Before a packed house on Saturday, Oct. 9, John Tatum of Detroit was awarded the first ever Leatherman of Color title. The contest was held at Touche during the ONYX BlackOut 9th Anniversary Weekend in Chicago. John will go on to compete in International Mr. Leather 2005 in May. There were four leathermen from across the country who vied for the title. Derrick Jones of Chicago was the first runner-up. Jamal, Mr. Georgia Leather 2002, handled the emcee duties as Bruno, Mr. Chicago Olympus 2002, handled the contestants backstage. Chief Judge Mr. Chicago Leather 2004 Joe Arteaga, International Mr. Deaf Leather 2004 Paul ‘Teddy’ O’Rourke, Black Beat Mid-west founder Lady Cocoa, Mid-American Leatherman 1999 Joe Boynton, and Black Beat Mid-west founding member Ms. Lash selected the winners after the personal interview, leather people of color platform presentation, and on-stage presentations. Stan Johnson of Atlanta tallied the scores while boi yohantz of Chicago served as the judges’ boi. Contest organizer, the Leatherman of Color Organization, thanked the many contest sponsors including the Men of ONYX; Chuck Rodocker, David Boyer and Touche; Charles Cole and Caliber Leathers; Mephisto Leathers Chicago and Lady Cocoa. Caliber Leathers designed the winner’s back patch while Mephisto Leathers and Lady Cocoa donated a leather motocycle jacket and original artwork.
Contact leathermanofcolor@yahoo.com for more information on the Leatherman of Color Organization and Contest.