E. Lynn Harris | Intellectual Ink

E Lynn Harris is synonymous with pride. Not just pride within the LGBT(QIA) community but the African American and literary communities as well. He covered all bases effortlessly. It speaks volumes when people just see you as you and do not judge you for your lifestyle. E Lynn was just E Lynn, respectfully. His groundbreaking novel Invisible Life showed romance between two men and how they navigated their relationship when HIV was newly prevalent in the United States, and expressing the love you have for your same-sex partner was frowned upon. This feature consists of testimonials from writers and readers who were impacted by his artistry.

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HERE'S A SNIPPET FROM JUNE'S ISSUE

Hey, hey, and mo hey Closet Crew! Time is flying and standing still at the same damn time! So, let's not waste any more of it and get right into its June. The category is…. PRIDE!

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride is currently celebrated each year during June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan. The Stonewall Uprising was a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States...

In honor of Pride Month, it is my honor to have some of my most fashionable family members – who happen to be members of The LGBTQ community – take over Charlotte's Closet to showcase some of their styles and share with us what PRIDE means to them.

IIM: What was your inspiration behind your very popular web series 848?

INCH: As an author, one of my dreams was to one day see my literary work on the big screen. I discovered a lane where people were putting together independent film projects & releasing them on youtube. I knew if I released a movie I'd have only 1 shot at getting it right. But if I created an entire series, I'd have at least 13 opportunities to leave an impression. So I created 848, a Bronx-based crime drama very similar to the hit HBO series, The Wire.

IIM: You are a firm advocate for mental health. What inspired you and what is the connection to the business?

M. KELLY: My struggle and journey with mental health is the motivation for my mental health advocacy. I realized how much of my challenges came from the stigmas attached to not being able to express one's feelings and dealings with mental health openly, so I figured the best way to tackle that was to speak openly and make it more acceptable for everyone around me to do the same. The connection to the business is that I realized at the beginning of the pandemic folks needed more things to help them feel good and prioritize self-care, so I created natural products to help address that.