Brothers of the Desert 6th Annual Wellness Summit

Brothers of the Desert is conducting our 6th annual wellness summit focusing on Black gay men and our allies in the Coachella Valley and beyond in-person on Saturday, March 22nd, 2025, at the new Riviera Resort Hotel and Spa in Palm Springs from 8:30 AM-4:30 PM.

Living authentically and being confident in expressing yourself is tied to overall health and well-being and can be challenged and supported by several factors. It is important for us in these potentially challenging times to reflect on how to find and live in our truth. “The Power of Authenticity” is the theme of our summit. Join us as we offer the opportunity to learn from a diverse group of health and wellness experts. The one-day event features inspiring keynote presentations and innovative workshops on a range of topics, such as spirituality, relationships, mental health, aging considerations, racism, physical health, intergenerational communication, healthy sex, and creative expression as a means of healing. Everyone is welcome to attend.

The summit begins with a meet-and-greet at 8:30 AM, and the program will start promptly at 9:00 AM. Participants can choose to attend concurrent workshops at three different times during the day and meet and connect with new people. Lunch will be provided, . Space is limited, and registration is required.

A donation of $25 is suggested, and any amount given will be appreciated.

We are proud to announce that this year’s keynote speakers will include New York Times best-selling author of All Boys Aren’t Blue, George M. Johnson, reknowned public health expert, David Malebranche, MD, religous trailblazer, Bishop OC Allen and returning as host, film director Nathan Hale-Williams.

Workshop presenters will include, Dean of USC School of Music, Jason King, President of the Black Nurses Association, Sheldon Fields, PhD, author and innovator, Dante King, physician and health expert, Leo Moore, MD, author. organizational development trainer, and retired attorney, Lauren Nile. More speakers to be added in the coming weeks.

Go to https://www.brothersofthedesert.org/wellness-summit to see videos and photos from our previous summit.

See below for information on our host and keynote speakers.

ABOUT KEYNOTE SPEAKER: GEORGE M. JOHNSON

George M. Johnson (they/them) is an Emmy nominated, award-winning, and bestselling Black nonbinary author and activist. They have written on race, gender, sex, and culture for Essence, the Advocate, BuzzFeed News, Teen Vogue, and more than forty other national publications. George has appeared on BuzzFeed’s AM2DM as well as on MSNBC. They are also a proud HBCU alum twice over and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated. Their debut memoir, All Boys Aren’t Blue, was a New York Times bestseller and garnered many accolades. It was the second-most banned book of 2022 in the United States, according to the American Library Association. For their work fighting book bans and challenges, the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) honored George with its Free Speech Defender Award, and TIME Magazine named them one of the “100 Next Most Influential People in the World.” While writing their memoir, George used he/him pronouns. Originally from Plainfield, New Jersey, they now live in Los Angeles, California.

ABOUT OUR HOST: NATHAN HALE-WILLIAMS

Nathan Hale Williams, President and CEO of iN-Hale Entertainment LLC, is a multifaceted talent—an Emmy® nominated director, writer, and producer, as well as a best-selling/award-winning author and entertainment attorney. Named a Black Enterprise Magazine Modern Man of Excellence ®, a GLAAD Media Award® winner, winner of the American Black Film Festival (“ABFF”) for Best Picture, a two-time NAACP Image Award® nominee, and the recipient of the Thurgood Marshall Prestige Award for Excellence, Nathan is a classic storyteller across multiple genres and media.

His last film, All Boys Aren’t Blue, won two Telly Awards, including one for Nathan’s “Outstanding Direction,” an inaugural Anthem Award, and “Best Narrative Feature” at the NewFest Film Festival. In 2022, Nathan was invited and selected for Mara Brock Akil/Story 27 Production’s Writer’s Colony (4-person Cohort) for “the industry’s most promising, emerging screenwriters” where he developed the screenplay for his upcoming feature film, Love Will Save the Day.

ABOUT KEYNOTE SPEAKER: DAVID MALEBRANCHE, M.D., MPH

David Malebranche, MD, MPH, currently serves as Senior Director, Global HIV Medical Affairs at Gilead Sciences. He is a board-certified internal medicine physician with over 25 years of clinical experience in sexual health and the prevention/treatment of HIV and sexually transmitted infections, as well as men’s health, correctional health, student health, racial inequities in medicine, and LGBTQ health.

Passionate about community engagement, outreach and activism, Dr Malebranche has appeared in the video series #AskTheHIVDoc, as well as the YouTube series Revolutionary Health with the Counter Narrative Project. He also has a long history of conducting qualitative HIV behavioural prevention research among Black same-gender-loving men and has published more than 50 articles in medical and public health journals. He has held several academic faculty appointments, most recently as Associate Professor of Medicine and Medical Director of Student and Employee Health at Morehouse School of Medicine. He currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia.

ABOUT OUR KEYNOTE SPEAKER: BISHOP OLIVER CLYDE ALLEN III

Bishop Oliver Clyde Allen, III, is a religious trailblazer, author, human rights advocate, an international and community leader and entrepreneur. Bishop O.C. Allen is the Senior Pastor and Founder of The Vision Cathedral of Atlanta known as “The Vision Church”. The Vision Church has 3 campuses, The Vision Church of Atlanta, Vision Church of Raleigh, Vision Church of Los Angeles and Vision Church of Nashville. He is the founder and Presiding Bishop of the United Progressive Pentecostal Fellowship of Churches (UPPC), a progressive Christian and inclusive religious organization which oversees senior pastors, ministers, churches and faith-based organizations throughout the United States and abroad. He also is a Commissioner on the Atlanta Human Rights Commission.

In 2015, Bishop Allen was appointed by President Barak Obama to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA). In 2016, he was appointed the Southeastern Chair of the DNC-LGBT Advisory Board and a co-chair of the DNC LGBTQ Policy Group. He has served as the National Ambassador and consultant for the NAACP – Black Church/HIV Initiative. Bishop O.C. Allen also serves as Faith Consultant for the CoPN Covid and Vaccine Network.

He is also the Executive Director of Vision Community Foundation Inc., a non-profit organization created to address socioeconomic and health gaps in the greater Atlanta community.