As the temperature heats up, so do the cultural programs offered by CNP and our partners. As the only Black, gay nonprofit committed to using storytelling to shift narratives about the lives of Black gay men to influence policy and save lives, our mission is deeply embedded in the stories, events, and national observances filling our calendar over the next few months. We’re excited to share a preview of some of the hottest CNP events that we hope you will add to your summer calendar. They are curated to inform, entertain, and celebrate the Black LGBTQ+ community. At CNP and on The Reckoning, we believe in elevating the best of who we are. These events reflect the brilliance that we hold. We hope to see you there! 

1. The Blueprint Series 

For Pride Month in June, The Reckoning will launch “The Blueprint Series.” The series will consist of essays that speak to the relevance of the four Black gay men CNP was founded in tribute to—Essex Hemphill, Marlon Riggs, Bayard Rustin, and Craig G. Harris. The title is also a commemoration of “The Blueprint Dialogues,” the first public program hosted by CNP in 2014. 

2. CNP Hip-Hop Lab 

On August 11, 2023, hip-hop will turn 50 years old. A “back-to-school jam” at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, NY, hosted by DJ Kool Herc, has become a worldwide cultural juggernaut. Since its creation, Black people have been engaged in conversations about hip-hop culture. The CNP Hip-Hop lab will explore the history of hip-hop’s influence on HIV education and work to provide a blueprint for how it can address HIV in the future. Our lab will feature scholars, writers, artists, and thinkers.

3. National HIV Testing Day 

On June 27 each year, CNP, and our partners, observe National HIV Testing Day (NHTD)—the annual day to emphasize and encourage HIV testing. The NHTD theme for 2022 is “HIV Testing is Self-care.” Global healthcare professionals agree that knowledge of status is the gateway to engaging in prevention or treatment services that enable individuals, regardless of their status, to live a long and healthy life.

4. Southern HIV/AIDS Awareness Day 

Southern HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (SHAAD) is observed annually on August 20. The Southern AIDS Coalition launched this day in 2019 to bring awareness to the disproportionate impact of HIV in the South. AIDSVu provides a deeper look at the impact of HIV across the South, along with resources for people impacted by and living with HIV. 

5. The Spirit God Gave Us 

The latest film from independent Black queer filmmaker Michael Donte is scheduled to debut at the Inside Out Toronto 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival in 2022. “The Spirit God Gave Us” follows two young Black men who volunteer as ushers for their Baptist church and their journey towards love, connection, and spirituality. CNP is a co-executive producer. The film stars Nic Ashe and Elijah Boothe as two Black queer leads confronting faith, love, and morality. 

6. Hotter Than July

Detroit’s “Hotter Than July'' marks the Motor City’s annual Black Pride celebration. This year’s extravagant weekend-long celebration will kick off on July 15. The in-person event, billed as “The Evolution of Hotter Than July,” will feature a headlining performance by rap music legend Da Brat at MotorCity Casino Hotel’s Sound Board on July 16. The concert will fundraise to help CNPs partner, LGBT Detroit, sustain free programming and services. 

7. BLACK, GAY, stuck at Home 

Michael Ward and Joshua Henry Jenkins, creators of the virtual LGBTQ screening series; “BLACK, GAY, stuck at home, continues to draw enthusiastic audiences as they offer the best in feature films, shorts, and television series that center the Black queer experience. In June through mid-July, BGSAH will screen “While You Weren’t Looking” (June 3), Patrik-Ian Polk’s “The Skinny” (June 17) in partnership with Advocates for Youth, “Fuck Black Men Revue: A Retrospective of HIV/AIDS Media Marketing to Black MSM” (June 28) during CNPs “We Will Be Heard” week of action featuring Al Cunningham & George Bellinger, followed by Maurice Hines’ “Bring Them Back” (July 1) and “Jackie’s Back (July 15). You can register to be in the virtual audience here.