As I walked around from corner to corner and crossing the streets as everyone gathered and started setting up their props etc. I was excited and proud to hear  local residents watching and shooting out words of pride words of encouragement. I could look back in time at the days when cities would not allow any type of gay/homosexual marches such as the one today.

Yes the gay communities have come a long way. It's time for a change and it looks like our times have come to help make this change come about. As Senator Barack, Obama shoots with authority Yes We Can Oh Yes We Can. Has help set the stage give the LGBT community hope as they move to reach another milestone.

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City Gym Boys is an elite team of natural bodybuilders from the inner city dedicated to mentoring young men and women on the lifelong benefits of fitness and exercise.

City Gym Boys was founded in 1997 by owner Charles La Salle to reach young men and women in the New York City area. "Our mission is to help eliminate the onset of obesity, particularly among African-Americans and Latino's in the inner city, by getting teens hooked on working out. If we can get 15 to 23 year olds to make fitness a habit, then we are on our way to reducing diabetes and heart disease", says La Salle, who is natural bodybuilder and personal trainer.

The City Gym Boys are proof of how dedication, patience and hard work can change one's body, mind and life. These positive role models are from different cultural backgrounds including: African-American, Barbadian, Cuban, Dominican, Ghanaian, Jamaican, Panamanian, Puerto Rican, Trinidadian and Venezuelan but they all share a commitment to increasing awareness among today's youth about the lifelong benefits of being fit.

The City Gym Boys have appeared on Rap City- Da Basement, 106 & Park and other BET programs. They have also appeared on Japanese T.V.- New York Style and other T.V. Networks. They have been on College Tours throughout the United States giving lectures and demonstrations. These athletes have also appeared in various magazines and newspapers such as: The New York Times, Vibe, Natural Bodybuilding, Honey, Men's Workout, Today's Black Woman, Young and Modern, Flex and the Atlanta Journal- Constitution.

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In the past, Daryl Wilson Promotions partnered with DC Black Pride. This year things are different.

Wilson has been a pillar of the Black Gay Entertainment and Promotional circle in DC. Last year he single handedly was at the forefront of the Black & Sexy party, the Black All Over party, the Dreamboys performance, and Patti Labelle and Jennifer Hudson at Love Nightclub.

Wilson gave this statement to Metro Weekly ''For the last many, many years I've worked alongside, in conjunction with, the DC Black Pride board,'' says Wilson. ''I've just seen a breakdown in the way they promote D.C. The numbers have dropped tremendously. You don't have anyone out in the market promoting DC Black Pride. You don't hear from them except once a year.''

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This momentous event signals a turn in a city that has received increased attention in local and national media outlets because of the brutal murder of Sakia Gunn, a 15-year old same gender loving (SGL) female, at the hands of a homophobic adult male perpetrator. Since Sakia's death in 2003, the SGL community of Newark has attempted to strengthen its presence and maximize its voice.

Many organizations have put their hands to the plow including the Newark-Essex Pride Coalition (NEPC), which held its first Pride Week celebration in 2004. NEPC made history in 2007 when the rainbow flag flew high over Newark's City Hall as Honorable Mayor Cory Booker and Central Ward Councilwoman Dana Rone honored and celebrated Newark-Essex Pride Week.

This year we are planning, once again, to bring together the many faces of the SGL community–and its allies–during a week of celebration, advocacy, empowerment, and excitement in the city of Newark. We realize, however, that we can not accomplish this task without the help of partners.

Thus, I am soliciting your support. We are presently in conversation concerning sponsorships with large corporations and foundations; however, we are in need of funds for start-up costs. We have turned to you because we know that you are committed to social justice, human rights, and advocacy for the SGL community.

Please consider donating any amount! No amount is too small. Your donation will be tax deductible and we will include your name on our donor's list.

All checks should be made out NEPC's not-for-profit fiscal agent and community partner, The Prevailing Family, Inc., and NEPC Pride should be written on the memo line.

All checks should be mailed to:

Newark-Essex Pride Coalition c/o The Prevailing Family, Inc. 104 Norwood Street Newark, NJ 07106-1912

Again, thank you for taking the time to read this letter! Many thank for considering becoming a partner with NEPC as we endeavor to produce Newark-Essex Pride 2008.

Darnell L. Moore
Board Member, NEPC

But Nashville folk always return to Nashville.  And hell, it’s true; many of them never leave.  And that’s interesting too, because this particular time was different.  I mean, I go home to visit the family at all the appropriate and respective holidays.  I’ve even been known to make a special occasion for one of my nieces and nephews, to their surprise.  But this time, I was going back especially and particularly on my on terms (and yeah, my own dollar – this time, lol – oh yeah, I occasionally get a little help to make sure they see me regularly or that I won’t find a way to slip out of a list of “the too many frequent visits list.”)  But this time was all about meeting new peeps, new experiences, and making some new acquaintances – all of the Nashville that I knew in the family seemed to be living other places, or weren’t around for pride at all.  Maybe it had to do with the fact that Pride is usually on the same weekend as TSU’s homecoming, and well, all of Nashville comes home for the games; but this year it was a week earlier.