LGBTQ Black Pride events and Washington, D.C., have a compelling history dating back to at least the late 19th century. At that time william dorsey swanA former slave, he hosted a party of black men dressed in fine women’s clothing. That was enough to jail him and some of his fellow celebrants. This is also why city leaders recently moved to honor him this century by commemorating the pre-existing Swan Street NW.
But just as Swann navigated the rocky terrain between party and danger, so too do today’s Black Pride celebrations. Kenya Hutton, DC-based President and CEO black equity center (CBE), preparation for this year dc black prideHe says warning signs for his event and similar events will be flashing across the country, if not the world, from May 22nd to May 25th.
“Historically, they were already underfunded compared to mainstream Pride,” Hutton said of the 57 Black Pride events held in partnership with CBE, from Los Angeles to Lexington, Kentucky to Lagos, Nigeria. “What’s happening now is that funding is drying up. I understand that mainstream Pride is no longer seeing the sponsorship, foundation, support funding coming in that it used to receive.
“But if mainstream Pride was going through that, then Black Pride was already starting to fall apart, and now it’s getting worse. Without major funders coming along, they’re scrambling to figure out how to make it work, and they’re downsizing and collapsing events. Some of them are not doing well. They’ve already closed their doors and said it’s not possible this year. Some of the Pride have asked me not to mention it yet. At this point, the biennial schedule is not financially viable, so they haven’t announced it yet.
What’s happening elsewhere may be felt more intensely in Washington, DC. The city is not only the home of CBE, but also the location of the first Black Pride event in 1991. But DC Black Pride and all of its Black Pride allies know resilience. However, these are difficult times. Hutton recently surveyed Black Pride leaders and uncovered a landscape of hope mixed with determination weighed down by hesitation and caution.
Fresia Harvey is a former president and current CEO. pittsburgh black pride. She responded to Mr Hutton’s CBE inquiry and provided detailed thoughts on the current state of Pittsburgh’s problems.
“Our organization is currently facing significant financial challenges,” she began. “We cannot operate without consistent grant and sponsorship support, but over time these resources will become increasingly limited. At this time, we are operating with minimal financial capacity, which puts our programs, outreach and community events at serious risk.
“Funding instability, especially the unexpected withdrawal of sponsors, leaves us in a vulnerable position. As a grassroots organization serving Black LGBTQ+ individuals, the need for our services continues to grow, but our financial resources have diminished.”
Black Pride leaders were asked to identify the root cause of the decline in funding. Some people pointed out that certain companies would withdraw. Many highlighted the shift of resources toward mainstream Pride events, even though Black Pride undoubtedly addresses a disproportionately large need among the Black LGBTQ community.
In Jacksonville, Florida, President Tyden Heil said. swamp pridereports that funding has declined by more than 50% over the past five years. Like other respondents, he attributes the shortfall in part to companies abandoning their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
“Broadly speaking, corporate and philanthropic giving is shrinking, with many funders changing their priorities or reducing their investments in diversity,” he writes in part.
Carmen Neely, President and CEO, New York harem pridehas guided the organization through historical ups and downs. World Pride, held in New York in 2019, was a great fundraising event, but sponsorships were wiped out due to the coronavirus pandemic. Harlem Pride held on, but suffered another blow in the 2024 election.
“The new administration has cut funding programs for organizations serving constituents, put pressure on businesses and cut resources,” she said. “As a result, sponsorship in 2025 has decreased by approximately 20 percent.”
There is no doubt that politics is a contributing factor to the funding crisis. President Thea Williams Pride and promotion of Los Angelesmost succinctly pointed to a specific cause: “Trump.”
However, unlike the other eight respondents, only Ms. Neely reported that her organization received some of its funds back. All others rated the five-year funding trend as a “moderate” or “significant” decline.
Hutton, who can still name many of Black Pride’s corporate and nonprofit sponsors, says the effort may need to rely more on communities rather than corporations in the future.
“If we can crack the code and find a way to put money back into these spaces where communities feel they have to put money back, we’ll be fine,” he said, calculating that the $50 per person admission fee to last year’s D.C. Black Pride would cover everything and then some.
“That way we could have supported the entire Black Pride network for at least two years,” he says. “We have to get back to that and not be dependent on corporate sponsors. Every official event we host is free. We don’t charge anyone a dollar. Poetry slams, film festivals, workshops, and this year’s Grammy Award winner performances are free!”
In the meantime, Hutton said he and his Black Pride allies are committed to community resilience and are working together at an unprecedented level. Hutton added that he hopes the wisdom accumulated over generations will guide leaders and help them weather this recession.
“I’m actively writing grants to start what I’m calling the Black Pride Griot Project,” he says, noting that a formal repository of such knowledge could be the key to growing Black Pride in the future, whatever the obstacles. “The founders, the people who started Pride across the country, we want to connect them with the people who are organizing now and create people they can rely on. What was it like under previous hostile regimes? How did they survive? That’s important for leaders stepping into this role to have.”
To donate to the Center for Black Equity’s Save Black Prides fundraiser, please visit: centerforblackequity.org/saveblackprides.
DC Black Pride will be held May 22-25 at the Westin DC Downtown, 999 Ninth St. NW. visit dcblackpride.org.
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
