BLK: The National Black Lesbian and Gay Newsmagazine
Scope and Contents
This collection contains a full run of issues of BLK, from 1988 to 1994. There are 42 issues total. Issues 1 and 3 are photocopies. The first 16 issues were numbered 1 through 16. Starting with issue 17, issues were assigned a yearly volume number, a second number corresponding to the month of the year, and a whole number that carried on the initial sequencing.
This collection contains no organizational records.
Dates
- Creation: 1988-1994
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is unrestricted.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright restrictions may apply.
Historical Note
BLK was a magazine for the Black LGBTQ community, published from 1988 to 1994. Created by graphic designer Alan Bell, its purpose was to share reliable information about the African American LGBTQ community and the HIV/AIDS crisis in print. Originally focused on Los Angeles, BLK’s coverage expanded to reach national and Canadian audiences. Magazine content included coverage of HIV/AIDs (health, research, obituaries, news), profiles of community members and events, community directories, classified ads, and letters to the editors.
Extent
0.35 cubic feet (1 box)
Language
English
Overview
BLK was a magazine for the Black LGBTQ community, published from 1988 to 1994. Created by graphic designer Alan Bell, its purpose was to share reliable information about the African American LGBTQ community and the HIV/AIDS crisis in print. The collection contains a full run of issues of BLK, from 1988 to 1994. The collection contains no organizational records.
Arrangement
Issues are arranged chronologically.
Physical Location
93/2/4
Custodial History
Originally donated to the Museum of African American History in 2017 by Alan Bell, BLK Publishing Company. The MAAH then donated these to Northeastern University Archives and Special Collections in June 2018.
Sources for Historical Note
- Title
- Finding aid for BLK: The National Black Lesbian and Gay Newsmagazine
- Author
- Irene Gates and Alekandrs Renerts
- Date
- October 2026
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Northeastern University Archives and Special Collections Repository