relocated back to her home in Minneapolis after leaving Chicago’s Center on Halstead where she served as the organization’s Director of Gender Equity and Inclusion. Despite the limitations caused by the pandemic, this respected author and transgender activist continues to provide public outreach and consulting while offering transgender awareness training services nationally. She is the author of “The Complete Guide to Transgender in the Workplace.” The first full length, hard covered book on this topic ever released by a mainstream publisher. She has twice been a national Lambda Literary award finalist for her other books on the transgender community. Vanessa was the first transgender member of the board of directors for the stonewall National Museum and

Nina Kennedy is one of those people that the more you know about her, the more you want to know. Our interview about her book “Practicing For Love: A Memoir” opened the door and today we delve deeper. Nina is intersectionality – a child of the South raised in the shadow of the legendary Fisk Jubilee choir, an African American prodigy in a white world, classically trained in European greats such as Liszt and Rachmaninoff but able to get down in a hip-hop world, a woman in a “man’s” world, a poet, an author, a filmmaker, a talk show host and so much more. She’s back to share more about her remarkable life. With three more books in the works this will hardly be our last conversation. Her Lambda Literary award book “Practicing for Love: A memoir” was published in 2020. “Practice What You Preach” the second book in this memoir trilogy will be available soon

As the season changes from summer to fall, and we transition into the year-end season of giving here’s a playlist of interviews curated from past guests of organizations worthy of your consideration for support with a donation or even as a volunteer. They can all be found on SoundCloud or Blog Talk Radio on the Collections by Michelle Brown station. So, pop in your ear buds, or put on your headphones and listen to the 100+ interviews. You will be inspired by Guests who have come from across the country representing a variety of topics from vegan advocacy, the arts (Musicians/authors/visual artists), disability rights, politics and all points in between. Between now and year-end besides bringing you more interviews from new and old friends We are going to highlight some of the amazing organizations we’ve gotten to know over the years.