Emil Wilbekin
Emil Wilbekin | |
---|---|
Born | September 16, 1967 |
Nationality | American |
Occupation(s) | journalist, media executive, stylist, content creator, culture critic, human rights activist |
Years active | 1990-present |
Known for | Former editor-in-chief of Vibe and Giant, editor-at-large at Essence |
Emil Wilbekin (born September 16, 1967, in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American journalist, media executive, stylist, content creator, culture critic, and human rights activist. He is the former editor-in-chief of Vibe and Giant, editor-at-large at Essence and managing editor of its associated website Essence.com, and chief content officer of Afropunk.[1] He is the founder of Native Son Now, an organization dedicated to empowering and lifting up Black gay men through positive representation and business opportunities.[2][3]
Early life and education
Wilbekin was adopted into a Black family of legal professionals in Cincinnati as a baby. His father, Harvey Earl Wilbekin, became an attorney after working as a structural engineer, while his mother, Dr. Cleota P. Wilbekin, went from working as a sociologist and an attorney to becoming a law judge for the State of Ohio Department of Human Services.[4][5] Along with his older brother Erik, the family lived a comfortable life.
Wilbekin attended college at Hampton University where he served as editor-in-chief of Hampton Script, the school's newspaper.[6] After graduating in 1989 with a B.S. in mass media arts, Wilbekin attended Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism where he attained an M.S. in journalism in 1990.[7]
Career
Wilbekin spent his first two years out of grad school as a freelance journalist writing for New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Metropolitan Home, Los Angeles Times, and Associated Press.[8][9][10][11] In 1992, while vacationing with four friends in the Hamptons—Jonathan Van Meter, Diane Cardwell, Ricky Lee, and Gilbert Rogin—Wilbekin participated in developing ideas for a magazine dedicated to covering hip-hop music and Black culture. After acquiring Quincy Jones' backing, that idea was brought to life as Vibe magazine with Wilbekin serving as one of the publication's first editors.[12]
Wilbekin began his tenure at Vibe working on its "Next" section, focusing primarily on music, with his first cover story featuring Mary J. Blige.[13] He was promoted to style editor in 1995 and made the magazine's fashion editorial director in 1997.[14] In July 1999, he became the fashion editorial director of Vibe's two sister publications, Spin and Blaze, as well.[15] The next month, Danyel Smith departed to join Time magazine, and Wilbekin was promoted to editor-in-chief of Vibe.[citation needed] Throughout the year 2000, he oversaw expansion of readership and the creation of the magazine's supplemental focused solely on women called HomeGirls.[16][17] That year, he was noted for bridging the gap between hip-hop and its previously ignored gay fan base by including stories about the community within the magazine. Wilbekin also confronted homophobia in the art form by making sure that Dr. Dre and Eminem addressed their homophobic lyrics when they appeared on the September 2000 cover of Vibe. In a 2001 interview with New York magazine, Wilbekin emphasized that his job was not to police rappers over their comments about the gay community but "to make sure that homosexuality is dealt with as fairly as anything else."[18]
Under his direction, Vibe was nominated for the 2001 National Magazine Award (AKA "The Ellie") for best photography.[19] The following year, Vibe won "The Ellie" for general excellence of magazines circulating between 500,000 and one million readers, beating out competition from The New Yorker, Wired, Gourmet, and Jane for the top prize.[20][21][22] The win led to his being named to Out magazine's Out 100 list and being profiled by The New York Times, where he addressed his facing no problems as an openly gay man in the hip-hop industry.[23] He produced the 2003 Vibe Awards, which led to his being promoted to editorial director of Vibe Media's overall operations that September.[24][25] After 12 years of service, he departed Vibe in July 2004 to join Marc Ecko's brand as vice president of development and to serve on Complex magazine's editorial board.[26][27]
Wilbekin joined Giant magazine as editor-in-chief in 2008, then jumped to Essence.com as managing editor in 2009, becoming editor-at-large of Essence magazine in 2012.[28][29][30] Part of his contributions to the publication included a column focused on cultural events and interviews with celebrities such as Viola Davis,[31] Angela Bassett,[32] Puff Daddy,[33] Yolanda Adams,[34] and Anita Baker.[35] He also expanded the publication's purview to cover same-gender-loving relationships within the Black community.[36] This included the magazine's first profile of a lesbian couple in its 40-year history for its "Bridal Bliss" section.[37][38][39][40][41] The coverage resulted in the publication winning a 2011 GLAAD Award for outstanding digital journalism.[42][43] He left the publication in 2014 to focus on promoting LGBTQ+ representation across media platforms by starting his consultancy and branding agency, World of Wilbekin. Concurrent with this work, he served as Afropunk's chief content officer from 2018 until 2020. His time at Afropunk was dedicated to turning the organization into a safe place for Black queer people.[44] He departed Afropunk to work exclusively on empowering the Black gay community in 2020.
Throughout his career, Wilbekin has worked as a cultural critic and commentator, speaking about fashion, music, LGBTQ+ people, Black lives, HIV, activism, racism, and celebrities with a wide range of publications including New York Times,[45][46][47][48] Los Angeles Times,[49][50] Washington Post,[51] New York,[52][53][54] Associated Press,[55][56] MTV,[57][58] PBS,[59] ABC News,[60][61][62][63] CNN,[64][65][66][67] The Guardian,[68][69] Village Voice,[70][71] New York Observer,[72] Women's Wear Daily,[73] Politico,[74] Variety,[75] Billboard,[76] Chicago Tribune,[77] McCall's,[78] BET,[79] Reuters,[80] Quartz,[81] Wall Street Journal,[82] Forbes,[83] and E! Online.[84] Due to his standing within the music industry, he has been called upon to speak about the passing of notable artists. On August 21, 2001, he spoke with CNN about passing of Aaliyah.[85] He live-blogged Michael Jackson's memorial service on July 7, 2009, for Entertainment Weekly.[86] On August 31, 2018, he provided commentary for BET's broadcast of Aretha Franklin's funeral service.[87] He spoke with WNYC about the passing of Andre Harrell on May 13, 2020.[88]
He also weighed in on Kanye West's interruption of Taylor Swift's acceptance speech for the Best Video Award at the 2009 MTV Music Video Awards, saying that it was not West's place to speak for Beyoncé;[89] participated in VH1's Love & Hip Hop: "Out in Hip-Hop" round table discussion on homophobia in the hip-hop community;[90] and chastised the New York Post's comparison of President Barack Obama with a chimpanzee.[91]
Native Son Now
In 2015, while he was on vacation in India, Wilbekin began to have thoughts about transforming World of Wilbekin from a branding agency into a movement. During the trip, he realized that Black gay men lacked unity around fellowship, networking, and celebrating one another. Upon returning to New York, he was inspired to redress this issue while re-reading James Baldwin's Notes of a Native Son. After writing an essay about feeling unsafe and demonized as a Black gay man in response to the Orlando nightclub shooting,[92] he began to transform World of Wilbekin into a full-fledged advocacy organization dedicated to supporting Black queer men of all backgrounds. He named the organization Native Son Now in honor of Baldwin's book.[93]
Native Son Now was officially launched with an awards ceremony that celebrated the achievements of Black gay men in 2016. Its honorees included Don Lemon, George C. Wolfe, and DeRay McKesson.[94][95][96][97] At that inaugural celebration, Wilbekin revealed his HIV status publicly for the first time because he did not feel that it was right to hide while asking others to reveal themselves. In an effort to destigmatize HIV within the Black community, he partnered with ViiV Healthcare on producing an immersive theatre piece that raised awareness about the virus.[98] The piece, As Much As I Can, debuted in 2017. Wilbekin continued his focus on promoting the Black queer community by partnering with Google to create an event focused on Black gay men in the tech industry;.[99][100] partnering with Bloomingdale's to create Native Son Now inspired gay pride merchandise;[101] collaborating with Scotch Porter's "Embracing Masculinity: #DareToCare" campaign, which focused on challenging toxic masculinity.[102][103] and producing encore performances of "As Much As I Can" with a constant push on eliminating HIV stigma.[104][105][106][107][108]
In 2020, Native Son Now joined forces with Human Rights Campaign and Color Of Change to push for the release of data on COVID-19 in order to address the disproportionate effect that the virus was having on Black communities across the United States.[109][110][111] Responding to the pandemic's effect on same-gender-loving Black men in particular, Wilbekin launched The Black Gay Leadership Forum—the world's first virtual gathering of its kind—which featured 100 Black gay thought leaders, activists, media personalities, business executives, and academics in conversation about staying connected during the period of forced isolation.[112][113][114] This focus on promoting Black gay men as a community during the 2020 pandemic expanded to include Black gay innovation in fashion,[115] Wilbekin's serving as creative consultant on and helping to produce Darnell L. Moore's Being Seen podcast—which also focused on elevating the achievements of Black gay men[116]—participating in the Academy Award's Academy Dialogues; Native Son,[117][118] the 2020 Native Son Awards which honored Edward Eninful, Lee Daniels, André De Shields, Rashad Robinson, and Billy Porter,[119][120][121] and culminated with the release of the Native Son 101, the world's first list of over 101 successful Black gay men from numerous industries.[122][123]
Awards and honors
Since launching Native Son Now, Wilbekin has been hailed as a 2016 Black Enterprise Modern Man,[124] given the 2017 "Master of Style" award by Out magazine and Cadillac,[125][126] honored by the Boy Scouts of America with the 2017 Harlem Good Scout Award,[127] awarded GLAAD's 2018 Ric Weiland Award,[128] named one of Fast Company's Most Creative People of 2019,[129] awarded ADColor's 2019 Advocate Award,[130] declared HIV Plus' 2019 #1 most amazing person living with HIV,[131] named a Renaissance Man by TheBody.com, and honored at Cincinnati's 2020 Black gay Pride.[132]
Personal life
Wilbekin is openly gay and living with HIV. He has stated that coming out to his family was difficult, but that they were able to move past the shock with help from his older brother, Erik.[133][134] Wilbekin is a Christian and a Universal Life minister.[135][136][137]
References
- ^ "#1 of Our Amazing People Living with HIV: Emil Wilbekin". www.hivplusmag.com. January 18, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "How Coming Out Inspired My Activism". Afropunk. October 11, 2018. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "Google And Nativep Son Founder Emil Wilbekin Host An Unprecedented Conversation About Black Gay Men And Tech". Essence. October 24, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ Nemy, Enid (May 6, 1983). "Wives of Lawyers Aid Harlem Youths". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ Armstrong, Kimberly. "Attorney Cleota Wilbekin remembered for needlework, drive for excellence". The Enquirer. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ Somerville, Sean (May 8, 1989). "HU Officials Take Steps to Prevent Crime on Campus". dailypress.com. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "Emil Wilbekin's Biography". The HistoryMakers. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ Wilbekin, Emil (April 21, 1991). "World War II's Black Pilots Fought on Two Fronts". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ Wilbekin, Emil (January 6, 1993). "My Flare Ladies". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ Wilbekin, Emil (September 29, 1991). "Domesticity on Display". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ Wilbekin, Emil (March 1, 1992). "Traveling In Style: Side Trips: My Hometown". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ Mills, David (September 14, 1992). "The Corporate Hip-Hop Hope". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
- ^ "'We Changed Culture': An Oral History of Vibe Magazine". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "Ethic Mags Take the Street-to-Chic Route – Coverager Runs the Gamut from Wearable..." WWD. October 24, 1997. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ Moore, Beth (July 9, 1997). "Cutting-Edge Clothes and Music at Ritual Expos". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ Bradley, Alison. "Media Profile: Buzz and a fresh angle keep Vibe a mainstay of urban culture". www.prweek.com. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ "Hanging With My Homegirlvibe Magazine Launches Its First Supplement Dedicated." WWD. August 10, 2000. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "Power Outage - Nymag". New York. March 5, 2001. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- ^ Bing, Jonathan (March 14, 2001). "New Yorker nails 11 mag award noms". Variety. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- ^ Carlson, Peter (May 2, 2002). "New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly Lead National Magazine Awards". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- ^ Oei, Lily (March 20, 2002). "New Yorker receives most mag kudo noms". Variety. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ Carr, David (May 2, 2002). "Magazine Award Winners, if Not Profit Champions". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ Richardson, Lynda (May 17, 2002). "Turning Heads (and Pages) in the Magazine World". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "Memo Pad: Weird Vibe...New York Minute...A Quest For Length". WWD. September 30, 2003. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "Memo Pad: Healthy Conflict ... For Your Nose Only ... Beckman Upped ..." WWD. July 16, 2004. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ amNY (June 21, 2005). "Thompson honors 8 for '05". amNewYork. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ Caramanica, Jon (October 17, 2004). "It's Not Easy Being Pink". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "Emil Wilbekin Appointed Editor-in-Chief of Giant Magazine; Smokey Fontaine Named as Chief Content Officer". www.businesswire.com. February 29, 2008. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "Giant Switch: Ex-Vibe Editor Hired". Folio. March 6, 2008. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "Trendsetters at Work: Essence Magazine". E! Online. November 18, 2013. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "BWIH Video: Viola Davis on Her Legacy and Inspiration". Essence. October 29, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ "BWIH Video: Angela Bassett on Life, Film and Passion". Essence. October 29, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ "Five Minutes with Diddy on 'Last Train to Paris'". Essence. October 29, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ "5 Questions for Yolanda Adams on Disney's Dreamers". Essence. October 29, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ "Exclusive: Anita Baker on Drake, Divorce, Janet's Hair". Essence. October 29, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ "Wendy Williams Kicks-Off Gay Pride". Essence. October 28, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- ^ "'Essence' Explores Race, Same-Gender Love". NPR.org. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "Newlyweds to start CAP think tank - Karin Tanabe & Amie Parnes". www.politico.com. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- ^ "Essence's First Lesbian Wedding". Jezebel. October 29, 2010. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- ^ "Essence.com Spotlights Lesbian Brides". The Advocate. October 13, 2010.
- ^ "Essence.com Profiles First Wedding Featuring a Lesbian Couple". GLAAD. September 14, 2011. Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- ^ "List of Award Recipients: 22nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards Presented by Rökk Vodka Marriott Marquis in New York, March 19, 2011". GLAAD. September 6, 2011. Archived from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- ^ "Star Gazing: Essence.com Wins a GLAAD Award". Essence. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- ^ "Afropunk and the Exploration and Expression of the Black Queer Experience". GLAAD. August 28, 2018. Archived from the original on June 5, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ Trebay, Guy (May 20, 2003). "Taking Hip-Hop Seriously. Seriously". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ Ogunnaike, Lola (February 11, 2007). "A Paparazzo? Celebrities Smile and Say 'Friend'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ Ives, Nat (August 9, 2004). "Hip-Hop Admen: Walk This Way, Shop This Way". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ Denizet-Lewis, Benoit (August 3, 2003). "Double Lives On The Down Low". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ "Hard-Won Success for a Woman of Principle". Los Angeles Times. January 16, 2000. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "Forget Fad-Try Fixture". Los Angeles Times. August 5, 2001. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "Ringwald wrestles with The Breakfast Club in the MeToo era". The Washington Post.
- ^ "House Tour - Todd Oldham - Alex Shuman - Emil Wilbekin - Beth Rudin DeWoody". New York. October 3, 2003. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ Wagner, Lindsay Peoples (August 23, 2018). "What It's Really Like to Be Black and Work in Fashion". The Cut. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- ^ "Biq Question - What should P. Diddy do next?". New York. April 23, 2004. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ "'Retail profiling' still common". Lewiston Sun Journal. June 29, 2005. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ Wellington, Elizabeth (November 12, 2008). "Michelle Obama's singular style". AP News for The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ Kaufman, Gil. "What To Do If You're A Victim Of Domestic Violence". MTV News. Archived from the original on June 2, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ Kaufman, Gil. "Experts Weigh In On Kanye West's Post-VMA Career Recovery". MTV News. Archived from the original on December 10, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ "Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes". www.pbs.org. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "Prop 8 Sparks Gay-Black Divide". ABC News. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ "Officials Probe Crash That Killed Aaliyah". ABC News. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "Britney as Britney in a Biopic?". ABC News. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ "Who's Who: Casting 'Election 2008: The Movie'". ABC News. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "Jackson shared bond with 'very dear friend Diana Ross' - CNN.com". edition.cnn.com. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ "CNN.com - Transcripts". edition.cnn.com. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ "CNN.com". transcripts.cnn.com. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ "Women dominate top Grammy categories". www.cnn.com. February 27, 2002. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ Farrow, Boyd (December 7, 2003). "Jackson arrest coverage shows its true colours". the Guardian. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ Eaton, Phoebe (October 9, 2004). "Cover story: Kimora's world". the Guardian. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "Blige: Queen of Street Couture". www.villagevoice.com. August 20, 2002. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "Fronting for the Enemy". www.villagevoice.com. June 19, 2001. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "Vogue Cover (Mini?)-Controversy". Observer. March 27, 2008. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ Feitelberg, Rosemary (September 16, 2008). "Runway Diversity Still Lagging". WWD. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ Reagan, Gillian (November 8, 2010). "Tucking in Kanye West: Blogger Angel Laws makes big-time play with Concrete Loop". Politico Media. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ Helligar, Jeremy (June 20, 2019). "What Happened to the Black Queer Music Revolution That Frank Ocean Almost Started?". Variety. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- ^ "Writers Look Back on Foxy Brown & Lil Kim's Powerful Debuts 20 Years Later: They Were 'Milestones in Hip-Hop'". Billboard. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ Ogunnaike, Lola (October 2003). "Blinded light". chicagotribune.com. New York Times News Service. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ Washington, Jesse. "Is gay the new black? Marriage ban spurs debate". mcall.com. Archived from the original on November 24, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2020 – via Associated Press.
- ^ Wagner, Lindsay Peoples (August 23, 2018). "What It's Really Like to Be Black and Work in Fashion". The Cut. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- ^ Powell, Alicia (June 26, 2020). "Black culture in fashion seeks to move from the runway to the control tower". Reuters. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ Duan, Noël (January 18, 2018). "H&M's new diversity officer is an attempt by the fashion giant to save face through HR". Quartz. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ D. Wynter, Leon (June 3, 1999). "Titans of Black Magazines Redefine Their Missions". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ Kerpen, Carrie. "It's Time To Redefine Masculinity". Forbes. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ "Kanye West's Elvis Presley Complex". E! Online. November 27, 2008. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "Vibe Magazine's Emil Wilbekin: Remembering Aaliyah - August 27, 2001". CNN. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "Michael Jackson memorial: full video and our commentary". EW.com. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "BET Networks to Broadcast Live Commercial-Free Coverage of Musical Icon Aretha Franklin's Funeral Services On-Air and Online Friday, August 31 Beginning at 10 AM ET". www.businesswire.com. August 30, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- ^ "Remembering Andre Harrell, Influential Hip-Hop Executive | All Of It". WNYC. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- ^ "Anger over West's disruption at MTV awards - CNN.com". www.cnn.com. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ Vh1 10 December 2015. "DMC, Big Freedia, and More Join VH1's Special Love & Hip Hop: Out in Hip Hop". VH1 News. Archived from the original on October 5, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Crosley, Hillary (February 24, 2009). "Giant's Emil Wilbekin on NY Post's Chimp Fiasco". Parlour. Archived from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ Wilbekin, Emil (June 16, 2016). "Pride: The Struggle Is Real for Black Gay Men". HuffPost. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "Emil Wilbekin's Native Son Will Change the Way Black Gay Men Are Represented in the Media". The Grapevine. December 8, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "First-Ever Native Son Awards To Honor The Achievements Of Black Gay Men In Activism, Media And Entertainment". Essence. October 26, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ Lee, Denny (December 2, 2016). "Pre-Holiday Spirit". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ "'Native Son Awards' celebrates the excellence of black gay men". TheGrio. December 2, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "In a Year of Unprecedented Visibility, the Native Son Awards Honor Achievements of Black Gay Men". www.out.com. December 2, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "Destigmatizing HIV in Black Men". Paper. September 4, 2019.
- ^ "Google And Native Son Founder Emil Wilbekin Host An Unprecedented Conversation About Black Gay Men And Tech". Essence. October 24, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ "'As Much As I Can' Immersive Theater Show Shines Light on HIV Among Gay Black Men". Billboard. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ Palmieri, Jean E. (June 4, 2018). "Bloomingdale's, Native Son Team on Pride Collection". WWD. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ "#DaretoCare: This Father's Day, Scotch Porter Decodes Masculinity With a New Campaign". The Glow Up. June 13, 2019. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ "Dare to Care: Champions for Wellness and Self-Care". The Scotch Porter Journal. June 13, 2019. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ "Finally, a Play About Being Black, Gay, and Living With HIV". www.advocate.com. September 9, 2019. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ "Urban View raises awareness about HIV, AIDS and need for increased education". Hear & Now. July 2, 2018. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "Native Son Founder Emil Wilbekin on Elevating & Celebrating Black Gay Men". www.chill.us. April 9, 2018. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "'As Much As I Can' Examines The Health And Humanity Of HIV Positive Black Gay Men". Vibe. June 18, 2018. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ Auten, John Schneider and David. "Finding Opportunities In Challenges For Queer People With Emil Wilbekin". Forbes. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "Native Son, Color of Change and the Human Rights Campaign Call for Improved Data Collection on Impact of COVID-19 on Black Communities | Radio DJ | FM | Teddy Pendergrass | Song". April 29, 2020. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "#AM_Equality: April 30, 2020". HRC. April 30, 2020. Archived from the original on January 1, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "Black Enterprise @blackenterprise". Periscope. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "Native Son hosts historic virtual leadership forum for Black gay men". TheGrio. June 12, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "Native Son Founder Emil Wilbekin Launches Virtual Black Gay Leadership Forum". Essence. November 4, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ Porter II, Juan Michael (June 12, 2020). "Native Son's Black Gay Leadership Forum Uplifts the Community, Virtually". www.thebody.com. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ Hopkins, Kathryn (September 22, 2020). "Native Son Hosts Inaugural Black Gay Men in Fashion Event". WWD. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- ^ Healthcare, ViiV. "ViiV Healthcare presents a new podcast about the Power of Being Seen". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- ^ Donnelly, Matt (August 20, 2020). "Film Academy Launches Conversation Series on Race, Gender, Inclusion". Variety. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- ^ "Academy Dialogues: Native Son". Oscars.org. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. August 20, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- ^ Hopkins, Kathryn (September 22, 2020). "Native Son Hosts Inaugural Black Gay Men in Fashion Event". WWD. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "Native Son Hosts Inaugural Black Gay Men in Fashion Event". sports.yahoo.com. September 22, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "Livestream Native Son's Daily Programs for Black Gay Men". PAPER. April 8, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "Black Gay And Queer Men Who Made Impact In 2020". Native Son. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
- ^ BWW News Desk. "Billy Porter, George C. Wolfe and More Among '101 Black Gay And Queer Men Who Made Impact In 2020'". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
- ^ "Emil Wilbekin, Chief Creative Officer, Talks Passion to Purpose". Black Enterprise. July 15, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "5 Questions with Master of Style Emil Wilbekin". www.out.com. November 27, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "2017 Master of Style: Emil Wilbekin on Style and Inspiration". www.out.com. November 13, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "Boy Scouts of America honors Harlem's most prominent figures". amsterdamnews.com. December 7, 2017. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- ^ Nyren, Erin (August 30, 2018). "Alyssa Milano to Receive GLAAD's Inaugural Ariadne Getty Ally Award". Variety. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ McCorvey, J. J. (May 22, 2019). "How this former media executive created a powerful network for black gay professionals". Fast Company. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ Adcolor. "Adcolor Announces Winners At The 13th Annual Adcolor Awards In Los Angeles". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "#1 of Our Amazing People Living with HIV: Emil Wilbekin". www.hivplusmag.com. January 18, 2019. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ "Emil Wilbekin". Cincy Black Pride. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "Journalist Emil Wilbekin On Coming Out To His Christian Parents: "It Was One Of The Most Horrific Moments Of My Life"". MadameNoire. July 18, 2019. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "Emil Wilbekin Recounts How He Found His Truth And Sharing His Darkest Secret With His Late Mother". Essence. October 23, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ Porter II, Juan Michael (February 18, 2020). "Emil Wilbekin Is Our Native Son and Afropunk's Renaissance Man". www.thebody.com. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "Calvin Wilson, Timmy Cuevas". The New York Times. August 3, 2014. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "Emil Wilbekin Recounts How He Found His Truth And Sharing His Darkest Secret With His Late Mother". Essence. October 23, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2020.