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Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Colman Domingo, Paul Tazewell, Sean Bankhead to be Honored at Native Son Awards
Native Son has announced the honorees of its 2025 Native Son Awards, recognizing the accomplishments and advocacy of Black gay and queer men. This year, the organization will honor actor Colman Domingo, costume designer Paul Tazewell, choreographer Sean Bankhead, multidisciplinary artist Derrick Adams, National Black Justice Collective CEO and executive director Dr. David J. Johns and founder of the Black AIDS Institute Phill Wilson. More from The Hollywood Reporter Ike Barinholtz Jokes He's "Lucky to Be Alive" After Driving With 'The Studio' Costar Seth Rogen How 'Survival of the Thickest,' 'Mo' and 'Shrinking' Are Helping Destigmatize Therapy for Men of Color The Hollywood Reporter Sets Tonys Preshow 'I'm deeply honored to receive this recognition at the Native Son Awards,' Tazewell, who made history earlier this year when he became the first African American male costume designer to be nominated for the Academy Award for best costume design, which he later won for his work on Wicked, tells The Hollywood Reporter. 'This organization is incredibly close to my heart, and to be acknowledged by a community that celebrates the brilliance and resilience of Black queer and gay men is truly humbling. Thank you for seeing me.' In addition to recognizing the aforementioned honorees, the event will feature performances by Grammy award-nominated singer-songwriter Durand Bernarr and The Voice contestant Deon Jones. The program will also include social impact moments led by former Native Son Awards honorees Rashad Robinson, Alphonso David and Keith Boykin highlighting Black and queer history. The Native Son Awards were created by media professional and professor Emil Wilbekin as an extension of his Native Son movement, designed to be a safe space for the Black gay community to commune and celebrate one another. The gala, first held in 2016, serves as a fundraiser to support Native Son's programs and initiatives throughout the year. 'As Native Son looks toward our milestone 10th anniversary next year, it is incredible to think about not only how much the movement has grown but how much it was and continues to be needed in this community,' said Wilbekin in a news release. 'The work that we are doing and the safer spaces we have created is especially critical as we think about the countless challenges we are facing at this moment in our country's history. Our community is seeing erasure, rollbacks of important protections and, in general, the enforcement of anti-LGBTQ legislation. At Native Son, we are committed to remaining steadfast in the storm to continue to uphold and archive the voice, visibility and existence of Black gay and queer men.' The Native Son Awards will be held during Pride Month on June 11 at the IAC Building in New York City. Former CNN broadcast journalist Don Lemon will serve as host for the third consecutive year. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025 Harvey Weinstein's "Jane Doe 1" Victim Reveals Identity: "I'm Tired of Hiding" 'Awards Chatter' Podcast: 'Sopranos' Creator David Chase Finally Reveals What Happened to Tony (Exclusive)
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
David J. Johns Won't Stop Fighting for Queer Black Youth
David J. Johns speaks onstage during the NBJC Equity March in Washington, D.C., on June 15, 2024. Credit - Brian Stukes—Getty Images Last November David J. Johns, CEO and executive director of the National Black Justice Collective (NBJC), an organization that works to empower Black LGBTQ+ people, wondered if he should stop getting eye-catching manicures. 'There was a part of me that processed [how] not painting my nails could, in some ways, minimize the target that exists on my body,' he says. 'Then I thought about why I started painting them in the first place, which was having a student who wanted to do it and did not want to be bullied.' Johns, who is sporting funky-colored puzzles and polka dots the day we speak, spends the majority of his day advocating for equity. While equality means treating everyone the same, equity accounts for an individual's personal needs, he explains. He compares it to a box that might be given to folks trying to watch a game over a fence—a shorter person might need a taller item to be able to have the same view. To champion these values, NBJC annually releases its federal policy agenda, which it advocates for through initiatives such as 'Equity Week,' a series of events in D.C. leading up to Juneteenth. The organization also partners with local educators to offer cultural-competency development about Black LGBTQ+ communities and nonprofits such as the Boris L. Henson Foundation to provide free mental-health services for Black queer youth. Cognizant of the challenges coming under President Trump, who on day one signed an executive order declaring that the federal government recognizes just two "immutable" sexes, Johns, 42, looks to the actions of those who came before him. His home office is filled with books and art depicting U.S. civil rights leaders and authors—feminist and social critic bell hooks, former President Barack Obama, whom he worked under as the executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans, to name a few—and he highlights their work throughout our conversation. Of Bayard Rustin, the Black, gay activist behind the 1963 March on Washington, he says, 'When I think about the challenges that we face institutionally, organizationally, or as a country, I'm reminded that this man did things in spite of obstacles erected by people who purported to be his friend. If he could do that with the resources he had, then I can create magnificent and awesome things.' Johns' work as a former elementary-school teacher also keeps him going. He recalls being at his doctorate-degree graduation when he heard a voice calling out for Mr. Johns. 'I recognized the voice, but I did not recognize the person standing in front of me. And I'm introduced to Ernie, who reminds me that when I had the pleasure of teaching them in kindergarten, they were Ernestine. My baby was trans,' says Johns, who saw the interaction as yet another reminder of how harmful it can be when politicians try to restrict discussion of gender and sexuality in the classroom. 'If I had capitulated to ignoring, possibly shaming transness or queerness in some way, Ernie might not be here.' Contact us at letters@
