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Published: Friday, February 25 2022
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Written by Diversity Richmond
Diversity Richmond’s Black and Bold Awards program recognizes and celebrates leadership in and on behalf of the Black LGBTQ community. Here are this year’s nominees.
Alvion Davenport
When you mix passion with perseverance and a whole lot of pride, you’ll end up with Alvion Arnell Davenport. A Richmond native and member of the Virginia Pride Board, her hands are always in the pot to help mix the winning recipe for equality. Whether it's mentoring the newcomers in the drag profession or pounding the pavement for Black rights and justice, she is always all hands on deck.
For nearly 20 years, she has been a leading force in the RVA community and has won almost two dozen titles locally and nationally. The first to win the National titles of Wessland, North America and Black Universe from Virginia and the first to place in the top 5 finalists at Miss Continental Plus in the systems almost 40 years. In the summer of 2021, she appeared on the front page of the Richmond Times Dispatch and became a recipient of the 2021 Community Roots award for Advocacy from the Black Pride RVA board for her works during the Black Lives Matter protest. Raising over $15,000 after starting with just $200.00 from her own pockets. Alvion aspires to one day open her own funeral establishment and plans to continue her advocacy for our community with passion, perseverance, and pride.
Bryan Price
Bryan Price is the Owner and Founder of GTP Wellness Consulting, L.L.C. GTP Wellness Consulting takes a holistic approach to physical, mental, and societal wellness through trainings, mentorships, and coaching. Bryan also works with the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement with the University of Virginia Cancer Center and the Cancer Center without Walls. He is a native of Danville, Virginia and currently residing in South Boston, Virginia, with his husband, Craig Jones.
Bryan studied Statistics, Mathematics and Computer Science at Virginia Tech and his passion is fitness and advocating healthy living in his community. He is a board member of The Health Collaborative, Regional Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention, Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth Southwest Advisory Board, Virginia Rural Health Association, Community Improvement Council, Inc.-Danville Head Start, Equality Virginia and the Virginia Department of Health’s Community HIV Planning Group. Bryan is a graduate of the 2018 Class of LEAD Virginia. He has been selected by the National Rural Health Association as a member of the 2021 Rural Health Fellows program and their Rural Health Equity Council and has also been recently appointed by Virginia Governor Ralph Northam to serve on the LGBTQ+ Advisory Council.
Chaz Barracks
Chaz Antoine Barracks, Ph.D. is a Blackademic artist-scholar, podcaster, filmmaker, and faculty fellow at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication in Philadelphia, PA. His scholarly practice is grounded in interdisciplinary studies that pull together performance, Black histories, communication, and film & digital humanities to utilize media tools to make knowledge production more accessible and centered around Black cultural production. Raised by flamboyant and always loud Jamaican women who settled in Connecticut, he has been engaged in Richmond since 2009, working and volunteering in Black youth programs and public arts, through hosting critical storytelling workshops and building educational initiatives such as the Blackademic Library at Six Points Innovation Center. He’s been a lead in curating community exhibitions and media projects that involved numerous Richmond gems such as Afrikana Film Festival, The Valentine Museum, and the University of Richmond’s Bonner Center for Civic Engagement.
Chaz wrote and directed the film Everyday Black Matter, which launched from his emerging media hustle Black Matter Productions, LLC. Black Matter meshes his intellectual ambitions to blur the lines between academia, public arts, and media production rooted in Black queer representations of joy, nuance, and recognizing the intellectual contributions of those who create alternative worlds to thrive by any means necessary. As an artist, he continues to experiment with what can be learned from Black joy as a form of resistance. Chaz hosts the Black Matter podcast, which is a social platform by and for Black/PoC queers and femmes and continues to use his work in the classroom or digital space to plan, plot, and practice Black queer freedom.
Learn more about Dr. Chaz at BlackMatter.space.
Jordin Cotman
Jordin Cotman (She/Her) is the Trans Health Case Manager and Community Advocate for Health Brigade. Jordin is from Charles City, Virginia, and earned a Bachelor of Arts with a concentration in Criminal Justice from Norfolk State University in 2014. She has been a huge advocate for mental health awareness, Black Lives Matter and Trans Rights over the last ten years by facilitating workshops, attending protests, and more. Jordin is known for her “sassy” demeanor which has helped her be a great asset in her community– from her work public speaking to going out in the community and advocating for those who are unable to advocate for themselves. When she is not working hard for her community, you can find her solo traveling, hanging with friends and family, watching podcasts, or listening to Lil ’Kim. The quote that has helped her overcome the trials and tribulations of life is “Nobody but you is responsible for your own life”. Jordin's goal is to become a world-renowned podcaster and vlogger and will be launching in May, so get ready because this is only the beginning.
Sam Patterson
Sam Patterson is currently employed with the City of Richmond as the Richmond City Council Liaison for the East End 7th District for a total of 20 years now. This position allows him to provide advice and support for the individual Council Member. In addition to those duties, he serves as liaisons to other City departments, the public, outside agencies, consultants, attorneys, and professional associations. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology/Exceptional Education and Interdisciplinary Studies, Virginia Union and taught Exceptional Education for 12 years with Richmond Public Schools. Before teaching, he worked for the Richmond Police Department for 11 years.
In addition to being a Board member for BlackPrideRVA, his other community affiliations include being a Board Member for Commonwealth Catholic Charities-Human Services Foundation Board, President of the St. Vincent DePaul Society, Dominion Energy Christmas Parade Board Member and Co-Logistics Chair.
Also, as an active participant in numerous community organizations designed to nurture and challenge young African American males, Sam still serves as the Drill Master/Set Designer and logistic coordinator for the Pi Rho Omega AKA Beautillion (since 1995) and is a First Tenor with the Celebration Male Chorus, Special Events Coordinator for the Richmond Slave Trail and Annual the East End Music Festival. Sam also was the founder and director of Richmond’s Martin Luther King, Jr. East Coast JROTC Drill Team Competition from 1995-2007.
As an active member of Holy Rosary Catholic Church, he currently serves on numerous committees and is a member of the Knights Columbus where he has served as District Deputy, Grand Knight, and Faithful Navigator.
Shauntelle Hammonds
Shauntelle Hammonds is the Executive Director and cofounder of Peter's Place RVA. She is a certified substance abuse counselor, certified peer recovery support specialist, certified peer support specialist trainer, and REVIVE! master trainer. Shauntelle currently resides on the board of directors for Virginia Association of Recovery Residents, and Richmond behavioral Health Authority. She previously held a board position with The Association of Recovery in Higher Education. Shauntelle self identifies as a person in recovery and is passionate about advocating for trans, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming individuals in or seeking recovery support.
Troy Kershaw
Troy Kershaw is a public health and social services professional, Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion, health equity, social justice and LGBTQIA+ advocate, national cohort of the Human Rights Campaign (LGBTQ HBCU Leadership), a photographer with several years of experience working alongside other public health and social services professionals of many community-based health organizations.
Troy’s concentrates are on community, social, and prevention services. His due diligence has been to assist with underserved and marginalized individuals' unique needs while simultaneously creating equity within our community. He is responsible for assisting with strategies and procedures. During his life's work, the pleasure of aligning with his heart's posture has greeted him with such delight and satisfaction. Troy is a powerful force in the workplace and uses his assertive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to work hard and succeed. Troy is inspired daily by his partner, family, friends, and two Guardian Angels, the late Betty Ann Lacy and Marcus K. Perry, whom he loved dearly. Troy likes to relax, watch movies, and have a good time with his support system in his free time.
Traci DeShazor
Recognized by Virginia Business as an Impact Maker and one of the 'Top 100 People to Meet in 2022," Traci is one of Virginia’s leading public administrators. With expertise in intergovernmental, external, and community affairs, she has led initiatives at the intersection of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion—informing issues ranging from voting rights to clemency. Most recently, Traci served as the Deputy Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia, a role she was re-appointed to in December 2017 by Governor Ralph S. Northam following an initial appointment by Governor Terence R. McAuliffe.
In recent years, she has been at the forefront of some of the Commonwealth's most progressive policy initiatives including the appointment of the nation's first-ever cabinet-level Chief Diversity Officer; historic restoration of rights and clemency efforts; the reimagining of the Governor's Office of Constituent Services--establishing the first-ever community outreach and engagement team allowing the administration to better connect to and serve Virginia's residents; in addition to the formation of the Commonwealth Commission on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Virginia African American Advisory Board, and the Virginia LGBTQ+ Advisory Board, each established to advise the Governor of Virginia on pressing issues.
Traci has a B.A. in International Studies (Virginia Tech), M.A. in Justice and Legal Studies (Hollins University) and is currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration and Policy at American University. As a servant leader, Traci believes fervently that "service is the rent you pay for room on this earth”.
Nationz Mission is to provide education and information related to HIV prevention while inspiring the community to take responsibility for their health and overall wellness.
Women of Essence, Inc. provides education and resources to women of color regarding HIV/AIDS, Domestic Violence and Breast Cancer in the LGBTQ community.
The mission of the independent, prize-winning Richmond Free Press newspaper is to empower its readers by contributing to the balance of news reporting and commentary in the Richmond area, and, simultaneously, to educate its readers about important issues touching their lives and to motivate them to be fully heard on these issues.
The newspaper seeks a brighter future for the city by finding common ground for all our citizens to work together to revitalize Richmond and improve the quality of life for its people. The Free Press places a high value on quality and is guided by a commitment to the eternal principles of truth, integrity, robust debate, and justice.
This event is sponsored by Jack Daniel’s, BLK RVA, and Gilead.
