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Craig Washington papers

 Collection
Identifier: aarl023-002

Scope and Contents

Craig Washington Papaers contain information on the various LGBTQ organizations (such as AID Atlanta and Second Sunday), events (such as the annual Bayard Rustin/Audre Lorde Breakfast) and publications (including Southern Voice and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution) that Craig Washington was involved in and interacted with since arriving to Atlanta.

Dates

  • 1979 - 2017

Biographical / Historical

Craig Washington was born to Anna and Leon Washington in Queens, New York. He relocated to Atlanta, GA. in 1992. He began freelance writing for the Southern Voice and volunteering with AID Atlanta as a member of the volunteer African American outreach team. He later secured the position of African American Outreach Coordinator charged with delivering prevention and awareness services to black communities.

In 1993, Craig began attending Second Sunday, a small discussion group for black gay men. In 1996, he was elected as Co-Chair of Second Sunday. In 1997, at AID Atlanta, he created the Deeper Love project, a HIV risk reduction program that featured a workshop series and a monthly forum known as Black Coffee.

In 1999, Craig was hired as Co-Director for Southerners On New Ground (SONG), a regional organization that trained activists to understand and work to challenge racism, sexism, homophobia, and class oppression. He helped design and present workshops and retreats for organizers throughout the Southeast.

In 2001 he became director for the Atlanta Gay and Lesbian Center. He helped increase the Center's visibility by engaging people of color and women many of whom had previously felt excluded from the organization.

In March 2003, he accepted a position with Positive Impact which provides free mental health counseling for people affected by HIV living on limited income.

Craig has served as a member of the Martin Luther King Jr March planning committee which has consistently maintained a place at the table for the LGBT community. He is a co-organizer of the annual Bayard Rustin-Lorde Community Breakfast which honors the revered pacifist educator/organizer and addresses contemporary social issues for progressive people. He also served as a trainer for the National Coalition Builders Institute, which provides workshops and forums to foster prejudice reduction and conflict resolution.

Craig has had essays, editorials, interviews and reviews published in Washington Blade, Southern Voice, Atlanta Voice, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Arise, Clikque, Venus Magazine, and The City Sun. His essay “A Revolutionary Act”, a reflection of his walk with HIV, was published in the anthology, “Not In My Family: AIDS in the African American Community” edited by Gil Robertson.

In the fall of 2003, he returned to school to finish his undergraduate degree. In 2008, he was awarded a Master of Social Work at Georgia State University.

Craig is a licensed social worker specializing in individual and group counseling. Throughout his career he has served a diverse range of people including young gay men, LGBTQIA people, Black men and women, elders, non-binary individuals, individuals in addiction/recovery, and people living with HIV/AIDS.

Extent

6.5 Linear Feet

Language

English

Processing Information

Processed by Monique Brown, 2024

Language of description
English
Script of description
Code for undetermined script

Repository Details

Part of the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African-American Culture and History Repository

Contact:
101 Auburn Avenue NE
Atlanta GA 30303
404-613-4032