Description
This is the 40th issue of BLK magazine published February 1994. The front cover is printed in color and features an image of Mandy Carter, dressed in a blue knitted sweater with a white shirt underneath. Carter is wearing rounded glasses. She are only visible from the chest up with a blurred background. At the top and centered to the left, [BLK] is printed in bold, white, uppercase letters within a red rectangular box. Outside of the bottom left corner of the [BLK] text box is the magazine issue information; in small, yellow text it reads [February 1994 / Vol. 5, No. 2 / Whole No. 40 / $2.95 U.S. / $3.95 Canada]. At the bottom and aligned to the left are the news sections listed in blue text, [NEWS / WORD UP / NAMES / MUSIC / BOOKS / CARTOONS / BLK TEA / CLASSIFIEDS]. To the right of the [BLK] text box is the magazine headline: in yellow text it reads [Mandy Carter] and in light blue text underneath it reads [Anti-War / Activist to / Washington / Lobbyist].There 44 numbered pages, stapled the center fold, with articles, advertisements, classifieds, black and white photographs, and cartoon illustrations throughout.
The inside of the cover features the ad [HIV / It Can Affect Anyone At Anytime] by the Minority AIDs Project. The content opens with the section [WORD UP] by Leon Miller with four short articles: [Little Known Black Gay Facts] about Richard Pryor’s film “Some King of Hero”, [Whites Hold Prejudices Early in Life] about a study of white middle class students, [Coach Aligns Stealing with Homosexuality], and [PC Sex Code May Be Just Fine for Some] comparing consent practices to S&M and B&D communities.
This is followed by three letters to the editor in the section [BLK MAIL] on pages 2 and 3, with the [BLK] masthead on page 2. The section [NAMES], similar to the previous BLK section BLK PEOPLE, is about broad and general news regarding the Black gay and lesbian community. It is divided by city
The cover story, which begins on page 7, is titled [Mandy / Carter / She’s / bold. / She / takes / risks.]. Written by Frankie Lennon, the article covers the personal and activist history of Mandy Carter, from enrolling to the Institute for the Study of Non-Violence to directing the Senate Vote ’90 in North Carolina and now as a Public Policy Advocate at the Human Rights Campaign Fund. Three quotes are printed in larger font, [If you didn’t take initiative, nothing happened. You had to make things happen.], [If you don’t get inside to tell them, I don’t see how you can make change happen.], and [People of color have a legacy that we absolutely cannot let others forget or rewrite.].
On page 12 is the continuation of previous issue’s cover story on Mayor Ken Reeves, [Ken Reeves], which was cut short. The first portion can be found on NMAAHC 2018.108.39ab.
This is followed by [MUSIC] by D.J. Marius on page 14 with two album reviews: [Joshua Redman / Wish / (Warner Bros.)] and [Me’Shell NdegéOcello / Plantation Lullabies (Maverick/Warner)]. The section [BOOKS] by Terrance Evans on page 15 discusses various publications including works by John R. Gordon, Christina Salat, Jewelle Gomez, and Assotto Saint. On page 16 is the section [ART] discussing the documentary “Against the Odds: The Artists of the Harlem Renaissance.” The article is accompanied by a photograph of William Henry Johnson.
The section [BLK BRIEFS] starts on page 18 and divided by city, providing articles in one or two sentences. International cities include London, Johannesburg, Nairobi, and Montevideo.
Several shorter articles appear under the section [BLK NEWS] complied by Don Thomas, Eric Washington, Mark Haile, and Alan Bell. Beginning on page 21, these articles include: [Dorian Corey’s Death Leads to Mummy Find], [Most Black Gay L.A. Okay After Major Earthquake] about damage to Dignity House, the HIV/AIDS shelter ran by the Minority AIDS Project, and Rue’s House, [Rollins Still in ‘Heat of Night’] about Howard Rollins, [Gay, Racial Bias Charged at Tower Records], [GLAAD Targets Banton Article in ‘Vibe’ Mag] about reggae singer Buju Banton, [Muslim Bakery Loses Business After Hate Rant] regarding the Your Black Muslim Bakery and Dr. Yusef Bey, [WBLS Joins Rap Hate Lyric Ban], [State Court Oks Visits for Black Lesbian Mother] for Sandra Pleasant, [S.F.’s Brothers Gets $50,000] the Brothers Network, an HIV/AIDS outreach program, becomes the first organization to service the Black LGBTQ community to receive a Magic Johnson Foundation grant, [Black Readers Unhappy Over Expanded Focus], [Watkins Story Comes to Video] about Sgt. Perry Watkins, [New Ads Urge Condom Usage] about the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Center for Disease Control, [200 Attend Kupona Network AIDS Memorial] about the second annual Celebration of Life memorial, [BGLLF Names Honorees, Sets Speakers] about the Black Gay and Lesbian Leadership Forum for their seventh National Black Gay and Lesbian Conference and Institutes, and [Howard U. Gay Group Receives Recognition] about the Lambda Student Alliance.
This is followed by [BLK VEIL] on page 28 and lists thirty obituaries: Ralph Bland Jr., Anthony Calloway, George Rodney Carter, James Martin Conway, Edgar McDaniel Cook, Samuel F. Davis Jr., James Eugene Ebb, Eddie Mayrol Edwards, Nathaniel Foster Jr., Henry “Butch” A. Graham III, Murphy W. Guy, James Harris, James Allen Hendricks Jr., Lawrence Hibbler, Bill Johnson, Lee Johnson, Michael Anthony Johnson, Ronald L. King, Rolley Joseph Lindsey, Michael Vernon Lott, Hyman L. Martin, Wilbert McGary, Michael Parks, Edward Douglas Patterson, Louis “Lucky” Rixey, Lamont Christian Schofield, Larry Malcom Spivey, William Starke, Russell Lynn Thomas, and Hosea H. “Bugsy” Toland Jr.
The gossip column [BLK TEA] written by Preston G. Guider begins on page 31.
The issue concludes with the section [BLK MARKET] on page 34 and the classifieds section [TALKING PERONALS] starting on page 35 with personal ads divided by gender, nation, then U.S. states.
The back cover is a full-page advertisement [PRIORITIES] by Dr. Reginald J. Warren INC.
There are several advertisements throughout, including: [PROUD / TO BE / YOUR BUD / Budweiser]; [AIDS / HEALTHCARE / FOUNDATION / CARL BEAN AIDS CARE CENTER]; [LESBIANS MAKE GAY MEN LAUGH! / Presenting the 4th annual / ALL MEN / ALL GAY / ALL COMEDY]; [Books / Bohemian]; [The Pleasure Chest Ltd.]; [Harold R. Freudenheim]; [Black / Jack]; [ASIAN PACIFIC / AIDS / Intervention Team]; [Catch Up on / What You / Missed. / Read BLK / Back Issues.]; [Unity / Fellowship / Church / A Church for / All People]; [THINK PINK / PUBLICATIONS]; [COMMUNITY / PRESCRIPTION / SERVICE / A Mail-Order Pharmacy & AIDS Information Service]; and [BLACKfire / BLACK LACE].
