April 22, 2011

After three years serving as the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Resource Center coordinator, Ryan Black is leaving MU on April 29 and moving to Portland, Ore.

Black served as LGBTQ Resource Center coordinator for three years after being a part-time intern in the spring of 2008.

Black said the most difficult part of his job initially was educating himself on the vast amount of issues present in the queer community.

“Being a gay man, I didn’t understand every issue regarding the trans community or being a student of color,” Black said. “I came from a very small, conservative town where I was one of a few gay couples. Coming to Mizzou and all of a sudden being exposed to an entire queer community, just the fact that there is an LGBTQ Resource Center, was pretty overwhelming. I had to do my homework and figure everything out on my own.”

During his time as Triangle Coalition president, senior Sean Jarvis worked closely with Black.

“I think that the best thing about Ryan, as a boss, would be the freedom he gave students to do work in the areas that interested them most,” Jarvis said.

Women’s Center Adviser Suzy Day said Black’s strongest attribute has been his strong ability to engage an entire room.

“I think he has this very special skill of making everyone feel like they are a part of whatever he is talking about, even if previously they knew nothing about it,” Day said. “He is very fun, he has a great laugh and he is super smart so he knows what he is talking about, which is important. He makes everything seem really accessible.”

Black said his favorite memory at MU was the 2009 Day of Silence. Student leaders in the community protested Brother Jed in Speaker’s Circle. Black was at home, finishing his graduate work, but saw the pictures afterward.

“As I watched the pictures start popping up on Facebook, I cried,” Black said. “It was so amazing what they were doing. I was so proud of the student leaders.”

Black said that whoever fills his spot next semester should know to not try to do everything alone, but instead ask around the campus for help.

“You can’t do it all yourself,” Black said. “I tried that for a semester or two before I realized my student leaders are so much smarter than me. It takes an entire campus of allies. There are amazing people in Residential Life, in the Counseling Center, etc., that are doing great work and that want to do great work within this community. Being able to sometimes step back and utilize the resources and amazing people around me was a big lesson.”

Day said Black brought energy back into LGBTQ social events and created an open environment for students to be a part of and have fun.

“He cares so much about his students and they think really highly of him,” Day said. “He brought a really good positive energy to the area and to all the staff people he worked with and all the students he worked with. I am sure he will make change wherever he goes.”

Jarvis said Black helped promote a strong relationship between the LGBTQ Resource Center and other student organizations. Jarvis said Black knew it was important for everyone to work together for a common purpose and his work reflects that.

“I came to graduate school expecting to walk out as a counselor in a mental health agency and somehow ended up doing work in the queer community,” Black said. “That’s amazing. To kind of fall into this work and find out how much I love it, I will be forever thankful.”

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