The American Heart Association discussed the EmPOWERED To Serve program at the Bayard Rustin Community Breakfast, held on Saturday, April 16.
Kelvin Powell talks about EmPOWERED to Serve at the Bayard Rustin Community Breakfast on Saturday, April 16.
The breakfast maintains a tradition of commemorating and celebrating the life and work of Bayard Rustin, one of the unsung heroes of the Civil Rights Movement. The AHA attended this year’s event, held at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, to gain exposure in the LGBT community and to start a long-term partnership with this organization.
The AHA had two tables at this event. Kelvin Powell, the AHA’s director of healthy equity and multicultural initiatives in Boston, gave an overview of EmPOWERED to Serve, which helps diverse individuals and organizations unite in order to build a sustainable culture of health within their communities.
Created by AIDS Action Committee 26 years ago, the breakfast recognizes the roles of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people from communities of color in the fight against AIDS. The breakfast is an inspiring event, drawing on the spirit of Rustin’s work in human rights, civil rights, and social activism. It is the longest-running event honoring Rustin’s legacy in the country.