Black BDSM groups and organizations There is not much information available regarding the earliest Black BDSM organizations due to secrecy and lack of documentation. Obeah, a bdsm related black supremacy group that does not allow black submissives or white dominants, was formed as early as the late 60's and is still active today. There was also believed to be a coffee klatch for black female dominants in Chicago during the 60's. The internet has had more of an impact on Black BDSM history than any other medium. The places to find information and meet other people of color in the lifestyle are seemingly endless, and the added lure is that it can all be done in complete anonymity. Chat groups such as EbonyDomsubChat, The Black Doms Room, and Black Doms Forums took off in the 1990s and people of color began meeting and having play parties sporadically. In 1999 one of the first major black bdsm events, "Ebony Lifestyles", was attended by over 350 people in Charlotte, NC and by early 2000 several real time groups had been organized and the first munch groups were created specifically for people of color. The Storm~DeSade Academy, the first training school for submissives of color, founded by MrDesade69 (Master Dark Eros) and Lady QuyitStorm, ran from October 1998 to September 1999. Throughout that time there were six graduates. Two participants were unable to complete the program successfully. The Academy was developed to assist new submissives in understanding their chosen roles and educating themselves to the lifestyle in general. The participants were selected by referral from Dominants, petitions and an application process. The program included eight weeks of study, three modules with tests at the end of each and a final exam. It was designed and highly structured to provide the novice with an understanding of basic definitions and etiquette all the way to negotiation and interviewing skills. The program was only offered to women and men of color and all who applied were not accepted. There was also a waiting list due to the policy of admitting only one or two submissives at a time. While the program was officially ended September 20 1999, it's services are frequently requested even today. Due to the intensity of the emotional as well as time commitments required, it's founders are regrettably unable to consider future candidates. This mentoring program took place mainly online with the exception of two students who traveled to California for their first real time experience. One of those two students, Rayn, wrote a fantastic online report, with photos, documenting her experience. DeSade graduate Rayn "Upon successful completion, the graduates were formally presented to the community.... This came to be seen as their "debut" and themselves as debutantes and resulted in them becoming highly sought after. The final result produced an informed, poised and self assured novice." Lady QuyitStorm   Black Doms Newsletter is believed to be the first online newsletter created for people of color. The first edition was published by Lady QuyitStorm in October of 1998 In October 1999 the publication was picked up by MsBlckJagg and the name was officially changed to Black Doms and Submissives Monthly. The newsletters were published at MsBlckJagg's web site and a mailing list bearing the same name was also created for archiving purposes. Black_Doms_And_Subs online discussion group was formed in October 1999 by MsBlckJagg as a supplement to the newsletter and is still a very active online group. Two of the earlier issues of Black Doms Newsletter have been saved and permanently archived at Dark Connections. December 1998 April 1999  "Our goal is to help bring the People Of Color BDSM community closer together, through education and communication, to assist people new to D/s & BDSM relationships who genuinely wish to learn from experienced practitioners already in the scene." Black Doms And Subs   Nubian Nation News online newsletter and Nubian Kings chat room ran from January 2000 to July 2000. The newsletter was originally created by DeSade, Cntrler, Pantheros and Lady QuyitStorm. The newsletters were extremely colorful and informative, loaded with afrocentric articles, graphics, and poetry all created by Doms and subs of color. It's mission was to provide a source of influence, knowledge, protection and strength to those that aspired to be or chose to further their growth as Black Dominants or submissives, thereby strengthening the quality of the Nubian BDSM community and nurturing D/s relationships. Unfortunately some of the newsletters were lost over the years, however five remaining issues have been donated to Dark Connections for archiving. Issue #1 January 2000 Issue #2 February 2000 Issue #3 March 2000 Issue #4 April 2000 Issue #7 July 2000 "We as a unit seek to give our community a focal point for Culture and Identity, direction and guidance, protection and problem solving as we oversee the growth of our community." -Nubian Nation News   Mahogany Pleasures of Darkness, a San Francisco Bay area munch group for people of color, first met in February of 2000. Mr. Worf came up with the initial idea for the group, and recruited members from the now defunct national egroup he created called BDSM4POC. Mahogany was most likely the first black munch group ever created. The mission of the group is to provide an entry point and forum for African Americans, and other people of color, who are Dominants, Submissives and Switches to meet and exchange ideas. Mahogany Pleasures of Darkness holds monthly munches and play parties. The online discussion group, bearing the same name, was formed in April 2000 and is still active. "I started Mahogany but I can't take all the credit. Cntrler, MsBlckJagg, nikko, chupoo, Nomdenuit, Shane and others helped get the word out and attended the munches regularly. We went home after the first couple of munches then wrote our own versions of what the name and mission statement should be. Then we took pieces of each one and combined them into one statement. Also, the name of the group was made up of several names we all came up with and pieced together. So it was truly a group effort." -Mr. Worf   Black Sensuality D/s and BDSM was a voice chat group formed in October 2000. The live format permitted members to communicate directly with each other and therefore become more intimate as friends. The purpose of the group was to allow members to explore themselves, educate themselves, grow in the lifestyle and have fun. The chats were held on PalTalk. LadyQ came up with the concept for Black Sensuality. DarkXDom, DarkEros, hungry_1, and Black Elegance all contributed to it's development. The group's web site is currently being redesigned. A Black Sensuality meet and greet named "Eyes Wide Shut" was organized and took place at Black Rose in November of 2001. "Oftentimes we find that people of color are underground or hidden with parts of their sexuality. For those of you curious about the lifestyle, interested in venturing into the lifestyle you have found a home." - Black Sensuality.   PhillyBlackSubsNDoms online discussion group was formed in January 2001 by juicysub19. The organization held their first munch at the Broad Street Diner in Philadelphia in October of 2001. The munch was organized by Marti, Herm, Kikit and biackeagle. PhillyBlackSubsNDoms was designed to bring together people of color and their admirers from the Greater Philadelphia area who are a part of the D/s community. The discussion group is still very active and they are still having regular munches. "Through PhillyBlackSubsNDoms, we hope to provide a tool for helping you meet new people, learn more about dominance and submission, stay informed about local events, and provide a welcoming environment where you can feel free to express yourself. " Philly Black Subs N Doms   OurBDSM.com and the OurBDSM egroup was formed in March 2001 by Subtlediva. The online discussion group was highly popular for many years and hosted many "cybermunches" with prominent guest speakers such as John Warren, author of "The Loving Dominant". The Black Munch Group was an offshoot of OurBDSM and had a corresponding online discussion group. Subtlediva and Hungry1 worked with the group based out of North Carolina. The first munch took place in Raleigh, NC in May of 2001 and the munches continued for about a year or so. "We are dedicated to the community growth of African-Americans in the BDSM, D/s and related Lifestyles."- OurBDSM   Blacksubs4BlackDoms was one of the first AOL groups designed to unite both Dominants and submissives of color together to discuss the common interests they have in the D/s-BDSM lifestyle. The group was founded by blkrarediamond, canubreakme, and apleasure2touch and ran from April 2001 to May 2002. In August of 2002 the group's founder, blkrarediamond, went on to open Black submissive Lounge (BsL), an online discussion group where Black submissives can speak freely without being under the watchful eye of Dominants. Men and female Dominants are not allowed. BsL is still an active group. "The sole purpose of BsL is to create a non-judgmental, non-combative environment as we converse on many issues that pertain to the D/s lifestyle. This group is targeted solely for the African American female submissive who wishes to reach out to others, and from there, we will learn, share, and grow together."   CLOAK (Charlotte lovers of all kink) organization was founded in November of 2001 by "A" and Lady Gee. Their first official real time gathering was held December 2001 in Charlotte, NC. CLOAK is a pansexual BDSM organization oriented toward the black community and its admirers. Its goal is to provide a warm and friendly atmosphere for discussion and education regarding BDSM activities. cloakweb2002@yahoo.com "The main objective of our Group was to attract blacks and give them the opportunity to see some of the choices of groups available. Little did we know how much opposition we would generate. We were accused of being prejudiced. That we were trying to separate blacks and whites. That was funny to us, because of us being in the south and the history of segregation here. After opening our eyes, we discovered that because of the lack of blacks visible in the lifestyle, many of the blacks that were practicing had white partners. So, having a exclusive group was out of the question. Thus, we are known as CLOAK-“Charlotte Lovers of All Kink”-Covering the Black community and its Admirers (of all races). " - A   Black Ties hosts bi-annual, invitation only play parties by and for people of color engaged in BDSM. Their first gathering took place in February of 2002. This exclusive group was founded by Nomdenuit, chupoo and isis whose goal was to create a safe place for the Black community in the San Francisco Bay Area to discuss and practice BDSM. Black Ties does not run a munch group or an online discussion group. They can be reached via email only. To get on the guest list, email info@blkties.com "I believe people of color need a place that they can feel safe in, without regard to race or ethnicity." - NomDenuit   B.O.N.D. (Brotherhood of Nubian Dominants) was formed in April of 2002 and is still an active organization. The group was organized to benefit Black male dominants seeking to enhance, supplement and empower through a united effort. B.O.N.D. has an online discussion group and a mentoring program. The Each One Teach One dominant mentoring program is intended to help answer the need for quality black dominants in the BDSM community, and promote brotherhood between the novice and the veteran. The program blends mentoring with education, community and self-awareness in order to stimulate individuals who may need assistance in becoming a quality dominant. Mentoring is utilized as the basic intervention strategy for meeting the needs of the black BDSM community. "As Black men, we take full responsibility for the welfare of our families and communities, this includes, but is not limited to, being responsible for the care and education of our immediate families; the propagation of the essential values of D/s; the economic and political uplifting of the communities we live in; and setting a positive example of how a Black man represents himself." - B.O.N.D.   Black BEAT held it's first Black BDSM conference in Maryland August 22 - 24, 2003. The event included workshops and demos, two meals, a Meet-n-Greet social, two nights of private dungeon attendance/play, shopping, T-shirt, souvenir program booklet and access to the pre-event Member's Only area. The vision of Black BEAT was developed by three African-American women, BlkRareDiamond, Lady ~Z~, and Bgtreasure, calling themselves the Dream Team. The event received raved reviews and continues to meet annually. Click here to learn about the first Black BEAT and read what those who attended the historic event had to say "Who would have ever thought that we would have bonded together (a group of strangers meeting for the first time) so naturally and beautifully. i don't think any of the core or committee thought BB would turn out like this...All i am left to say is there was so much LOVE and respect for one another that no one can fully articulate it." BlkRareDiamond   Bay Area Women of Color BDSM Photo Project was started in September of 2003 by Ms. Heart and fetish photographer Andrew Morgan. The mission of Bay Area Women of Color BDSM Photo Project is to expand the aesthetic and cultural perception of the BDSM community by promoting artistically tasteful photographic images of Women of Color in BDSM. The website offers free photos available to upload on other sites that honor Women of Color and lifestyle diversity in the Bay Area and abroad. "Woman of Color in the BDSM community are not coming forward for a variety of reasons, but chief amongst these is the fact that the images most commonly presented are of people unlike themselves. If Women of Color could see other Women of Color participating and playing, they would feel included and acknowledged. This is an essential element in outreach for the BDSM community. Images have the power to shape our consciousness. These images will represent diversity within our community and demonstrate our lifestyle in a positive and exciting manner." Ms. Heart Contributing Sources Dark Connections History of Black BDSM is an ongoing project which will be updated continually. All of the information provided in this section was gathered from our members and from other online sources. Should you find any errors or missing information, notify us immediately so we can make the necessary corrections. If you have any images, newsletters, or other pieces of history you'd like to contribute to this section, please contact us.