Nonprofit Spotlight: Bros in Convo Initiative
Giving
GivingIn October 2021, PennyLoafer donors collectively gave to the Bros in Convo Initiative!
The Rundown
Years founded: 2017
Leadership: Daniel J. Downer, Executive Director, is a long time advocate for Black and Brown LGBTQ+ rights. He’s received several awards for his work including GLAAD’s 2018 rising star award and the Orlando Trailblazer award.
Issue they address: rising number of HIV cases and other health inequities experienced by Black gay, bisexual, queer and same gender loving men (GBQ/SGL).
What they do: promote and protect the health equity of Black GBQ/SGL men ages 18–35 in Central Florida.
How they do it:
Free HIV testing and linkage to HIV/STI prevention and treatment services
Health Education: HIV education, navigating relationships, healthy cooking + nutrition, emotional wellbeing, and building community.
Peer support: Hold regular peer support spaces to talk. And offer peer navigation and support around Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) - an HIV prevention method
Why they were chosen
Bros in Convo cultivates a space for and by Black GBQ/SGL men – centering their voice in program design and implementation. To date, they’ve provided health education to over 5,500; peer support to over 500; and HIV testing to over 1,300 individuals in Central Florida. Their small, but dedicated team has steadily grown their program offerings (through partnerships!) to meet the health needs of their community and build the leadership and capacity of Black GBQ/SQL men.
Learning
Learning↗️ While the U.S. has made big strides in preventing and treating HIV, it still disproportionally affects people of color. From the CDC:
- At the end of 2019 (most recent data), about 1.2M people were living with HIV. And ~37K had been diagnosed that year (down 9% since 2015).
- At only 13% of the population, Black people are disproportionally diagnosed with HIV (42%), followed by Hispanic/Latinx people (29%) who make up 18% of the population.
- Black men identifying as gay, bisexual or otherwise reporting male on male sexual contact are more impacted by HIV than any other group in America.
📖 Black GBQ/SQL men are affected at higher rates for several reasons, including less access to quality healthcare and resources (a result of decades of systemic racism that have impacted Black communities), stigma and fear around HIV/AIDS, homophobia, discrimination and distrust of the medical establishment.
If you enjoyed this and want to get involved, you can support the Racial Justice cause on PennyLoafer, starting with as little as $5/month. Each month, you’ll support and learn about a different nonprofit creating a more equitable world.