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Ubuntu Biography Project

Stephen Maglott
The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) and the Ubuntu Biography Project have partnered for Black History Month to celebrate the legacy and achievements of Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and same gender loving (LGBTQ/SGL) people.

The Ubuntu Biography Project, created by the late Stephen Maglott, celebrates the life stories and accomplishments of LGBTQ and SGL people of color.

As the nation’s leading civil rights organization dedicated to the empowerment of Black LGBTQ/SGL people, including people living with HIV/AIDS, NBJC is honored to bring awareness to the Black community's contributions to Black History, specifically, and to American and global history, more generally.

With the theme "We Can Because They Did!," this public awareness campaign shares in-depth biographies daily on various media platforms.

Stephen began Ubuntu Biography Project after realizing so few resources paid tribute to the remarkable lives and contributions of SGL/LGBT/Queer men and women of African descent. Ubuntu has created tributes to approximately 500 men and women from around the world, and has reached more than 43,000 readers. According to the Ubuntu Project website:

The Ubuntu Biography Project was born out of a desire to tell the largely untold stories of LGBTQ men and women of African descent, and to celebrate their remarkable contributions to our world. These are created in the hope that they will serve to educate and empower the whole community, while they give same-gender loving / Trans men and women of African descent ample reason to find pride in who they are, and to find strength in the dynamic and loving community they are connected with.
Ubuntu is a Nguni Bantu term of Central and South Africa that is literally translated as “human-ness.” A more common interpretation of its meaning translates as “I am, because we are.” It is an empowering affirmation of humanity’s interconnectedness and of our collective responsibility to cherish one another. It links each of us to our desire to live and love freely, our shared interest in our creative and spiritual connections, and in humanity’s common lineage to African ancestry.
These biographies of remarkable men and women illuminate the story of our humanity through shared experiences, familiar hopes, our abundant love, our unique passions, our resilience in the face of challenges, and a common desire for community.
NBJC invites you to join in the campaign by sharing stories of Black LGBTQ/SGL people who are making extraordinary contributions at home, in the community or around our country.

In the same vein, Colors of Influence invites you to lift up the individuals included in the campaign. For this Black History Month, let us celebrate the full diversity of the Black community as we work better together to support one another.

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