House of Manolo Blahnik Presents 1st Ever Ballroom Scholarship

www.houseofblahnik.com For Immediate Release Contact: Damon L. Humes aka Father Jay Manolo Blahnik Telephone: (215) 431-1790 Email: houseofblahnik@yahoo.com

BLACK AND LATINO LGBT YOUTH AWARDED SCHOLARSHIP The House of Manolo Blahnik Acknowledges Patron of the “Ballroom” Community

For many, the only reference of the House/Ball community comes from the movie, “Paris Is Burning;” which showed a world chiefly occupied by a melee of artistically talented misfits and criminals. Since then, members of the “House/Ball” sub-culture have often been viewed as outcasts of the larger lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and are even stigmatized among Black and Latino LGBTs. But there have been some changes to the world captured in Jenny Livingston’s revealing film. Chief among those changes is the efforts made by The House of Manolo Blahnik. This house chose to make a difference in the lives of others by awarding the “FIRST EVER” scholarship to students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities, both of whom are members of Houses. The House of Manolo Blahnik, like those featured in Paris is Burning, values all of the social contributions made by this marginalized population; but, The House of Manolo Blahnik is also a real non-profit organization under the fiscal management of the New York State Black Gay Network. The House of Manolo Blahnik established its’ Tony Milan Scholarship Fund in 2006, to support the educational and “ballroom” success of LGBT members of the House/Ball community. The Tony Milan Scholarship Fund encourages LGBT community members to aspire to positions in which they are able to contribute to society, are open about their sexual orientation and act as role models for their peers in the Ballroom scene. This year’s inaugural recipient of the Tony Milan Scholarship is Ajmar Millar known by his House/Ball friends as “Ajay Balenciaga”. Similar to Tony Milan, after whom the scholarship is named, Ajay is pursuing his undergraduate education at Morehouse College, in Atlanta (GA) where he is a graduating senior and is an active member of Atlanta’s Ballroom community. “Ajay truly exemplifies our community’s new leaders,” states Damon Humes (co-founder, House Father and Executive Director of the House of Manolo Blahnik). In addition to the Tony Milan Scholar, the House of MB chose to grant a second award to Jimmy Vincent, known by his House/Ball friends as Boi Boi St. Clair to help with books and supplies. Boi Boi St. Clair is a student at North Carolina Central University. “Both young men were chosen based on their academic performance, their ballroom community participation and their positive contributions to our community. They most certainly represent the legacy of Tony Milan and the Undeniable House of Manolo Blahnik. Please join me in congratulating both of these amazing men for their hard work and achievement!” exalts Humes.

The House of Manolo Blahnik: With chapters in New York (NY), Philadelphia and Pittsburgh (PA), Atlanta (GA), Detroit (MI), Chicago (IL), Columbus and Cleveland (OH), Louisville (KY), North and South Carolina, and in Oakland (CA), seeks to invest in the future of ball patrons who make valuable contributions to the ballroom community. The House of Manolo Blahnik seeks to shift community norms by creating tangible recognition for individuals who make such contributions and highlight these contributions. Tony Milan: For over twenty years, ‘Hall of Famer’, Tony Milan, has and continues to make a lasting impression in the hearts and minds of ball patrons around the country. Tony Milan is an educated leader, community advocate, and celebrated LEGEND within the ballroom community. Upon realizing it was time to set priorities, Tony applied and was accepted to Morehouse College. After being crowned Legendary, Tony completed his undergraduate studies in 1994. For more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview, please call Damon L. Humes at (215) 431-1790 or e-mail at houseofblahnik@yahoo.com.