GAY MEN OF AFRICAN DESCENT INC
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Mission Statement
GMAD’s mission is to empower gay men of African-descent through education, advocacy, health and wellness promotion and social support. This is done by being a F.R.I.E.N.D., which stands for Flexibility in daily interactions; Respect for every individual; Integrity through communication; Empathy and compassion; Networking and cooperation; Dependability in professional performance. This is the cornerstone of GMAD’s relationship with the city, communities, neighborhoods and constituents.
About This Cause
Gay Men of African Descent (GMAD) is, in its simplest form, a group of people organized to accomplish the common goal of improving men’s health. GMAD’s mission is to empower gay men of African-descent through education, advocacy, health and wellness promotion and social support. GMAD is one of the remaining eight Black owned and operated, gay non for profit social service organizations in the country. In 1986, in the response to the AIDS epidemic and a lack of safe space for gay men of color, GMAD started as a rotating weekly forum at the houses of friends and colleagues. GMAD’s founder, the Reverend Charles Angel, embarked on a personal mission to empower Black Gay men. GMAD is a community-based organization that provides outreach, education, advocacy and supportive services to improve the quality of life within New York City’s Black Gay community. GMAD staff and volunteers are representative of the communities they serve. Officially incorporated in 1990, GMAD is the last remaining indigenous service provider for Black Gay, Bi, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in NYS. A Board of Directors governs the agency by setting the policy for the organization, monitoring the organization’s operations and serving as a public figure for the organization. An Executive Director oversees the day-to-day operations. GMAD makes services available using the Public Provider model of fund development. The majority of GMAD clients are living at the intersections of multiple oppressions: racism, homophobia, poverty, homelessness, lack of education, higher rates of chronic, untreated diseases like HIV/AIDS and mental health conditions. When providing services to the marginalized and exploited, GMAD focuses on client’s strength and resilience. Our highly trained staff and volunteers approach the clients of GMAD as having assets and skills that, with help, can change their lives as well as their communities. People who experience health, racial and ethnic, gender, and class differences are often times institutionalized (criminal justice system) and are forced into underground economies (sex work, drug sales). GMAD’s commitment to its clients is to help people realize they are more than their circumstances. The current core services GMAD provides for gay men of color are: mental health, HIV testing, support groups, youth/young adult life skills classes, gay elder programming, STI screenings, street and social media outreach, condom distribution, and linkage to healthcare and insurance. Some of the agency’s more notable campaigns are: anti-stigma work that is supported by trainings, an extensive PrEP education/ awareness campaign, and participation in HIV vaccine trials network efforts. All of GMAD’s services are free of charge to clients. Also, GMAD has the only funded mental health program for Black Gay men in the state of New York.