Second Sunday records

Second Sunday was an organization founded in 1992 by Dr. Maurice Franklin and J. Stacy Grayson as a discussion group for Black gay and bisexual men in Atlanta, Georgia. The group met on the second Sunday of every month to foster community, address topics like HIV/AIDS amongst Black and gay men, and, according to its mission statement, promote “the growth and development of gay, bisexual, and transgendered Men of African descent through education, social, spiritual and cultural activities.” Second Sunday was predominately active from 1992-2003, followed by a brief resurgence in 2007 when the organization was re-incorporated.

Anthony McWilliams (known professionally as Anthony Antoine) is an activist, musician, and poet residing in Atlanta, Georgia. Born in Newark, New Jersey in 1969, he worked as a recording artist in Maryland, London, and Dallas, Texas, before moving to Atlanta in 1998. Antoine became involved in Second Sunday almost immediately, joining members Duncan Teague and Malik M.L. Williams in The Adodi Muse: A Gay Negro Ensemble-- a Black gay male performance poets collective that performed poetry, songs, and musical interludes. Antoine is also known for his activism work surrounding the prevention, research, testing, and management of HIV/AIDS, both with AID Atlanta and the AIDS Research Consortium of Atlanta.

Now retired, Antoine is the founder of the Michael-Anthony Foundation, which was created in honor of Antoine’s late husband Michael Smith. The Michael-Anthony Foundation aims to enrich and empower the community through global travel, cultural education, and the arts.

Craig Washington is a prominent LGBTQ and African-American organizer, activist, and social worker residing in Atlanta, Georgia. A New York native, Craig Washington moved to Atlanta, Georgia in 1992, where he volunteered for AID Atlanta. He was later hired on by AID Atlanta as the Black Gay Men’s Program Coordinator and developed The Deeper Love Project—a HIV risk-reduction program that strove to educate and affirm Black gay men through social and cultural events. He joined Second Sunday in 1993 and was elected as co-chair of the organization in 1996. Washington also worked with the Southerners on New Ground and the Martin Luther King Jr. March planning committee and, in 2000, became the first African-American director of

the Atlanta Gay and Lesbian Center. In 2008, he graduated with a Master in Social Work from Georgia State University, and currently works as a clinical social worker and therapist.

His writing can be found in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Arise, Atlanta Voice, the Black AIDS Institute, Southern Voice, Venus Magazine, and the Washington Blade.