A historical archive of events for which the incomparable Rayceen Pendarvis - "Goddess of DC" - has either hosted or participated in some other capacity.
IN A HURRY.....ENTER A NAME, EVENT, ORGANIZATION, OR OTHER SEARCH QUERY INTO THE BOX BELOW AND CLICK "SEARCH."
Rayceen Pendarvis accepted an invitation to host Taking the Stage, Taking a Stand: LGBTQ Voices Against Violence. Organizer's established the event in an effort to empower and highlight the voices of LGBTQ+ performers addressing LGBT violence. A variety of LGBT artists were invited to participant in the festivities.
The event was presented by The DC Anti-Violence Project (formerly known as GLOV) and held in the Langston Room of Busboys and Poets in Washington, DC. Click below to view a collection of images.
Rayceen Pendarvis accepted an invitation to host End Violence Against Sex Workers 2017: Unity in Our Community. The event aimed to commemorate the lives of sex workers that were lost due to violence and to also advocate for an end to the violence that sex workers disproportionately face.
Each year in December, a day is set aside as International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. On this day, allies and advocates come together to renew their commitment to the ongoing struggle for empowerment, visibility, and the rights of all sex workers.
Pendarvis was joined by several other participants, including Shareese Envy Mi Mone, Taylor Lianne Chandler , David Mariner, Jazmin Sutherlin, Dee Curry, Ruby Corado, and Councilmember David Grosso.
The community event also featured performances by Dajiah and Twin Khan, KISHA “DeJaVu” Allure, and Pretty Boi Drag. DJ Tony Play provided the music, while Rocky Ferguson Dash served as the event’s official photographer.
The festivities were organized by Shareese Mone (pictured above with Pendarvis - right) and held at the Frank D. Reeves Center of Municipal Affairs in Washington, DC.
Rayceen Pendarvis accepted an invitation to host a panel discussion titled Coloring Outside of the Lines. Pendarvis was joined by several panelists, including Taylor Lianne Chandler, Benicio Arena Rodriguez, Shareese Envy Mi Mone, and Achim Howard. The group was also joined by actor/playwright Mashuq Mushtaq Deen.
The panel convened specifically to talk about the theatrical stage play Draw the Circle, which was presented just prior to the discussion. The promotional write-up for the play reads as follows. “Gender transition can be a test for any household—but when Mashuq Mushtaq Deen comes out to his conservative Muslim family, traditional values and Western ideals collide in an hilarious and moving immigration journey unlike any other. Told entirely from the point of view of family and friends, yet performed by Deen himself, Draw the Circle is a moving story about survival, transition, and unconditional love.”
The play was presented as part of a series titled "Transformational Journeys: Inspired Singular Explorations." In his review for The Washington Post, Nelson Pressley described the play as "Fresh...Striking...Big Hearted."
The event was sponsored by The Mosaic Theater and held at the Atlas Performing Arts Center in Washington, DC. Click below to view video footage from the event.
Rayceen Pendarvis served as the host for #AskRayceen Live on Social Media. The inaugural online event was established as a spin-off for The Ask Rayceen Show, a free monthly live event held at the Human Rights Campaign Equality Center in Washington, DC.
During the show's brief three-month winter hiatus in December, January, and February, organizers created the online version as a means to continue entertaining the public with Rayceen Pendarvis & Team Rayceen’s signature form of entertainment.
For the show’s premiere, Pendarvis welcomed entertainer and emcee, Tony Nelson (pictured above with Pendarvis - top and bottom), as well as, Deputy Mayor of Greater Economic Opportunity, Courtney R. Snowden (pictured above with Pendarvis - center).
The show was streamed live on Facebook and held at the Human Rights Campaign Equality Center in Washington, DC.
Click below to view a collection of Facebook Live Videos.
Rayceen Pendarvis accepted an invitation to host Reel Affirmations Presents In Honor of World AIDS Day: After Louie. Director Vincent Gagliostro's film explores the contradictions of modern gay life and history through Sam (Alan Cumming), a man desperate to understand how he and his community got to where they are today.
As an artist, AIDS activist, and former member of ACT UP in the 1980s and 90s, Sam lived through the early years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and emerged a scarred man still struggling with survivor’s guilt. He eventually becomes bewildered by the younger generation of carefree gay men with their uninhibited use of social media, sexting, and political indifference.
Late one night at a bar, an unexpected intimacy with Braeden (Zachary Booth) - a seductive much younger man - challenges Sam's understanding of contemporary gay life. As the pair become increasingly intimate, an intergenerational relationship blossoms between them and Sam is forced to deal with the trauma that so informs his past, their present, and an unknown future.
As the title suggests, the special event served to honor World AIDS Day, a day set aside annually in an effort to raise awareness of the AIDS pandemic, while also providing an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, to stand in solidarity with those living with HIV, and to commemorate those who have died from an AIDS-related illness. Founded in 1988, World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day.
Reel Affirmations - Washington DC’s International LGBT Film Festival - is one of the largest LGBT film festivals (in terms of attendance) in the United States. Each month the organization consistently offers new and exciting international, documentary, short, and feature films, as well as panel discussions, filmmaker Q&As, and various celebrations. The special theatrical screening was held at the Human Rights Campaign Equality Center in Washington, DC. Click below to view the Official Film Trailer.
