A 2006 Heroes In The Struggle
Many times the photographer is the person behind the scenes, with the personality blocked by the lens. Duane Cramer is so bubbly, outgoing that most people only notice later that they were being photographed. Cramer is a freelance photographer based in San Francisco who uses his skills to highlight social issues. He tirelessly advocates for HIV/AIDS awareness. He is deeply involved with community events and community organizations. Cramer was a founding member on the board of directors of the of San Francisco LGBT Community Center, Board Emeritus, NAMES Project Foundation AIDS Memorial Quilt. Board Emeritus, co-chair for the Millennium March on Washington for Equality in 2000. He currently serves as vice president on the board of directors of Frameline. He donates significant time to the Black AIDS Institute. In 2001 the San Francisco community elected Cramer as one of the Grand Marshals for the San Francisco GLBTQ Pride Celebration. “As a Black Gay artist living with HIV, I work to find the connection between my human experience and the human experience of the subjects I capture with my camera,” said Cramer. “And I look for subjects and projects where that connection can be maximized--whether it's realizing the term "African Orphan" applies to me (as well as the 10 million AIDS orphans in Africa) or volunteering my time to chronicle Black Heroes In The Struggle against AIDS, I look for the human bond.” At 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16, the Black AIDS Institute will honor him as one of its 2006 Heroes In The Struggle. To purchase tickets, click here. Cramer lost his father Joe J. Cramer, Jr. PhD to AIDS in September 1986. The elder Cramer was associate dean of the Business School at Howard University in Washington, D.C. He also was a professor at Pennsylvania State University, and the University of Southern California. Cramer Sr. also was a faculty Fellow at Arthur Andersen & Co. world headquarters in Chicago. Cramer himself has been living with the HIV virus since September 1996. Cramer made a panel in the AIDS Memorial Project’s National School Quilt Program for his father with his two sisters and mother in 1996. It was a painful but healing process for the family. The panel was part of the last full display of the entire AIDS Quilt on the national mall in Washington, D.C. Before the display ended, Cramer escorted Vice President Al Gore and Tipper Gore through the exhibit. In 1998, Xerox Corporation, his former employer, awarded Cramer a one-year Social Service Leave. He used the time to travel with sections of the quilt to large cities – as well as small towns like Loachapoka, Ala., where he spoke to elementary and high school students about HIV/AIDS. He often took the “12X12” with his father’s panel (AIDS Quilt Block number 4680) and spoke about his death – as well as his experience with HIV – and worked with local school staff and AIDS Service Organizations to share HIV prevention strategies. He focused on schools with high populations of African American and Latino students. He also conducted and facilitated extensive outreach to NAMES project Chapter networks in communities of color. He also collaborated with The Balm in Gilead to utilize the quilt in the African American church. “Many others have the same experience of loosing a parent to AIDS. The only way to help stop the shame, guilt and spread of this virus is to talk about what is happening in our families, particularly in the African American community,” Cramer said. “This disease is preventable. I am calling for everyone to shout out and take action. If we don’t, black people will be extinct. We are all connected. HIV/AIDS affects all of us.” In December 2000 Cramer was awarded the Umoja award by Black Brothers Esteem (San Francisco AIDS Foundation) for his outstanding community service and leadership.
Cramer is very active in the arts community. His photographic images have appeared in publications internationally including “Harper's Bazaar” (Latin America), “Blue” (Australia), “Oggi” (Italy), “OUT” and the “Advocate.” His subject matter extends from portraiture and fashion to architecture and journalism. Cramer is particularly noted for his nudes – images at once sensitive, thoughtful and erotic. In the September 2002 “Blue” magazine (Australia) issue #40, he was profiled as one of “The Magnificent Seven Photographers” in the world contributing to the publication.
Born in Bloomington, Ind., in 1962, he earned a degree in finance and marketing from the University of Southern California in 1984. Cramer had a career with Xerox Corporation that lasted 18 years. Cramer’s tenure with Xerox ended in 2003. During his years at Xerox, he held numerous sales and management positions within the company ranging from account manager, product manager to integrated sales manager. Profiles on Cramer have been published in, “ARISE” Magazine, “Blue” (Australia), Manner Aktuell (Germany), “Mate” (Europe), “Venus” Magazine, “OUT” magazine, the “Advocate, The Bay Area Reporter, The Spectrum Newspaper, The Bay Times Newspaper, The San Francisco Chronicle (2001 and 2005), and The San Francisco Examiner (2000 and 2005). Cramer has appeared on ABC World News Now, C-SPAN, MSNBC, CNET, VH1 and has been interviewed by numerous other international television and radio stations. Cramer said he believes that by being “out” honest and open sharing his personal experience positive change will occur. In 2005, Cramer traveled to Nakuru, Kenya in with his partner Tom to do volunteer work for AIDS Educare, a new service organization. He spent significant time with the community leaders, medical professionals and AIDS orphans. They visited churches, hospitals, schools and slums. Shortly after he left Africa, the school he visited was re-named the Duane Cramer Academy in his honor for the lasting impression he made on the children. . · His current project is volunteering a significant amount of time and resources to produce images for the Black AIDS Institute’s “I’M COMMMITTED” and “GOT AIDS?” Public Service Announcement Campaigns. A few notable people already captured include Julian Bond, (NAACP Chair), Jesse Jackson Sr., Honorable Maxine Waters, Iyanla Vansant, Honorable Barbara Lee, and actress/entertainer/AIDS Activist Sheryl Lee Ralph. · In 2006 Cramer embarked on a national exhibition of his black and white photographs called ELEGANT, which positively reflected the broad spectrum of the community. It includes a diverse selection of LGBT individuals. Diverse in gender (including a transgender woman), ethnicity and race. The “Advocate” magazine featured one of his photographs on the cover and an 8-page photo spread inside of male/female and transgender nudes. This was unprecedented. · Cramer has created the photography for several high profile (and often controversial) HIV/AIDS Prevention print campaigns in the USA, which have attracted media attention worldwide. Recent ones include: “HIV (not fabulous)” - 2005 www.staynegative.org, “HIV is a Gay Disease” 2006 www.ownitendit.org, and “HIV Disclosure” 2006 www.DISCLOSEHIV.org.