Our Lives In The Sunshine: Celebrating Black Pride

This year, celebrating Pride may be more important than it has been in previous years. Amidst all of the hostile legislation, acts of violence, and attempts at erasure facilitated by our current administration, it is absolutely necessary to honor the people we are, our stories, and the ones who walked before us. As a community we need to make time and space for us to enjoy ourselves despite the efforts of the oppressors. And for the fifth year in a row, Black Pride Colorado has made sure to be a shining example of how to do just that.

Black Pride Colorado is a program through YouthSeen, led by Dr. Tara Jae (they/them) that is dedicated to the legacy and community of queer Black folks. Each year since 2021, the folks at Black Pride Colorado have held a week full of events leading up to Juneteenth catered specifically to the Black queer community. These events are about fellowship and connection. They are about being loud, and joyful, and soaking up some sun for ourselves. 

Starting in the 90’s, Black Pride was a response to the racism, homophobia, and lack of care available to our communities as well as the HIV/AIDS epidemic. It began in D.C. and has since spread to many states across the U.S.. Colorado’s Black Pride will start Sunday, June 8 and continue until Sunday, June 15.

They will be kicking things off with Juiccy Misdemeanor, Sunday June 8 with Gospel Brunch.

On Wednesday June 11, they will be relaxing over at Cirrus on Colfax with Conscious Consumption. 

Thursday, June 12, they’ll be doing a fun Happy Hour at the MCA. 

Friday, June 13, they will be having their 5th annual Strange Fruit of Black Excellence gala. 

Saturday, June 14, Zarah and the Chocolate Factory is performing at xBar 

Sunday, June 15 is their Cookout at the Sie Film Center.

It will be an amazing week! Tickets for all events went live May 1. Oh! and if you’re looking to have some fun beforehand, they will be doing First Thursdays all month at Champagne Tiger at 5 p.m. Come out and join as they get ready for the month of June!

I had the wonderful opportunity to ask Dr. Tara about Black Pride. When asked what Black Pride means to them, they said, “Black Pride continues to be a space to find connection for me. With the world as it is currently, celebrating our ancestors and history is more important than ever. Learning about our elders and what they have been through gives perspective on what is happening now. Black Pride is about our resistance and legacy to continue to show up and be authentic.” We need Black Pride specifically to remember and celebrate that which has been neglected and left out of history. Queer Black folks have always existed and deserve their time in the spotlight. Black Pride not only rejoices over our present in spite of the horrors, but honors those who came before us.

Dr. Tara started Black Pride Colorado in 2021 because they were, “hopeful to see that our community was seemingly finding compassion and a passion to fight against the violence that is a continual thread in our story. With that compassion, (their) hope was that it could turn into a celebration of joy for our Black queer community. The push was the light and excitement (they) saw from others when (they) talked about the possibility of having space for us.”

While Colorado is a state that is generally more liberal, we are not perfect. Racism and anti-Blackness specifically still exist world-wide, and Black queer folk still struggle, existing between multiple intersections and identities. Dr. Tara reminds us that folks of color are the reason we have Pride in the first place. “The first Pride was a riot.” They also remind us that Black folks can and should take up space and embrace the cultures we have fought to create. “There is a beautiful, thriving Black community that is seasoning the culture here in Colorado and more specifically here in Denver. Our stories of identity and self love are rich and run deep.”

Many of us may look back at our pasts and wonder what might’ve been had we been given the resources and knowledge that we have today. How much easier it would have been to learn about and accept our queerness. How comforting it would have been to be encouraged to find community and take up space. While we cannot change the past, it is never too late to create those resources for those who are coming up now. We can still give them and ourselves what we did not have. 

“Black Pride is a testament to our commitment to ourselves and the spaces we occupy, giving representation to our young people to thrive in ways that we only wished we could when we were younger. We are still young, and all the opportunities are in front of us,” Dr. Tara says while thinking about the future of Black Pride.

This year has been arduous for us all. To see a revival of fascism and white supremacy in our government, our jobs, and our communities is enough to make one lose hope. And that is exactly why our celebration this year is so valuable. Our joy is resistance. Our optimism is empowering. Those who seek to oppress us want us to feel isolated, hopeless, and powerless. And we will not give it to them. Instead, we will laugh, and sing, and share. We will make art and foster new connections. We will continue to live our lives in the sunshine, come what may.

Photos courtesy Ivy Owens