Friday, March 29, 2024

‘Party with a Purpose’ During Atlanta’s 6th Annual Gentlemen’s Ball [EUR Exclusive]

the gentleman's ball

*Atlanta’s 6th annual Gentlemen’s Ball and the Gentlemen’s Ball Weekend kicks off Friday (Sept. 29), and EUR/Electronic Urban Report caught up with the founders Juan and Gee Smalls to dish about the inspiration behind the life-changing 3-day event and how this year will top previous balls.

Juan describes the Gentlemen’s Ball as “Black Girls Rock meets the BET Awards,” under the theme, “We Are Royalty.”

“Everyone is welcome at the ball. We saw a void of people like us represented in the media, on television, and so we took it upon ourselves to answer that call and to develop an awards program so that young people that are following in our footsteps can see others like them,” he explained. “So they can feel less alone, so they can feel like they have a mentor that they can look up to and call upon. We’re stronger together. No longer do we need to operate in silos doing the same work.”

As a successful young African American Atlanta-based same gender loving couple; Juan and Gee also serve as certified relationship counselors and life coaches. Additionally, both men serve as co-founders of The Gentlemen’s Foundation – a non-profit organization committing to broader social change and encouraging individual and collective empowerment as well public service, leadership, philanthropy, and networking.

This year’s fundraising gala and celebration is the signature event of The Gentlemen’s Ball Weekend, September 29th through October 1st. The three days of programming are filled with activities for guests and allies to recharge and reimagine their
lives. Empowering experiences include a health & wellness fair, workshops on love, relationships and financial planning, along with parties, mixers, and socials before and after the ball.

When asked to tell our readers about the inspiration behind the Gentleman’s Ball, Juan explained that the concept began six years ago in 2011, when “Gee had an idea to have a second chance prom for the LGBTQ community.”

The black-tie gala ball and awards program celebrates the accomplishments of LGBTQ individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to social change through the enhancement of the quality of life within the minority LGBTQ community.

Here’s what else the couple had to say about the Gentlemen’s Ball and their mission as influencers in the LBGTQ community.

OTHER NEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED: Beyonce & Blue Ivy Drop ‘Mi Gente’ Remix for Disaster Relief in Mexico, Puerto Rico and More

Tell us the story behind this “party with a purpose.”

Juan: We started an event planning company and we were brainstorming on what our first event would be and so (Gee) came up with the prom idea because 9 times out of 10, young gentlemen such as ourselves, growing up in high school, probably didn’t have the language to call ourselves gay. We probably went to prom with a female. And so we said, after we were done brainstorming names, we said let’s call it the Gentleman’s Ball and so throughout the planning phase of the event, as we were brainstorming and being creative, we wanted to — all of our events through the company — we wanted to party with a purpose. So through the brainstorming, we said let’s celebrate the true gentlemen for being confident in self, generous and giving and proud to stand tall in their truth. So what started off as an idea for a second chance prom evolved over time into this celebration of the many colors of the rainbow. How we show up in various idioms as gay, bi and trans men of color. People started getting wind of it in Atlanta and it became this community movement of love, of celebration, of affirmation and so as the years went on, we incorporated the awards program portion of it, where we celebrate the accomplishments of gentlemen in our community.

We have six awards. They range from Excellence in Your Career, Dedication to Community Service, we have a Gentleman of Promise, who’s an up and coming person, whether it’s in their community or in their career. We give out an ally award as well and then the top honors of the evening is Gentleman of the Year. Fast forward to this year where we believe that inclusion of all of the letters of the rainbow and our allies is very necessary given the political climate, given the social climate here in the country, and so we’ve added the Gentlewoman Awards. So we’ll give out each one of the six awards to both males and females in our community this year.

What are some of the reasons why you think this ball resonates with the LGBTQ community?

Gee: We’ve always been inclusive, but this year we actually made it a point to award the women as well. But I think it resonates because, at the time, we offered something that was not being offered for our community. When it comes to events, this is really the first black-tie gala that has been introduced to the community. The whole thought and the passion behind the events, as far as partying with a purpose, and just being more socially conscious in what we’re doing, versus what was offered in the regular nightlife scene, which is typical in any community. But this was something that was just very new. When we first came out and as its grown, the gay community has grown with it. So I think nowadays there’s a personal attachment to it because they feel like they’re a part of the growth. And that’s what I think makes it so appealing to the community.

Juan: We always say that it’s not about Juan and Gee. It’s about community and it’s about empowering the community to really love themselves, to stand tall in their truth and to honor that truth.

Let’s talk about the theme this year, “We Are Royal.”

Gee: We thought it was important to recognize ourselves as kings and queens — recognize that kingdom and queenship within you. We are royal, claim that royalty. And the whole weekend is really just feeding into that theme.

What are some of the awesome things people can expect at the Gentlemen’s Ball this year?

Gee: So we start off on Friday at 6-8, we’ll have a panel about declaring your royalty in the workplace. And so the first half we’ll talk about corporate America and what that looks like and showing up as your true self at your workplace in corporate America, not having to hide who you are and still being able to contribute to that environment. And then at 7:00 o’clock we go to the entertainment side of things. What is it like to be LGBTQ in the entertainment industry? What are some of those issues? How do we overcome them?

Juan: The next day is our third annual men’s health and wellness fair. We have a wide variety of health and wellness vendors, anywhere from HIV and STD testing to CoolSculpting — cosmetic surgery procedures, blood pressure screenings, diabetes screenings, prostate cancer screenings We want to encourage our community, particularly the gentlemen in our community because we don’t like to go to the doctor all the time. So we want to encourage them to take not only their physical fitness seriously but their overall wellness, grooming, nutrition — we’ll have all of those types of vendors there providing information and access to care.

We also have a dynamic set of panels scheduled for that day as well, centered around sex and the black gay experience. We have a financial seminar presented by New York Life to show you the ins and outs of life insurance and how you can use the proceeds and the profits from life insurance policies to help you in your day-to-day financial goals and financial wellness.

We also have a dynamic panel presented by AARP that touches on dating in the digital age. Folks who are above 40, particularly 40-55, online dating is booming for them. So we want to present some ways to not just protect yourself but to navigate that online world. And we also have a bootcamp scheduled – trap yoga, which will be a little fun spin on your typical yoga session and cardio kickboxing. So it’s going to be a fun fun day for the whole family. Folks can bring out their kids, we’ll have some activists for them. DJ, food, family, fun, and philanthropy — that’s the tagline.

Gee: And that goes into the Gentlemen’s Ball later that evening at 6:00 pm. Kelly Price will be headlining this year so she’ll close out the program and that’ll go into our afterparty. And lastly, something that I’m really excited about is our Royal Brunch. We’ll close out the weekend on Sunday at the Center for Civil and Human Rights and we’re inviting all of our Atlanta mayoral candidates to come out and discuss the issues that matter to the LGBTQ community of color. So that’s a really big deal, and we’ll also be live streaming that. We have about six candidates booked so far, so it’s really going to be a big deal and I think it’s going to be a great way to close out the weekend.

Juan: We really just want to empower folks to make their highest life choices, to live their best life and to understand that wellness is not just physical, it’s mental, it’s spiritual, and that’s why our panels and our programming and our events, we like to cover the gamut of optimal wellness; spiritual, mental, physical, financial.

What do you hope guests walk away feeling after the 3-day event is over?

Gee: The first thing I want them to feel is loved because I don’t feel like we get enough of that, especially among black men loving black men. But at the end of the day, our mission is the holistic health of us. So like Juan said, we touch on that the whole weekend. So I hope people walk away feeling empowered to carry that passion for holistic health into their daily lives. I hope they’re talking about how this was not just a great time and the bar was not only open and the food was not only good and the entertainment was great, but they learned something, they met new people, they created expensive networks. And one of the things that I’m very proud of (are) the people that meet each other and keep those relationships going. There’s just so much love in the room and if we can continue to make that impact then I am completely satisfied.

10-20 years ago, some would say that the biggest challenge in the black, gay community was simply coming out. In terms of the evolution of the LBGTQ movement, what do you think is the biggest challenge today?

Gee: I do believe that while we are more comfortable with being gay now, we’re more out of the closet, that also means that we are having more relationships now. What I think is different, back then, I don’t believe that relationships were as prominent. Most people were concerned with nobody finding out that they were gay. And so I think that was the biggest struggle back then and I think now that we don’t have that, there’s so much more to unpack than “Oh my god, I’m gay.” And so once you get to the point of “I’m gay and I’m proud,” now there is so much shit to unpack behind that. And now that we’re to a point where that being gay and out is now to the forefront, now we are forced to deal with the internal shit that prevents us from having healthy relationships. I think that’s where our challenges are now and where we are right now.

Juan: I think while the collective consciousness is elevating, I do think that there’s still a huge stigma surrounding coming out. I do find that there are still a lot of, particularly older gentlemen, who are still in the closet, who are still going through some of the similar issues that folks were going through in the 80’s and the 90’s. So while we are growing, due to in part the work that we do at the foundation and what other dynamic organizations do across the country as well, you still have folks who reside in that fearful space. That’s where we work to show those positive examples of how we are thriving because we are true to ourselves. Life just becomes so much better when you accept who you are wholly and you give other people the opportunity to do the same.

If you could hire one performer for next year’s Ball, who would it be?

Juan and Gee: Beyonce.

Gee: But I would love to have Jazmine Sullivan. I would love to have Faith Evans. I would love to have Tamia, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott. John Legend.

Juan: I’d love to have Patti LaBelle. But I would also like to add something, the ultimate goal for the awards program is to have it televised. So as we grow each year, we up our production value. We up the entertainment value.

What about social media? Will the event stream live?

Gee: We will have somebody that will be doing some clips. We don’t have any intentions of live streaming the whole thing, but we will be live streaming the mayoral forum.

Lastly, you’re six years seep with it now, so tell me, what does the Gentleman’s Ball mean to you personally?

Gee: This is my second marriage, so a person coming from the life of being on the DL (down low), marrying a woman, having a child — my son is 16 now, and having to go through that turmoil, that pain, all of those years of repression and having to go through that and come out on the other side, fuels my passion for the work that we do. And hopefully saving anybody else from having to go through the same thing. So as the Gentleman’s Ball grow, the message just gets louder and louder and I think we reach more and more people as more celebrities attach themselves to it, as more corporate sponsors, like UPS and Comcast, attach their names to this message. While they’re attaching it to the Gentleman’s Ball, they’re really attaching it to the message and the passion that fuels this for me.

Juan: And for me, it’s a time for celebration of self and celebration of others. I don’t think that we as humans take the time to really celebrate ourselves, to climb to the mountaintop and scream “I did it! Look what I accomplished.” Not in a bragging way but just in an affirming way. I don’t think we necessarily always take the time to congratulate and celebrate others. So for me, it’s a happy time for us to say “job well done” to ourselves, lift ourselves up and then lift up our fellow brothers and sisters. It’s a time for unity, where we all come together despite our differences to learn about each other and to just have a great-great time.

The 6th Annual Gentlemen’s Ball, Powered by UPS, will be held at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis Hotel. For tickets and information visit thegentlemensfoundation.org.

 

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!

YOU MAY LIKE

SEARCH

- Advertisement -

TRENDING