In an ambitious development, the DC City Council voted unanimously in June 2024 to create a six-member committee and work with the mayor’s LGBTQ Affairs Bureau to “create a report on Black LGBTQIA+ History in the district.”
The Black LGBTQIA+ Historic Refuge Act of 2024 was signed by Mayor DC Muriel Bowser, clearing the necessary reviews by the council and attracting almost the public’s attention.
Council records show that Council Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5) is the only member of the council’s openly gay people, and the main sponsor of the bill that is now law, with 11 members of the 13-member council joining Parker as the main sponsors. The records show that Council Chair Phil Mendelsson (D-AT-Large) signed it as co-sponsor.
Parker could not be immediately contacted for comment.
The law includes provisions that fund grants issued to three LGBTQ organizations and local public relations companies, leading to preparing reports and promoting them in the community.
Among the grant recipients are the Black Equity Center, a DC-based LGBTQ organization, which hosts Black Pride events, particularly in DC and elsewhere.
Other grant recipients working on the report include DC’s Rainbow History Project. This documented local LGBTQ events and developments considered historic. A DC-based Modern Military Association advocated on behalf of LGBTQ people serving in the US military. Octane Public Relations from a local company.
The law approved by the council calls for the production of Black LGBTQ+ history reports, which state that five specific components must be included.
• “The history of the Black Pride Movement in the district and the prominent people, places and events that contribute to the rich history of national and global queer cultures.”
• “Analyzing the unique history of black trans people in the district and the contributions they have contributed to culture, activities, education and other important areas.”
• “The historical background of the AIDS crisis, the impact on the district’s black LGBTQIA+ community, and how policy choices will affect communities up until the current 6am.”
• “Recommended curriculum for teaching Black LGBTQIA+ history in public schools along the Columbia district or district.”
• “Recommendations on how to promote reports to the public.”
The law also states that the LGBTQ Issues Bureau and the Black LGBTQIA+ Historical Committee “will submit final reports to the Mayor, Council, the Columbia District Archives and the People’s Archives of the DC Public Library by May 1, 2025.”
Kenya Hutton, president and CEO of Black Equity Centre, told the Washington Blade that the deadlines have not been met in most cases as most people involved in the project had to spend a lot of time on World Pride 2025, which occurred in Aeon DC between May and early June this year. Hutton said organizers expected the report to be completed by September this year.
“We just came to Pride season after everything was approved and we started our first meeting, the meeting,” Hutton said. “So we just put things on hold until we got through the insanity of pride,” he said.
According to Hutton, other organizations and individuals working on the Black Equity Center and the projects are working to complete the report immediately and fully assess its importance.
“Washington, DC has always been the heartbeat of black LGBTQ+ culture, resilience and leadership, but our stories are too often overlooked, undocumented or erased,” he told Blade.
“The Black LGBTQ+ Historical Preservation Project is about justice, not just history,” he said. “It’s about ensuring that our heritage is respected, our influence is seen and our community is remembered with the dignity they deserve.”
He added: “As the president and CEO of Black Equity Centre, I am proud to be part of this transformative effort to maintain who we are, not just for today but for generations.”
Sloane Betz, social media specialist at Octane Public Relations, said her company is working on creating a website for the project, allowing the community to respond to the investigation and provide information about what will be included in the final report.
“It’s a place that serves as a hub resting place for everything in black LGBTQ history,” she said. “That’s why I’m very excited about the work we’re doing.”
The six LGBTQIA+ Historical Committee members are:
Ernest Hopkins, longtime LGBTQ rights advocate and lead organizer of DC’s first Black Pride celebration
•Rayceen Pendarvis, organizer of Team Rayceen DC Entertainment and Advocacy Online Broadcast.
• Valerie Papayaman, organizer of Sapphire Sapphos, one of DC’s first black lesbian socio-political groups.
•AJ King, Director of Intercultural Affairs, LGBTQ+ Resource Center, Howard University.
•Pastor Brandon Miles Block, expert on diversity, inclusion and multicultural issues at the District of Columbia university.
•Aaron Myers, Executive Director of the DC Committee on Arts and Humanities.
Source: Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News – www.washingtonblade.com
