Black gays celebrate Pride
By Imani
Henry
Washington
May 28 kicked off the ninth annual Black Pride weekend in
Washington. Organizers estimate that 15,000 lesbians, gay men,
bisexual and trans people attended this year's four-day
festival-- making it the biggest Black gay pride event in the
world.
Participants came from every major city in the United
States--as well as from Canada, the Caribbean, Germany and the
Netherlands.
Black Pride is one of the oldest and most prominent of all
the annual Black lesbian and gay festivals. Many see Black
Pride, held in Washington on Memorial Day weekend, as the
official start of the lesbian/gay/bi/trans pride celebrations
that take place in cities across the country in June.
Organizers started Black Pride in 1991 as a one-day
fundraiser for local AIDS organizations that serve the African
American community. Now incorporated as a non-profit
group--Black Lesbian and Gay Pride Day, Inc.--Black Pride is
led and organized by a volunteer executive board.
"Our focus from the beginning was AIDS," said Board
President Kevin Fowlkes. "Later we expanded our mission to
raise money for women's health organizations as well."
Over the last nine years BLGPD has distributed $50,000 to
AIDS groups and other health-service organizations in the
Washington area.
Part of Black Pride this year was a day-long health
exposition geared toward Black lesbian, gay, bi and trans
people.
LGBPD has paved the way for other Black lesbian and gay
events across the country. Sixteen cities across the United
States now have similar events. These include San Francisco,
Los Angeles, San Diego and Oakland, Calif., Cleveland,
Philadelphia, Detroit, Baltimore, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas and
Phoenix. This year, Minneapolis held its first event.
"It is always political anytime Black lesbian, gay, bi and
trans people come together," said Fowlkes. "Black Pride serves
as a source of empowerment, socially, culturally and
politically, reinforcing our strength and diversity."
Highlight: Dr. Ruth Ellis
The Washington Blade gay newspaper listed over 50 Black
Pride events for participants to enjoy over the course of the
four-day weekend.
One of the highlights included a 100th birthday party for
Dr. Ruth Ellis. Adored by many in the Black gay community, Dr.
Ellis' presence at Black Pride served as a powerful reminder of
the struggles against racism and gay oppression--particularly
before the modern lesbian/gay/ bi/trans movement began with the
June 1969 Stonewall Rebellion.
Referred to by many as "the oldest living lesbian," Dr.
Ellis was born on July 23, 1899 in Tennessee.
"Things were very quiet when I was coming up," said Dr.
Ellis. "There were no gay bars. But I didn't need to come
out--I was never in the closet."
In 1937 in Detroit, Dr. Ellis met and began her 36-year
relationship with Cicilene "Babe" Franklin. Dr. Ellis has been
single since her lover died in 1973.
In Detroit--where Dr. Ellis lives--the Black gay community
holds "Ruth Ellis Day" celebrations during Black History Month.
The Detroit-based group African American Lesbians Organized to
Renew Dignity and Empowerment (A. LORDE) is planning to create
a shelter for gay youths and name it the "Ruth Ellis
Center."
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Stonewall
Rebellion, when Black, Latino and white drag queens and other
gay men and lesbians fought New York cops for the right to live
and love. Black Pride is a legacy of that struggle for civil
rights and the ongoing fight for liberation.
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