This Juneteenth, we celebrate the progress and power of Black Pride

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This Juneteenth, we celebrate the progress and power of Black Pride

Fred McDarrah

In the mid-1970s, the nightclub ClubHouse, founded by members of Washington D.C.’s Black LGBTQ+ community, began hosting an annual event during Memorial Day weekend. The Children’s Hour became a staple for Black LGBTQ+ Americans, with many traveling from across the country to the nation’s capital. When the club closed its doors in 1990, Welmore Cook, Theodore Kirkland, and Ernest Hopkins desired to continue the legacy of the Children’s Hour. In May 1991, they launched the first Black Pride event in the country. Since then, cities across the country have hosted Black Prides.

For instance, Rochester’s Black Pride in upstate New York arose from ongoing issues of bias within the LGBTQ+ community there, says artist and community activist Gatekeeper Adrian.

“Racism with a glitter lip is still [racism],” they chuckle. “Doesn’t make it any easier … just makes it a little prettier.”

The Children’s Hour also raised awareness of the growing AIDS epidemic. Today, many Black Prides continue to meet the needs of the community, from health awareness to support for even the marginalized within a marginalized community. Black Pride is more than a celebration of queerness: It demonstrates what it means to show up for one another.

Anti-War March, 1973

An anti-war march on Constitution Street in 1973 included many Black LGBTQ+ activists.

Inner City AIDS Pride, 1991