Living Out Loud with Darian

Over the weekend The National Black Justice Coalition held it's second annual Black Church Summit in Philadelphia. This event brings together members of the GLBT community and clergy in an effort to dialogue about homophobia in the church.

This year those in attendance were privileged to hear the dynamic speaker and author Dr. Michael Eric Dyson as well as Rev. Deborah L. Johnson .

Retired NBA star and HRC spokesperson John Amaechi was also on hand for the opening night reception. I was unable to make it to Philadelphia this year but my heart was definitely there. However, fellow blogger Pam Spaulding of Pam's House Blend was in attendance and covered the entire event on her amazing site.

One of the goals of the summit is to have an open and honest discussion with leaders of the conservative Black church about issues that directly affect the lives of GLBT people of faith. This year Bishop Harry Jackson was invited to participate in a debate about homosexuality and the church. His point of view still has me reeling from a headache, read for yourself here .

The work NBJC is doing with the Black church is extremely important. The church is the epicenter of the Black community, and if we're ever going to eradicate homophobia among our own we've got to tackle the root cause of it, and unfortunately a lot of it stems from religion or the misuse thereof.

If you want to know more about The National Black Justice Coalition or get involved, simply click here .

Labels: Religion