Explore Black History

April 1989

The fifth issue of BLK magazine, published April 1989. It is printed in black and white and the cover features a photograph of Audre Lorde. She dons a pair of rectangular spectacles which she looks over as she holds its left end piece with her left hand. She also wears what appears to be a dark-colored jacket and a pattered scarf. The magazine’s logo is printed at bottom center, with the letters [BLK] written in large, bold, uppercase white letters. A solid red rectangle, with a white border, surrounds the letters. Below BLK, the issue number and date [Number 5, April 1989] are also printed within the box. There are 30 pages in total, with articles, advertisements, classifieds, black and white photographs, and cartoon illustrations originally from Ebony Magazine with new captions written by BLK throughout.
There is an advertisement for [BEING ALIVE] FOR THE [PEOPLE WITH AIDS ACTION COALITION] on the other side of the front page, listing the services of the coalition. The issue opens with an event calendar titled [Blk Board] and a letters to the editor section titled [Blk Mail]. The issue continues with a profile on Audre Lorde titled [Oh, Lorde! Black student group hosts noted black lesbian feminist at UCLA]. The article is accompanied by the same image of Lorde found on the front cover of the issue. Other featured articles include: [The King and the Jester / Tom Bradley and Nate Holden vie for City Hall in Los Angeles] and [Black/White Photography / Robert Mapplethorpe, noted for photos of black men, dies of AIDS in Boston].
Pages 14 through 21 comprise the [Blk Community News] section and include headlines such as [Bean Steps Down as Minority AIDS Project Head to Pursue Church Duties; Board Selects Gil Gerald], [Tap Craig Harris for New York AIDS Post], [Statistics Paint Grim Picture for Future of AIDS Cases Among African Americans in California], [Ivy Young Picked to Head NGLTF’s Family Project], [N.J. Students Push for Black, Gay Demands], [S.F. Health Pol Calls Needle Ex ‘Genocide’], [BWMT/SF Hosts Meet], [AIDS Project East bay Becomes Independent Org], [D.C. Gets AIDS Clinic], [South Central AIDS Agencies Almost Defunded], [Harris Becomes First Female Episcopal Bishop], [Sullivan OK’s Needles; HHS Says Lose Fed $], [Gay PAC Seeks Black Applicants for Top Post], [Rangel Slams Sullivan on Needle Exchange], [2,2127 Die in Tanzania] and [S.F. Women Dance for Fall Racism Confab]. The section concludes with a note explaining that the monthly AIDS report is not featured in this month’s issue of BLK.
Following the news section is a gossip column by Preston G. Guider titled [Read My Lips]. The magazine concludes with the classifieds section, titled [Blk Market]. The inside back cover is a full page advertisement for Midtowne Spa and the back cover is a full page advertisement for Keith Medical Group, [HIV specialists within a family practice environment]. There are additional advertisements throughout the issue. These include: [National Gay Rights Advocate seeks DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS], [Erase bad credit.], [Feeling Overwhelmed by AIDS? / THE GAY AND LESBIAN COMMUNITY SERVICES CENTER], [Unity Fellowship Church / A Church For All People], [BLK / NEW OR RENEWAL SUBSCRIPTION], [976-CAMP], [970-WOLF].

National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

Books and Published Materials

HIV/AIDS Activist Movement

Making a Way Out of No Way

NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Community/Third Floor, 3 050

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

National Museum of African American History and Culture

2018.108.5

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. 5

nmaahc_2018.108.5

NMAAHC

BLK VOL. 1 NO. 5

National Museum of African American History and Culture

CC0

1980s

Saxxon, Larry • National Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays • National Association of Black and White Men Together • Mapplethorpe, Robert • Bell, Alan • Young, Ivy • Lesbian Agenda for Action • Bradley, Tom • Minority AIDS Project • AIDS Project East Bay • Black Gay and Lesbian Leadership Forum • Holden, Nate N. • Bean, Carl • Lorde, Audre • Gerald, Gilberto • Rangel, Charles • National LGBTQ Task Force

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

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

NMAAHC • Making a Way Out of No Way

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

Yes

Images

Limited Use