Essex Hemphill was born April 16, 1957 in Chicago and died on November 4, 1995 of AIDS-related complications. He is known for his activism for equality and rights for gay men.
His poetry has been published widely in journals, and his essays have appeared in High Performance, Gay Community News, RFD Magazine, The Advocate, Pyramid Periodical, Essence, and others.
The poems and essays in Ceremonies address the sexual objectification of black men in white culture, relationships among gay black men and non gay black men, HIV/AIDS in the black community and the meaning of family.