Explore Black History

May 1989

The 6th issue of BLK magazine, published May 1989. The front cover features an image of playwright, poet and performer Ayofemi Stowe Folayan. Foloyan wear a patterned shirt, earrings and rings on her index, middle and marriage fingers. Her hair is done in cornrows. The name of the magazine [BLK] is printed in large, bold, white uppercase letters within a red rectangular textbox. The date and issue [Number 6, May 1989] are printed just below the title. here are 22 pages in total, with articles, advertisements, classifieds, black and white photographs, and cartoon illustrations originally from Ebony Magazine with new captions written by BLK.
The inside cover features an ad for the [Minority AIDS Project], listing the organization’s services. The content opens with a section entitled [Blk Board], there is a calendar of events beginning April 28, 1989 and ending July 21, 1989. Followed by a section entitled [Blk Mail] which contains four Letters to the Editor.
There are two feature articles: [Talking about Ayofemi / Playwright, Poet and performer to appear in L.A. and Oakland] and [Policing the Task Force / How and why people of color got kicked off a city advisory board]. In the [Blk Community News] section, the articles include: [BWMT/LA Told: Hospice to Locate in South Central], [CDC Lists March Stats on AIDS Cases in U.S.], [Group Plans Outreach to Lesbians of Color], [ACT-UP Plans Meeting], [NAN Announces Execs] and [BGLLF Slates Benefit] and [Adodi, BEBASHI Plan Weekend Philly Retreat]. The issue concludes with a classified ads section titled [BLK Market].
There are advertisements throughout, including: [Stonewall 20: A Generation of Pride], [Dinner & Program Honoring Jewel Williams on her 50th Birthday], [Being Alive / People With AIDS ACTION COALITION], [Unity Fellowship Church / A Church For All People], [Feeling Overwhelmed by AIDS? / THE GAY AND LESBIAN COMMUNITY SERVICES CENTER], [976-CAMP], [970-WOLF], [976 HUGE], and [MIDTOWNE SPA].
The back cover consists of a single ad for the [KEITH MEDICAL GROUP]. The top of the ad consists of a photograph of a man trimming a rose hedge. The image takes up about half of the back cover and is divided into 12 equal squares, one of which is solid white. The caption printed under the photo reads [We treat people not parts.].

National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

Books and Published Materials

HIV/AIDS Activist Movement

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Alan Bell

National Museum of African American History and Culture

2018.108.6

magazines (periodicals)

© BLK Publishing Company, Inc
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.

ink on paper (fiber product)

H x W x D: 10 13/16 × 8 1/4 × 1/8 in. (27.4 × 20.9 × 0.3 cm)

Title • BLK Vol. 1 No. 6

nmaahc_2018.108.6

NMAAHC

BLK VOL. 1 NO. 6

National Museum of African American History and Culture

CC0

1980s

Minority AIDS Project • Folayan, Ayofemi Stowe • Black Gay and Lesbian Leadership Forum • National Association of Black and White Men Together • Bell, Alan • AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power

United States • Los Angeles County • North and Central America • Los Angeles • California

Activism • Black Press • LGBTQ • Communities • Health • Sexuality • HIV/AIDS Activist Movement • Mass media • U.S. History, 1969-2001 • Group identity

City • Los Angeles • County • Los Angeles County • State • California • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America

Images

Limited Use