Tim’m T. West (he/they)

Executive Director, LGBTQ Institute at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights

Tim'm T. West is a poet, scholar, rapper, and youth activist who was born in Cincinnati and raised primarily in rural Arkansas. A contemporary Renaissance man, he is a featured voice in multiple documentaries about hip hop and masculinity because of his groundbreaking work as a gay-identified hip hop artist, AIDS activist, and youth advocate, among other affiliations.

A teacher and cultural producer at a number of secondary and post-secondary institutions, as well as a former varsity basketball coach, West has a B.A. from Duke University and graduate degrees from The New School for Social Research and Stanford University.

He is author of several books (Red Dirt Revival: a poetic memoir in 6 Breaths, BARE: notes from a porchdweller, Flirting, and pre|dispositions). As a writer, West is widely anthologized and published. As a recording artist, he has  produced and released nine hip hop albums, the first several with iconic queer rap group D/DC.

After serving for 8.5 years as Senior Managing Director of Teach for America’s National Prism Alliances (LGBTQ+ Initiative), Tim’m became Executive Director of the LGBTQ+ Institute at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.