Black Lavendar Resources

http://www.blacklavender.com

David Neale battles ignorance and raises consciousness about black gays and lesbians through speaking, writing, and entrepreneurship. A Brown University graduate, he is the founder and resource manager of Black Lavender Resources.

Neale's crusade began during his senior year at an all male, Catholic high school in Maryland. Unwilling to remain silent any longer in the face of regular harassment from those who already perceived him to be gay, Neale came-out. The harassment intensified, but Neale — a straight-A, model student — received little support from the school's administration for his act of self-empowerment and self-acceptance. When the school's principal prevented him from publishing an article about his experiences as a gay student in the school newspaper, Neale took matters into his own hands. With the help of his mother, he made 800 photocopies of the 3-page article and distributed as many as he could himself before the administration confiscated the articles. Neale’s coming-out story is chronicled in Being Different: Lambda Youths Speak Out (Franklin Watts, 1995).

At Brown University, Neale proactively challenged students as well as faculty to acknowledge the intersections of race, gender, and sexuality. He carved out a unique, interdisciplinary academic area of focus that blended ethnic studies with a study of sexuality & society. A campus leader and provocateur, Neale organized numerous, well attended campus events designed to stimulate dialogue about racism in the predominately white lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) student community, and homophobia in the various student communities of color. Neale also mentored and counseled gay students of color through the coming out process, and offered guidance about how to plan, promote, and find funding for diversity-related events.

He is currently working on a memoir about his experiences at Brown University.

Black Lavender Resources is Neale's latest contribution. An example of entrepreneurship with a social conscience, the company specializes in educating the public and fostering awareness about the black LGBT community. In addition to managing the Speakers & Artists Division, Neale oversees the Public Relations and Promotion Division, which helps black LGBT artists — and other artists whose work is about the black LGBT community — develop public relations strategies for, and promotional materials about, their work. The Public Relations and Promotion Division also publishes BLARE (the Black Lavender Arts Report), an online magazine about the world of black LGBT arts and entertainment. Neale is the publication director.

Drawn from personal experiences, rigorous academic study, and practical insights, Neale's speeches and presentations are well suited for audiences at educational institutions and community-based organizations.

Black Lavender Resources is a public relations and diversity consulting firm committed to increasing awareness about black lesbians, gays, bisexuals, same-gender-loving, and transgender (LGB/SGL/T) people. Founded by black, gay, social entrepreneur David Neale, the firm has 4 core objectives:

• provide basic, accurate information about the history and life experiences of black LGB/SGL/T people;

• find and create opportunities for audiences throughout North America—and potentially throughout the world—to connect with high caliber, thought-provoking, talented black LGB/SGL/T speakers and artists, and others whose work directly addresses black LGB/SGL/T experiences;

• prepare, publicize, and promote quality educational products and services by and about black LGB/SGL/T people;

• utilize black LGB/SGL/T knowledge and experiences to teach new models of diversity that emphasize the intersections of race, gender, and sexuality.

By pursuing and achieving these objectives, the firm’s ultimate mission is to educate the uninformed, challenge and correct the misinformed, affirm black LGB/SGL/T histories, cultures, and identities, and serve as a resource for those seeking specialized diversity-related information.