The 29th annual Bayard Rustin Community Breakfast is a spirited celebration honoring LGBT leaders of color in the fight against HIV/AIDS. And it’s happening this weekend.
The event takes place from 9:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 7, at the JFK Presidential Library and Museum, located at Columbia Point, Boston. Admission is $25, however, no one will be turned away due to an inability to pay. For details, go to the event’s page on the AIDS Action Committee website.
Delivering the keynote speech will be Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and associate physician within the Division of Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Allan McClendon will receive the Bayard Rustin Award for Courage, and Larry V. Day, program director of Victory Programs’ Boston Living Center, will be honored with the Belynda A. Dunn Award for Activism.
Actor-singer Gordon Michaels, and cellist Sam Ou will be the featured performers.
Dr. Ojikutu is a past honoree of AIDS Action Committee’s Hero in Action Award, which recognizes those who have been significant contributions in the movement to end the transmission of HIV. She maintains an active clinical practice focusing on the treatment of HIV, primary care and general infectious diseases. She has also worked throughout sub-Saharan Africa developing and evaluating models of care for people living with HIV. Her research is focused on impact that social determinants of health such as poverty, discrimination, and immigration policy have on HIV transmission, clinical outcomes, and barriers to accessing care.
An openly gay, African American man, McClendon was the key architect of the 1963 March on Washington during which Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave the “I Have A Dream Speech,” and who worked closely with King in the political movements for social justice and civil rights, the award is given annually to a person of color who has shown courage in advocating for people living with HIV/AIDS.
Day, who is HIV positive, overcame decades of substance use as well as a period of incarceration to dedicate his life to HIV education and prevention efforts in his community, becoming one of the most visible and vocal advocates for people living with HIV/AIDS and/or Hepatitis C locally and nationally. His work has included serving on the board of directors of Victory Programs and 15 years on the Ryan White Planning Council, including four as Council Chairperson.
“From the civil rights movement to Stonewall to fighting HIV/AIDS and the scourges of poverty and gun violence, communities of color have long lead our country’s biggest battles for freedom, dignity and equality,” said AAC Executive Director Carl Sciortino. “We’re proud to honor leaders like Allen McClendon and Larry V. Day, who channeled their own grief, pain and fear into effective advocacy on behalf of those living with HIV or at risk of contracting the virus. Their courage and commitment is not just inspiring, it is indispensable to the work of eradicating HIV.”
The sponsors of this year’s breakfast are Gilead, Gourmet Caterers, Fenway Health, American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, Babson College, Bentley University, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Victory Programs, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Edge Media Network.
