Blackout Week: Young Adult Mixer

When and where: Wednesday night at Pittsburgh Hotel Indigo, East Liberty.

#BlackoutWeek2K18: It was an exciting week of festivities as True T PGH presented the fourth annual Blackout Week, which celebrated black excellence through a weeklong series, including Wednesday night’s Young Adult Mixer in partnership with VIIV Healthcare. “I call myself an artivist,” said artist and activist Trevor Miles. “I am always looking for new ideas and ways to be a part of the community and this just made sense,” he added.

The sold-out dinner was free to people of color in the LGBTQIA+ community for people between the ages of 18 and 26. “We didn’t have a lot of good role models who were HIV+ in our community growing up, and we wanted to do something for the next generation to see that they can take their strengths and talents and turn them into a way forward. We wanted to celebrate how awesome we are,” said event organizer Duane Binion, co-executive director of True T PGH. “I lost my fiance one year ago today to HIV, so I feel as though it just makes sense that I am here doing something helpful for the community,” added Malcolm Williams. “We don’t want people to hide or be afraid. You can live with HIV and have a full life. People are here to help and we want to help.”

The keynote speaker, Tracy Johnson, echoed that sentiment: “You can live your dreams, you can have a family and you can share your story. My hope is to inspire people to realize that life goes on and nothing can stop you from being your best self.” To learn more about coming events visit: https://www.truetpgh.com/.