SAVE THE DATE!: SAY IT LOUD IS JUNE 4TH, 2011

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Say It Loud!: Schedule of Events

First Friday featuring photographer Samantha Box

Date/Time: Friday, June 3, 2011 5:00pm to 9:00pm
Location: 245 Lark Street Albany NY 12210

Admission: Free; Donations will be accepted to support In Our Own Voices Rising Star Scholarship for LGBT Youth of Color

Working in collaboration with the Lark Street BID, we are honored to feature acclaimed New York City based photographer Samantha Box. Samantha has an array of experience working in the media - first at the New York Post, a daily newspaper, and later at Contact Press Images, an international photojournalism agency; she decided in 2005 to attend the International Center of Photography, where she pursued a certificate in Photojournalism and Documentary Studies.

Over the course of four years Samantha dedicated herself to photographing homeless lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth in New York City. The final project, Invisible: the Crisis of LGBT Homelessness, has been recognized by En Foco and Anthropographia, and by inclusion at the 2009 Eddie Adams Workshop. Samantha is also a 2010 fellow in Photography at the New York Foundation for the Arts. Here is a description of this provocative and awesome display of photographic artistry from the photographer:

"In 2005, disturbed by the silence surrounding this issue and seeking to put a face on this little-known crisis, I began photographing the residents of Sylvia's Place (MCCNY Homeless Youth Services: Sylvia's Place), New York City's only emergency shelter for homeless LGBT youth; its 30 beds comprise over half of the shelter space specifically designated for the upwards of 8,000 homeless young LGBT people in New York City. Using the shelter as a “home base”, I have spent countless hours with these young people, bearing witness to hidden and intimate aspects of their existence: working as a prostitute on “the stroll”; crying at the grave of the mother that left them too soon; kissing their new boyfriend; spending a last Mother's Day with children that they will never see again; moments of introspection. By eschewing exploitative visual stereotypes of homelessness, youth, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and especially gender non-conformity, I believe that these images truthfully show the urgency of their lives."

This will be Samantha’s second trip to the Capital Region. Her work was first displayed at The Sanctuary for Independent Media back in November 2010. If you missed the first appearance of this powerful exhibition, please make sure to mark the date on your calendar!

Sober Dance 2011

Date/Time: Friday, June 3, 2011 9:00pm to 2:00am
Location: First Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany. 405 Washington Avenue, Albany

Admission: Free, 18+ with proper ID

A clean and sober dance for those in the LGBT community and their allies who are in recovery from drug and/or alcohol addiction. The Sober Dance was added last year, to offer an alternative to the normal “club” scene in the Capital Region, and to make Black & Latino Gay Pride more inclusive and sensitive to those in our community in recovery.

For the past two years, In Our Own Voices has hosted a fabulous dance party to recognize the determination and strength of our LGBT brothers and sisters, their friends, and allies living in recovery to support their sobriety from alcohol and other substances. Sober Dance 2011: Celebrating Health and Recovery provides an opportunity for anyone in the community to celebrate in a safe space free from discrimination, alcohol, and other drugs. The incomparable Dj Sabrina (and former IOOV board member) will be spinning the latest beats, along with old school favorites too! Of course free food and non-alcoholic beverages for sale will be available. We would like to thank the Addictions Care Center of Albany for helping to co-sponsor the Sober Dance again this year.

DJ Sabrina spinning hip hop, R&B, and old school classics! Free food and beverages for sale.

The Celebration

Date/Time: Saturday, June 4, 2011 12:00pm to 5:00pm
Location: Albany Riverfront Park at the Corning Preserve

Once again the celebration will take place at the Albany Riverfront Park at the Corning Preserve. The event is an outdoor affair along the beautiful Hudson River for all LGBT POC, their families, and allies. Local and national talent will be providing entertainment including Seventh Squeeze, dancers from Albany Salsa, Miss Honey, the Lovely Kayla Stennet, rapper Jayiman Jackson, Jeff Sterling the Magician, Fire eater extraordinaire - Smokey Garnett, and Albany’s resident own “Mr. Karaoke”- Dj Juan. There will also be a Kid’s Corner featuring a Bouncy Bounce and face painting for the young and young at heart too! A variety of foods and beverages will be on hand throughout the day to tempt the taste buds of all attendees.

As a part of the celebration, Say it Loud! will also include a Health & Wellness Expo; a gathering of health and human service providers from area organizations, which provide information and resources related to healthcare, safer sex, domestic violence, HIV/AIDS education, mental health, and substance abuse ( to name a few)! Free testing for HIV and screenings for high blood pressure and diabetes are also available. Last year, thirty-two local organizations were present at the event. The Health & Wellness Expo has always been a staple of Say it Loud!, as the Expo provides a forum to support our mission to promote the health and well-being of LGBT POC , who represent the most medically underserved population in the United States.

The Official Afterparty

Date/Time: Saturday, June 4, 2011 10:00pm to 4:00am

Location: ROCKS, 77 Central Ave., Albany

Admission: $10 entry. 18 to enter/21 to drink. Must have ID.

It’s not over yet! The After Party brings the festivities indoors to continue our celebration of the vibrant LGBT POC community, their friends and allies, at ROCKS Bar and Club. We are extremely excited to feature the unique and talented house music Diva – Ultra Naté (www.ultranaté.com). Known around the world for her mega hit, “Free”, among others, Ultra Naté celebrates twenty years in the music business this year and is currently working on her eighth studio album, Hero Worship. In addition to the live performance, the latest Hip Hop, House, R & B, Latin, and Soul will be spun by some of Albany’s most popular DJs.