In 1992, B.Michael invited his lover John to move in to his small 1.5-bedroom apartment in Manhattan’s East Village. To some, the building had an infamous address! For B.Michael and John, they were able to split a $500 monthly rent and fantasized, for a New York minute, remodeling their cozy bathroom and kitchen.
1993-528-remodelTag: 1993
The Future, Our Youth and the Virus
B.Michael and friend/sister/teacher Rhea Ummi Modeste team-taught a groundbreaking class on HIV/AIDS awareness at City-As-School High School. Here is a draft of their outline.
1993I29-HIV-awareness-classCity-As-School’s principal at the time visited — and was duly impressed by — one of the sessions and wrote a letter to B.Michael’s and Ummi’s files.
1993J26-principals-take-on-HIV-awareness-classBahamas
B.Michael’s father, Bertram Meredith Hunter, was born in Deerfield, Florida, a community of immigrants from the Bahamas. In August 1993, B.Michael was able to visit the Bahamas for the first time with his lover John.
The only remaining memorabilia from that trip are HIV/AIDS-related materials gathered at the office of the Bahamian Ministry of Health.
1993-AIDS-101-bahamasThis bumper sticker may have been a joint venture with the Ministry of Tourism!
1993-aids-free-bahamasMore photos from this trip are viewable here!
Cooperative Learning
B.Michael was a life-long learner. He was also strategic and skilled at navigating systems. As an employee of the New York City Board of Education, he made sure to optimize his opportunities.
If you came into this system with a master’s degree as B.Michael did — he had a J.D. under his belt — you could set your sights on the highest possible credential as a public school teacher by pursuing a Doctorate degree OR a National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification OR 30 additional credits.
He chose the latter, the so-called “Masters+30” path. This collaboratively written paper on Curriculum Development and Issues capped off a summer class for which he earned credits.
1993H-Cooperative-Learning-WIMI Have Come Here to Die (earlier draft)
1994-i-have-come-here-to-die-JAM-edits
Click here to read the final, published version of this essay.
B.Michael’s complimentary copies of the book arrived from the publisher in this box postmarked 14 September 1994:
1994I14-OTIT-from-alysonBar Review #2
After putting Sojourner: Black Gay Voices in the Age of AIDS to bed, B.Michael decided to sit once again for the Bar.
bar-review-2The grueling process of cramming for the exam was documented in a stack of lined notebooks.
1993E19-bar-reviewMoving In Together: Nuts + Bolts
When B.Michael and John decided to cohabitate, at 34 and 27 respectively, each had had ample experience with roommates. It was, however, the first time for either of them to live with a lover.
Romantic bliss aside, there was the business of maintaining a household . . .
1992J12-shopping-list. . . and shopping for food . . .
1993B20-shopping-list. . . and managing money jointly!
1993-budget