ABOUT US

OUR MISSION
OUR VISION
NATIVE SON embodies a global platform that illuminates Black gay/queer men and assures them of their worthiness and purpose in all communities in which they exist.
OUR NARRATIVE
NATIVE SON is an intergenerational movement, community and platform created four years ago to inspire and empower Black gay/queer men. There is no other organization globally that supports this community with the emphasis on wellness, empowerment, and amplification. We are Black gay/queer men who are leaders, mavericks, and the best at what we do.
OUR REACH
OUR FOUNDER
Emil Wilbekin is the Founder of Native Son, a platform created to inspire and empower Black Gay Men.
He has appeared On-Air discussing pop culture, fashion/style, entertainment and current affairs on The Today Show, NBC Channel 4 News New York, E! VH-1, MTV, BET, CNN, The Insider, Arise 360, Revolt, and PBS. Wilbekin has an expertise in editorial creation, content curation and multimedia story telling (print, digital, social, video and live events) having served as Chief Content Officer at Afropunk, Editor-at-Large at Essence, Managing Editor of Essence.com, Editor-in-Chief of Giant and Giantmag.com, Style Guru at Complex Media, VP of Brand Development at Marc Eckō Enterprises, Editorial Director/Vice President of Vibe Ventures and Editor-in-Chief of Vibe Magazine. Under Wilbekin’s leadership, Vibe won the National Magazine Award for General Excellence in 2002.
Wilbekin holds a B.S. in Mass Media Arts from Hampton University, and an M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University. He resides in New York City. Social Handles: @emilwilbekin on Twitter and IG.