Converge Media taps Deaunte Damper to lead LGBTQIA Programming
Hosts a new show and curates content relevant to Seattle Black LGBTQ+ community
SEATTLE, WA – Converge Media recently announced that longtime community activist and advocate Deaunte Damper has joined the company as head of LGBTQ+ programming. In addition to his duties as curator and producer, Damper hosts a new bi-weekly show, We Live in Color with Deaunte Damper, which premiered across all Converge Media platforms on May 25. The next episode will air on June 22 at 8 p.m. at www.WhereWeConverge.com.
In the first two episodes, Damper succeeded in creating a safe space for the Black LGBTQIA community to tackle issues of discrimination and hate with honesty and grace. A segment in each show will honor and recognize those community members who help others “live in color.”
View the first two episodes of We Live in Color with Deaunte Damper .
Damper, who has focused much of his career work on HIV awareness in the Black community, has been an outspoken advocate for access and education. Damper brings a track record of leadership and development as he previously served as the NAACP’s first LGBTQIA Chair. Well respected in the larger Black community for his work with several organizations such as Brothers United In Leadership Development (BUILD), VP Washington Therapy Fund, and Vocal Washington, Damper will undoubtedly attract viewers to the Converge platform well beyond the LGBTQIA community.
“Uplifting and amplifying the voices of Seattle LGBTQIA communities has always been an important part of Converge,” said Alaia D'Alessandro, Chief Programming Officer at Converge Media. “However, with Deaunte now on board, we can place intentional focus on the curation and production of consistent, culturally relevant content that will inform, educate, and entertain not only the LGBTQIA community but our larger Converge community as a whole,” added D’Alessandro.
For Damper, teaming up with Converge Media is an opportunity to create a safe space through media for those in the LGBTQIA community to both listen and be heard.
“When we have conversations about ‘the diaspora of the black community’, we in Black Queer are only included if we ask, or when the grant funding comes in, or when pride comes. Now it’s time ‘we the people’ have a respected and safe platform in our community to share our stories and calls to action,” said Deaunte Damper.
As a programmer and content curator, Damper will ensure that Converge Media’s resources are being leveraged to maximize coverage of news as well as to create produced segments that clearly focus on important issues and create robust programming to serve the Emerald City’s LGBTQIA Black community.
We Live in Color with Deaunte Damper is a 30 min show designed to highlight topics and issues that are of importance to those in Seattle’s LGBTQIA community including health and wellness, policy and advocacy, events, and opportunities.
“The LGBTQIA community needs other community members to start seeing how we live in color,” said Damper.
About Deaunte
Born in Seattle, WA, Damper has focused his work on bringing HIV awareness and LGBTQ-affirming education to marginalized communities throughout the City of Seattle. In April 2019, Damper made history as the NAACP'S first LGBTQIA Chair, the first in 110 years of the organization. Damper began as a peer mentor for POCAAN. In 2019 Damper worked as transitional specialist at the Washington State Department of Corrections. After a brief stint as a pre-apprenticeship outreach specialist for Anew, Damper is now the community organizer for Vocal Washington and a part of the Leadership Team for BUILD 206.
About Converge Media
Converge Media is a leading producer of culturally relevant content in Seattle and across the Pacific Northwest. Converge Media’s flagship programs offer news and entertainment tailored to the Pacific Northwest’s Black and urban audiences.
Monday through Friday, Trae Holiday gets you up to speed with street-level coverage of the day’s most relevant news, featuring conversations with elected officials, community leaders, local creatives, and more. Built from a combination of short and long form content as well as commentary by trusted voices from the Black community, the segments are praised by citizens, government officials, community leaders, and local business owners. https://www.whereweconverge.com/
Media Contact
Converge Media
Omari Salisbury
206-822-5300
