Distinguished Service Award to Earl D. Fowlkes, Jr.
Presented by Charles Butler
GLAA Vice President for Political Affairs
GLAA 43rd Anniversary Reception
Policy Restaurant and Lounge
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Earl D. Fowlkes, Jr. is President and CEO of the Center For Black Equity, Inc. (formerly the International Federation of Black Prides), the only Black LGBT international organization in the world. Earl founded IFBP in 1999 as a coalition of Black Pride organizers the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and South Africa to promote a multinational network of LGBT Pride and community-based organizations. There are over thirty Black Pride events with over 450,000 attendees each year. IFBP became the Center For Black Equity in 2012 with an expanded mission "to promote a multinational LGBT network dedicated to improving health and wellness opportunities, economic empowerment, and equal rights while promoting individual and collective work, responsibility, and self-determination." Earl previously served as executive director of the DC CARE Consortium and Damien Ministries. He was licensed as a Social Worker in New Jersey, and has worked on HIV/AIDS and LGBT issues for twenty-five years. Earl serves on seven nonprofit boards, and is chair of Mayor Vincent Gray's GLBT Advisory Committee. He attended Rutgers University with degrees in history and business.
There is something less tangible that deserves mention. Earl's network of organizations carries a message to many who need it: You're okay. You're not alone. The confidence and leadership that are fostered by these efforts are beyond calculation.
It is my honor to present GLAA's Distinguished Service Award to Earl D. Fowlkes, Jr.
