Joseph (Joe) Fairchild Beam graduated from Franklin College in 1976 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. Originally from Philadelphia, Beam participated in the Black Student Union (BSU), submitted work to the Apogee (literary magazine), and worked with the College's WFCI radio station. Joe was awarded the Omega Psi Phi's Award for Broadcasting in 1974 and the Berta D. Knobe '91 Prize for Photography in 1976.
Upon graduation, Joe enrolled in a Master of Communication program in Iowa and returned to Philadelphia in 1979 to work at an independent gay and lesbian bookstore, Giovanni's Room. His writing has been published in several newspapers, such as the Philadephia Gay News, and self-authored anthologies, such as In the Life. Influenced by the work of Audre Lorde, Beam advocated for Black gay men and the wellness of marginalized communities and prisoners.
He died of an AIDS-related illness in 1988. His mother, Dorothy Beam, donated his papers to the New York Public Library; they reside at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. BEAM: Black Emotional And Mental Health Community was founded in Beam's name in 2015 by Yolo Akili Robinson.