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| Our
Mission |
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GRIOT Circle is an intergenerational
and culturally diverse community based organization
dedicated to enriching the lives of older lesbian,
gay, bisexual, and transgender persons, especially
Elders of color. It is our mission to maintain a
safe space for these Elders, alleviate their feelings
of isolation and fear, and construct programs and
support systems designed to affirm their lives and
encourage self-empowerment. We provide quality services
that honor and preserve our histories and traditions,
and reunite those parts of ourselves that have been
fragmented by racism, sexism, ageism, and homophobia.
While our policies are inclusive, and all are welcome,
GRIOT is particularly designed for the specific
cultural and social needs of LGBT Elders of color.
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| History |
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GRIOT Circle began as an informal
network of Elders, many of whom had grown up together or
lived in the same Brooklyn neighborhoods, and helped each
other in times of need. Crisis transformed this network
when a member of the community suddenly found herself facing
the loss of her home, while at the same time struggling
to take care of another member dying of AIDS. The group
pulled together, contributed to her rent, and went to court
to support her.
However, this crisis revealed
a pressing need for a community center to marshal support
and services for LGBT Elders of color in New York. Although
New York City is home to the largest gay and lesbian population
in the world, a very small number of non-HIV/AIDS organizations
provide targeted services to LGBT Elders and their specific
needs. What programs do exist are primarily located in Manhattan,
posing accessibility issues to Elders living in Brooklyn.
This lack of adequate services for LGBT Elders in Brooklyn
is what prompted the official founding of GRIOT Circle in
1996. Since that time, GRIOT has remained the only Elder
LGBT organization in Brooklyn, and the only one in the New
York area created by and for a community of LGBT Elders
of color. |
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