When BET was celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2020, the coronavirus pandemic and social unrest further challenged Tiyale Hayes to come up with something to highlight significant people and moments in the Black community that are often invisible.
As the network’s then senior vice president of consumer insights, Hayes created Black and Iconic, a theme that celebrates the intersections of Black culture that promote Black love, joy, power and pride.
A signature event, the Black and Iconic Soiree, returned to Flourish for its second year on Jan. 13 to honor Black LGBTQ change agents who are impacting the arts, health and wellness and civil and human rights nationally. Both times, the swanky function has been held in Atlanta during MLK Weekend.
Credit: 250 Media
Credit: 250 Media
“We started to create a vision that expresses the fullness of Black,” said Hayes, now BET’s executive vice president of insights and multiplatform analytics. “There are so many areas of the community that don’t allow the fullness to shine, so this is really to celebrate those doing wonderful things with impact.”
“P-Valley” star Nicco Annan was the host for the evening, and singer Kiana Lede was the musical guest. His NAACP Image Award-winning portrayal as the witty, gender-bending strip club owner Uncle Clifford on the Starz hit series often leads him into conversations about acceptance from the show’s straight and queer viewers.
“People are talking differently about what it means to be nonbinary or openly accept their friends who may be on the spectrum,” Annan said. “Seeing it and seeing other people accept it in the open helps change lives.”
The Black and Iconic Soiree presented its first Pioneer of the Year award to transgender activist and community organizer Miss Major Griffin-Gracy. A survivor of the Stonewall riots and Dannemora Prison, she founded the House of GG, a retreat center in Little Rock for trans and nonconforming people, in 2019.
During her acceptance speech, Griffin-Gracy encouraged the room to remain committed to combating injustice against Black LGBTQ people. “Keep the work up because we can’t afford to stop now, especially with anti-trans laws,” Griffin-Gracy said. “It’s hard, but you got to keep doing it.”
The BET Thrive Fund Grant was presented to the National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network for the organization’s work on mental health awareness.
Credit: 250 Media
Credit: 250 Media
Gilead Sciences’ vice president of advancing health and Black equity Rashad Burgess was the Executive Realness honoree. He’s worked with the company for more than a decade toward HIV prevention.
Burgess, the First Gentleman of the Vision Cathedral of Atlanta, a spiritual safe space in Grant Park, is instrumental in forming partnerships between Gilead Sciences and historically Black colleges and universities such as Morehouse School of Medicine and Louisiana’s Xavier University to create solutions that address inequities in healthcare and reduce stigmas around HIV in the South.
“HBCUs have a profound impact in developing the Black healthcare talent,” says Burgess, the Center for Disease Control’s former branch chief of capacity building in the HIV/AIDS prevention division. “We have to partner with institutions that are rooted in communities and lead in ways that are impactful and authentic. It’s creating a pathway for others to achieve and making a difference.”
David Johns, who was promoted from executive director to CEO of the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) on Jan. 2, was named this year’s Active Advocate Award recipient. In 2013, the former educator was appointed by former President Barack Obama as executive director of the White House Initiative for Educational Excellence for African Americans.
NBJC awarded 29 Benevolence Grants to Black LGBTQ youth leaders to commemorate the civil rights organization’s 20th anniversary in December. Johns considers his leadership positions as acts of patriotism.
Credit: 250 Media
Credit: 250 Media
“I am living in the legacy of Bayard Rustin, our chief architect of what it meant of service and in motion,” Johns said. “I feel ready and equipped to lead this organization into the future, and we have to find ways to support our babies to make sure that they thrive.”
“The Ms. Pat Show” co-creator and showrunner Jordan E. Cooper was named Prime Creator. With his Tony Award-nominated production “Ain’t No Mo,” the two-time Emmy nominee became the youngest Black playwright on Broadway. He succeeded Lorraine Hansberry, whose “A Raisin in the Sun” premiered in 1959.
“It’s a blessing to be validated by my own,” said Cooper, still in his 20s and also acclaimed as the youngest showrunner in television history. “When you create things, it’s so lonely at first, but all of the recognition feels like the beginning.”
The plan following Black and Iconic Soiree is to launch a digital campaign from the event in time for Black History Month. Hayes hopes the content and future efforts will provide an outlet and safe space for Black queer kids to feel seen and heard.
“A lot of our community is under attack from the state and national level, so what better way to celebrate this community and give them this experience,” Hayes said. “One day, these kids can search and look at people who are fighting, advocating and creating space for them to live out loud as they possibly can.”
