Yolo Akili

Last updated
Yolo Akili
YoloAkiliWestHealthPanel.jpg
Akili speaking with his fellow panelists
Born
Michael Todd Robinson Jr

(1981-10-14) October 14, 1981 (age 42)
NationalityAmerican
Other namesYolo Akili Robinson
Alma mater Georgia State University
Occupations
  • Activist
  • writer
  • poet
  • counselor
  • community organizer

Yolo Akili (born October 14, 1981 as Michael Todd Robinson Jr), also known as Yolo Akili Robinson, is an activist, writer, poet, counselor, and community organizer who advocates for addressing mental and emotional health needs in the Black community. He is the author of Dear Universe: Letters of Affirmation and Empowerment, [1] [2] and the founder and executive director of BEAM (Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective). [3] [4]

Contents

Early career

Born Michael Todd Robinson Jr, after graduating from Georgia State University with a degree in Women's and African American Studies, he adopted the name Yolo Akili. In the years following graduation, Akili worked as a counselor, yoga instructor and poet. During this period he released a spoken word album of poetic meditations ruminating on sexual identity called Purple Galaxy. [5]

Moving into work as a community organizer, Akili joined AID Atlanta's HIV prevention team and served as a life support counselor at National AIDS & Education Services to Minorities (NAESM). Collaborating with Charles Stephens, Akili co-founded Sweet Tea: Southern Queer Men's Collective, a group of queer pro-feminist dedicated to combating sexism. [6] As the regional training coordinator of Men Stopping Violence (MSV), Akili developed batterer intervention programs geared towards educating heterosexual African American men in their 40s about abetting violence and sexism against women. [7]

In conjunction with this work, Akili began to focus on disentangling victims of violence from abusive patterns. Writing for Shondaland, Akili detailed his own struggle with overcoming domestic violence, the shame that afflicts members of the LBGTQ+ community who feel trapped in abusive relationships, and the need for victims of trauma to avoid normalizing destructive behaviour. [8] During his time as a counselor, Akili saw that there were institutional barriers in place throughout the country that were preventing members of the Black community from engaging with their emotional healthcare needs, particularly after witnessing an HIV-testing counselor fail to connect a patient with care while working in Atlanta. [9]

BEAM

Seeking to address the disconnect between mental healthcare access in the Black community, and fed up with the failure of HIV/AIDS and domestic violence organizations to recognize the intersection between emotional trauma, recovery, and abuse, Akili founded BEAM, "Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective". [10] Named in honor of Joseph Beam, the cultural and political activist who inspired Akili to reflect on his personal vulnerability as a Black gay man, BEAM works with a collection of artists, healers, advocates, legal professionals, activists, and religious leaders to provide mental and emotional healthcare to the historically marginalized and medically mistreated Black community. [11] [12] [13] [14] Akili has stated that BEAM's goal is to "remove the barriers Black people experience getting access to mental health care and healing". He has also cited the lack of emotional health support from licensed professionals as inspiration for training people in Black communities—from grocery clerks to aunties to barbers—to provide help where none would otherwise exist. [15]

Through BEAM, Akili sponsors community engagement events that teach Black people how to recognize their emotional needs, develop self-care practices, and pinpoint specific organizations that offer help when trauma becomes unbearable. He also delivers grants to mental healthcare groups across the nation that engage with traditionally neglected communities. [16] BEAM's outreach events have featured panels of notable mental health experts and activist including Jenifer Lewis, Raquel Willis, Patrisse Cullors, Vanessa Baden, Dr. Consuela Ward, Dr. Moya Bailley, Tre'Vell Andeson, James Bland, Nathan Hale Williams, Grant Emerson Harvey, Darryl Stephens, and Aaryn Lang. [17] [18]

Other work

Advocacy and writing

Akili is an advocate for feminism, denouncing misogyny throughout the gay community, [19] rejecting the agency that some gay men feel to fondle women's bodies, [20] [21] recognizing the need for therapy and addressing one's emotional well-being in the Black community (as opposed to self medicating or pushing through), [22] embracing the "permission to get better: 'Healing is our birthright', [23] and overcoming the vestiges of HIV/AIDS panic and trauma from the medical industrial complex in the Black community. [24] [25]

In 2015 he helped lead the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles' study into improving HIV treatment among young Black and Latino men (HYM). [26] [27] His writing has appeared in numerous publications including, TheBody.com, Essence, Everyday Feminism, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, Cassius, [28] [29] and Shondaland. As a contributor to HuffPost, he has challenged the power dynamics between sex roles in same-gender relationships, writing "...because a "bottom" still means weak, and "top" still means power — This is a call to become clearer to each other outside of checked boxes on Grindr or stats listed on Jacked", [30] demanded that Black communities reject the narrative that "Black People are Deficient In Every Damn Thing and There are No 'Good' Black Men", [31] and called for a "World Where Ending Partner Violence Was A Priority" in a "Black (Feminist) Future where Gendered socialization will be declared a public health emergency." [32]

Media appearances

Akili has delivered keynotes, lectures, and led panels at National African American MSM Leadership Conference on HIV/AIDS and Other Health Disparities, [33] Claremont McKenna College, [34] [35] AIDS United, [36] Vanderbilt University, [37] Ramapo College, [38] Harvard University, [39] University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, [40] Clayton State University, Baruch College, Agnes Scott College, Fordham University, Northern Illinois University, and Columbia University.

Awards

He was awarded the Creative Leadership Award in 2009 by the Feminist Women's Health Center for his work promoting feminism. [41] After releasing his book Dear Universe in 2013, [42] Akili was recognized by BET as a "Health Hero" for his work addressing emotional health in the Black community. [43] He appeared on NBC News in 2016 as a part of Jarrett Hill's Back to Reality podcast, to discuss popular culture in the Black community. [44] He was recognized by Blavity as one of "28 Young Black Creators And Leaders Making History Today" in 2018. [45] [46] That same year, in recognition of his work promoting the intersection between mental health and social justice, he was nominated by AIDS United to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation which awarded him its Health Equity Award. [47] On the heels of this accolade, he was declared a "Health Equity Hero" by TheBody.com. [48] In 2019 he was recognized by Essence Magazine as a part of their Black History Month coverage for his work "Aiding in The Resistance" in the Black LGBTQ+ community. [49] On June 10, 2020, Jordan Peele announced that he was donating $1 million to five Black Lives Matter centered organizations through his production firm MonkeyPaw Productions, including Akili and BEAM which received $200K. [50] [51] That same month, Akili was celebrated for his work during BET's 2020 Music Awards, where it was announced that Well's Fargo Bank was rewarding Akili and BEAM $25K for their work. [52] [53]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HIV/AIDS in the United States</span> HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States

The AIDS epidemic, caused by HIV, found its way to the United States between the 1970s and 1980s, but was first noticed after doctors discovered clusters of Kaposi's sarcoma and pneumocystis pneumonia in homosexual men in Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco in 1981. Treatment of HIV/AIDS is primarily via the use of multiple antiretroviral drugs, and education programs to help people avoid infection.

AIDS service organizations are community-based organizations that provide support for people affected by HIV/AIDS. This article focuses on HIV/AIDS service organizations in the United States only. However, it is important to note that similar organizations in other countries, such as Canada, also played significant roles during the HIV/AIDS crisis and share many common experiences and challenges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Callen-Lorde Community Health Center</span> Primary care center in New York City

Callen-Lorde Community Health Center is a primary care center located at 356 West 18th Street in New York City, New York. Callen-Lorde also provides comprehensive mental health services at The Thea Spyer Center, located at 230 West 17th Street. Callen-Lorde is dedicated to providing medical health care to the city's LGBTQ population without regard of ability to pay. It is named in honor of Michael Callen and Audre Lorde.

Howard Brown Health is a nonprofit LGBTQ healthcare and social services provider that was founded in 1974. It is based in Chicago and was named after Howard Junior Brown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Toy</span> American LGBTQ activist (1930–2022)

James Willis Toy was a long-time American activist and a pioneer for LGBT rights in Michigan.

Various topics in medicine relate particularly to the health of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual (LGBTQIA) individuals as well as other sexual and gender minorities. According to the US National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center, these areas include sexual and reproductive health, mental health, substance use disorders, HIV/AIDS, HIV-related cancers, intimate partner violence, issues surrounding marriage and family recognition, breast and cervical cancer, inequities in healthcare and access to care. In medicine, various nomenclature, including variants of the acronym LGBTQIA+, are used as an umbrella term to refer to individuals who are non-heterosexual, non-heteroromantic, or non-cis gendered. Specific groups within this community have their own distinct health concerns, however are often grouped together in research and discussions. This is primarily because these sexual and gender minorities groups share the effects of stigmatization based on their gender identity or expression, and/or sexual orientation or affection orientation. Furthermore, there are subpopulations among LGBTQIA+ groups based on factors such as race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, geographic location, and age, all of which can impact healthcare outcomes.

Discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS or serophobia is the prejudice, fear, rejection, and stigmatization of people with HIV/AIDS. Marginalized, at-risk groups such as members of the LGBTQ+ community, intravenous drug users, and sex workers are most vulnerable to facing HIV/AIDS discrimination. The consequences of societal stigma against PLHIV are quite severe, as HIV/AIDS discrimination actively hinders access to HIV/AIDS screening and care around the world. Moreover, these negative stigmas become used against members of the LGBTQ+ community in the form of stereotypes held by physicians.

Humsafar Trust is an NGO in Mumbai that promotes LGBT rights. Founded by Ashok Row Kavi, Suhail Abbasi, and Sridhar Rangayan in 1994, it is one of the largest and most active of such organisations in India. It provides counselling, advocacy and healthcare to LGBT communities and has helped reduce violence, discrimination and stigma against them. Humsafar Trust is the convenor member of Integrated Network for Sexual Minorities (INFOSEM).

The UCSF Alliance Health Project (AHP), formerly the AIDS Health Project, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides mental health and wellness services for the HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ communities in San Francisco. It is part of the University of California, San Francisco Department of Psychiatry. In addition to direct service to individuals, it also undertakes HIV prevention and LGBTQ mental health research and educates mental health and health care providers about best practices.

Homophobia in ethnic minority communities is any negative prejudice or form of discrimination in ethnic minority communities in the UK and USA towards people who identify as–or are perceived as being–lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT), known as homophobia. This may be expressed as antipathy, contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred, irrational fear, and is sometimes related to religious beliefs. A 2006 study by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in the UK found that while religion can have a positive function in many LGB Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities, it can also play a role in supporting homophobia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African-American LGBT community</span> African-American population within the LGBT community

The African-American LGBT community, otherwise referred to as the Black American LGBT community, is part of the overall LGBT culture and overall African-American culture. The initialism LGBT stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montrose Center</span> LGBT health organization in Houston, Texas

The Montrose Center is an LGBTQ community center located in Houston, Texas, in the United States. The organization provides an array of programs and services for the LGBTQ community, including mental and behavioral health, anti-violence services, support groups, specialized services for youth, seniors, and those living with HIV, community meeting space, and it now operates the nation's largest LGBTQ-affirming, affordable, senior living center in the nation, the Law Harrington Senior Living Center. It is a member of the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs. It is in Neartown (Montrose).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domestic violence in same-sex relationships</span>

Domestic violence in same-sex relationships or intragender violence is a pattern of violence or abuse that occurs within same-sex relationships. Domestic violence is an issue that affects people of any sexuality, but there are issues that affect victims of same-sex domestic violence specifically. These issues include homophobia, internalized homophobia, HIV and AIDS stigma, STD risk and other health issues, lack of legal support, and the violence they face being considered less serious than heterosexual domestic violence. Moreover, the issue of domestic violence in same-sex relationships has not been studied as comprehensively as domestic violence in heterosexual relationships. However, there are legal changes being made to help victims of domestic violence in same-sex relationships, as well as organizations that cater specifically to victims of domestic violence in same-sex relationships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karamo Brown</span> American television host, personality and actor

Karamo Karega Brown is an American television host, reality television personality, author, actor, and activist. Brown began his career in 2004 on the MTV reality show The Real World: Philadelphia. He currently stars as the culture expert in the Netflix series Queer Eye.

Cynthia Ann Gómez is an American psychologist who works in public health. She is known for her work in the field of HIV/AIDS prevention, health care access and health equity for minority individuals and committees. Likewise, one of her most major accomplishments was being the founding director of the Health Equity Institute at San Francisco State University. She has been a teacher and researcher, as well as a leader in both teaching and governmental positions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenyon Farrow</span> LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS activist


Kenyon Farrow is an American writer, activist, director, and educator focused on progressive racial and economic justice issues related to the LGBTQ community. He served as the executive director of Queers for Economic Justice, policy institute fellow with National LGBTQ Task Force, U.S. & Global Health Policy Director of Treatment Action Group, public education and communications coordinator for the New York State Black Gay Network, senior editor with TheBody.com and TheBodyPro.com, and co-executive director of Partners for Dignity and Rights. In 2021, Farrow joined PrEP4All as managing director of advocacy & organizing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT health in South Korea</span>

The health access and health vulnerabilities experienced by the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual (LGBTQIA) community in South Korea are influenced by the state's continuous failure to pass anti-discrimination laws that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The construction and reinforcement of the South Korean national subject, "kungmin," and the basis of Confucianism and Christian churches perpetuates heteronormativity, homophobia, discrimination, and harassment towards the LGBTQI community. The minority stress model can be used to explain the consequences of daily social stressors, like prejudice and discrimination, that sexual minorities face that result in a hostile social environment. Exposure to a hostile environment can lead to health disparities within the LGBTQI community, like higher rates of depression, suicide, suicide ideation, and health risk behavior. Korean public opinion and acceptance of the LGBTQI community have improved over the past two decades, but change has been slow, considering the increased opposition from Christian activist groups. In South Korea, obstacles to LGBTQI healthcare are characterized by discrimination, a lack of medical professionals and medical facilities trained to care for LGBTQI individuals, a lack of legal protection and regulation from governmental entities, and the lack of medical care coverage to provide for the health care needs of LGBTQI individuals. The presence of Korean LGBTQI organizations is a response to the lack of access to healthcare and human rights protection in South Korea. It is also important to note that research that focuses on Korean LGBTQI health access and vulnerabilities is limited in quantity and quality as pushback from the public and government continues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa Bowleg</span> American social psychologist

Lisa Bowleg is an applied social psychologist known for conducting research on intersectionality in social and behavioral science and the relationship between social-contextual factors and stress, resilience, and HIV risk in Black communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the LGBT community</span> Impact of COVID-19 on the LGBTQ+ community

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted inequities experienced by marginalized populations, and has had a significant impact on the LGBT community. Gay pride events were cancelled or postponed worldwide. More than 220 gay pride celebrations around the world were canceled or postponed in 2020, and in response a Global Pride event was hosted online. LGBTQ+ people also tend to be more likely to have pre-existing health conditions, such as asthma, HIV/AIDS, cancer, or obesity, that would worsen their chances of survival if they became infected with COVID-19. They are also more likely to smoke.

Colin Robinson was a social justice advocate from Trinidad and Tobago. Robinson's advocacy focused on LGBT+ issues, HIV policy, and health and gender justice.

References

  1. ↑ "The Universe Loves You!: Dear Universe: Letters of Affirmation and Empowerment for All of Us by Yolo Akili – The Feminist Wire" . Retrieved 2019-07-24.
  2. ↑ Akili, Yolo (2013). Dear Universe: Letters of Affirmation and Empowerment for All of Us. Micheal Todd Books. ISBN   978-0615772141.
  3. ↑ "Yolo Akili Robison". BEAM.
  4. ↑ "Author Archive for: EBANMAN Author". EbanMan.
  5. ↑ "Yolo Akili's poetry transcends sexual identity". Georgia Voice - Gay & LGBT Atlanta News. 2010-04-30. Retrieved 2019-07-24.
  6. ↑ "Our Proclamation". Sweet Tea. 8 March 2009.
  7. ↑ "50 Winners Who Are Helping Others Win: #20 Yolo Akili". Rize Up Magazine. 22 February 2016.
  8. ↑ Akili, Yolo (May 16, 2019). "My Rise from Abusive Relationships, Depression, and Shame". Shondaland.
  9. ↑ Proctor, Dwayne (May 1, 2019). "Where Mental Health and Social Justice Meet". Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
  10. ↑ Hashmall, Sarah (December 7, 2018). "Meet Health Equity Hero Yolo Akili Robinson". AIDS United.
  11. ↑ "Joseph Beam". BEAM.
  12. ↑ Stallings, Erika (August 1, 2018). "This Is How the American Healthcare System Is Failing Black Women". Oprah Magazine.
  13. ↑ Zitter, Jessica (June 29, 2019). "The Never-Ending Mistreatment of Black Patients". The New York Times.
  14. ↑ Dawkins, Farida (February 6, 2018). "NYU Steinhardt: Hiding mental illness can do far more harm than good". Face2Face Africa.
  15. ↑ "Meet Yolo Akili Robinson of BEAM (Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective)". Voyage LA. May 14, 2019.
  16. ↑ Akili, Yolo (June 19, 2017). "Black Mental Health Literacy Matters". HuffPost.
  17. ↑ Wissa, Nyla (March 7, 2019). "How BEAM Is Changing the Way We Look at Black Mental Health". Shondaland.
  18. ↑ "Getting Real About Your Mental Health". Shondaland. October 12, 2018.
  19. ↑ Sosin, Kate (March 7, 2019). "Why Are So Many LGBTQ Groups Staying Silent About This #MeToo Scandal?". Splinter News.
  20. ↑ Guha, Rohin (January 25, 2014). "The Myth of the Fag Hag and Dirty Secrets of the Gay Male Subculture". Jezebel.
  21. ↑ Akili, Yolo (May 4, 2012). "Gay Men's Sexism and Women's Bodies". The Good Men Project.
  22. ↑ "Ask A Mental Health Advocate: Q&A with Yolo Akili". Scotch Porter Journal. June 5, 2019.
  23. ↑ Jordan, Niema (November 1, 2018). "When It Comes To Sexual Assault, Black Women Have The Right To Heal". Essence Magazine.
  24. ↑ Helm, Angela (December 1, 2017). "On This World AIDS Day, Where Do We Go From Here?". The Root.
  25. ↑ "Culture Clash: The Danger in Downplaying Black Experiences in Mental Healthcare". NYU Steinhardt. October 4, 2017.
  26. ↑ Kipke, Michele (January 24, 2019). "A Focus on the HIV Care Continuum Through the Healthy Young Men's Cohort Study: Protocol for a Mixed-Methods Study". JMIR Research Protocols. 8 (1): e10738. doi: 10.2196/10738 . PMC   6365874 . PMID   30679146.
  27. ↑ "A Focus on the HIV Care Continuum Through the Healthy Young Men's Cohort Study: Protocol for a Mixed-Methods Study". PubFacts. January 24, 2019.
  28. ↑ "Escaping the Sunken Place: 6 Reasons Why You Need Therapy". Cassius | born unapologetic | News, Style, Culture. 2018-06-11. Retrieved 2019-07-24.
  29. ↑ "Toxic Masculinity: Shifting The Conversation From Talk To Action". Cassius | born unapologetic | News, Style, Culture. 2018-01-31. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  30. ↑ Akili, Yolo (June 25, 2014). "On Leaving the Prison of Tops and Bottoms". HuffPost.
  31. ↑ Akili, Yolo (January 3, 2014). "Two Narratives the Black Community Needs to Give Up in the New Year". HuffPost.
  32. ↑ Akili, Yolo (February 19, 2016). "Black Futures: Imagining A World Where Ending Partner Violence Was A Priority". HuffPost.
  33. ↑ "A Necessary Moment of Self-Care for Black Gay, Trans and Queer People Living and Working on the HIV Front Lines | TheBodyPro". www.thebodypro.com. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  34. ↑ Claremont McKenna College (2016-09-27), Black Masculinity in America - Yolo Akili Robinson , retrieved 2019-07-23
  35. ↑ "Events | Claremont McKenna College". www.cmc.edu. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  36. ↑ ""We Shall Not Be Removed" sparks discussion about HIV/AIDS among black gay and bisexual men". GLAAD. 2015-01-27. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  37. ↑ "Out In Front 2012 Registration!". Vanderbilt University. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  38. ↑ "Yolo Akili Robinson Speaks About LGBT Violence". ramaponews. 14 October 2015. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  39. ↑ "LGBTQ CONFERENCE AT HARVARD". LGBTQ Conference at Harvard. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  40. ↑ "Poet Yoko Akili discusses societal stereotypes, issues of black masculinity". The Daily Illini. 2012-04-12. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  41. ↑ lgiordano. "MSV's Yolo Akili Receives Creative Leadership Award | Men Stopping Violence" . Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  42. ↑ "Gay author Yolo Akili seeks emotional healing in 'Dear Universe'". The Georgia Voice. May 30, 2013.
  43. ↑ "Health Hero: Healing Our Community With Affirmation and Empowerment". BET. May 13, 2013.
  44. ↑ Neil, Shane Paul (November 4, 2016). "BLK to Reality: Your Week in Review: Stand Up or Watch". NBC News.
  45. ↑ Williams, Justin Michael (February 1, 2018). "Honoring 28 Young Black Creators And Leaders Making History Today". Blavity News.
  46. ↑ "Re: Yolo Akili". YouTube. May 20, 2019.
  47. ↑ "RWJF Award for Health Equity". Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. 5 December 2018.
  48. ↑ Hashmall, Sarah (December 10, 2018). "Meet Health Equity Hero Yolo Akili Robinson". TheBody.com.
  49. ↑ Higgins, John (February 5, 2019). "Black History Now: Black LGBTQ+ Aiding In The Resistance". Essence Magazine.
  50. ↑ "Jordan Peele donates $1 million to groups 'essential to the health and lives of Black people'". EW.com. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  51. ↑ Dowling, Amber (11 June 2020). "Jordan Peele donates $1 million to BLM organizations". etalk. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  52. ↑ Darian (2020-06-29). "BET AWARDS: Black, Gay 'BEAM' Founder Yolo Akili Robinson Spotlighted For Mental Health Advocacy". LIVING OUT LOUD 2.0. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  53. ↑ http://# (2020-06-29). "Mental Health Activist Yolo Akili Robinson Honored By BETAwards". Instinct Magazine. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.