The Blueprint Project
Supporting Black & Latino Men Who Have Sex with Men
In partnership with the Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective (BEAM) and The Counter Narrative Project
Crystal methamphetamine use among Black and Latinx gay and bisexual men is a growing phenomenon with few resources devoted to addressing it. Evidence-based harm reduction strategies rooted in understanding racial justice and intersecting oppressions are essential to get the full picture and suggest strategies that will actually work.
National Harm Reduction Coalition partnered with Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective (BEAM) and The Counter Narrative Project to mobilize communities to engage and support Black and Latinx men who have sex with men (MSM) and who use crystal meth.
“Service providers must understand Harm Reduction and HIV, but they must know something about the history and culture of the communities they are serving. This moves beyond cultural competence, and toward a kind of cultural respect and literacy.”
Charles Stephens (he/him),
The Counter Narrative Project
Facts and Recommendations
The project started with a survey of 182 providers across 24 states, including health educators, medical assistants, social workers, program directors, and clinicians. We followed up with several groups of Black and Latinx MSM to help us interpret some of the themes from our survey, taking a deeper dive into social context that is inextricably linked with drug use and stigma. The goal was to understand:
How informed providers are about crystal meth use among Black and Latino MSM from both the provider and client perspective
How confident they are in discussing crystal meth use and risks
What resources and tools are useful to raise awareness and support these discussions
The Impact of Crystal Meth on Black MSM
Harm reduction meets people where they are. To do this, we must strip back our attitude about harm reduction and ask how we can support the people we love who use crystal meth.
Check out these powerful webinars to better understand the impact of crystal meth on Black men who have sex with men.
Tools that Support Change
BEAM created a set of powerful and easy-to-use tools to help communities craft solutions to support the people they love who use drugs.
BEAM BluePrint Action Plan:
This simple yet powerful assessment tool helps you identify the challenges facing your community and the resources you need to grow.
BEAM Healing & Accountability Wheel:
This tool is designed to foster trust, promote shared decision-making, honor strengths, and create safety.
BEAM Community Care Support Plan:
This worksheet will help you create a plan to support someone who is in distress, needs every day care, or simply needs to maintain access to services.