Arts & Entertainment
A low-key Black Pride
Organizers plan a more substantive event this weekend
ButtaFlySoul and Rayceen Pendarvis at last year's Black Pride event in Washington. (Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Editor’s note: the full Black Pride schedule is here.
When D.C. Black Pride, the five-day celebration of the metropolitan area’s black LGBT community, unfolds this week, it will be with notably less fanfare than in years past.
Vendors won’t be as prevalent. Crowds are expected to be smaller and more local. Panel discussions on issues affecting the community will number fewer.
It’s a change to D.C. Black Pride as many know it — and organizers say it’s a good thing.
“It’s not bad – the fact is that Black Prides, including D.C., have to reflect on what it is we can do to make a difference in the lives of people in our community,” says long-time event organizer Earl Fowlkes, a 14-year veteran of Black Lesbian and Gay Pride Day Inc., the 501(c)(3) that oversees the event. “We’re doing much more advocacy and much more community service.”
After a generation hosting one of the nation’s premier Memorial Day events for black gays and lesbians, the organization is shifting attention toward a slate of year-round workshops it says better serve an audience with changing priorities.
It means lower-key Pride celebrations with fewer offerings. But organizers say the tradeoff is attention to practical issues that matter to black gays and lesbians more than all-night parties and rainbow flags.
“It’s really about being relevant and being around for the next 20 years,” Fowlkes says.
Make no mistake — the event running from Thursday through Monday will feature many long-time staples: The writer’s forum, film festival and a poetry slam with a $250 grand prize are among the audience favorites that haven’t gone anywhere.
But changes also are apparent: A long-running vendor marketplace, for instance, has disappeared. Panel discussions on topics like depression in gay black men, meanwhile, will number fewer than in recent years.
Part of the reason is economic.
“We have scaled down some of our expenses so we can really focus on being a year-round organization,” Fowlkes says, adding the group also has been impacted as nonprofit donations have slowed.
In 2011, the organization plans community outreach surrounding domestic violence and LGBT foster parenting. Providing career-building help, targeting youth and transgender men and women especially, is another goal.
It’s a return to basics for the event, founded in 1991 to help raise money for HIV/AIDS organizations as well as provide a Memorial Day meeting ground for area gays and lesbians of color. The event has since grown to attract up to 30,000 attendees, Fowlkes says. This year, like last year, is expected to bring in about 15,000 as some would-be attendees head to fledgling Black Pride events around the country.
“In many ways, [D.C.] Black Pride is a victim of our own success,” says Fowlkes, who heads the International Federation of Black Prides, a growing umbrella group representing 35 black prides from Toronto to San Diego. “People see that it’s not difficult to do [an event] and people who are entrepreneurs have taken advantage.”
At the same time, the audience is changing, he says.
“Some people were coming to the Pride in the early years when they were 23,” he says. “Now they’re in their 40s and now coming to our form of celebration is not as refreshing and new as it was.”
Jack Hairston understands that sentiment. An attendee since the early ’90s, at 49, he said he’s lost interest in the party aspects of Pride. He says organizers are on the right track by shifting gears, but also need to ramp up efforts to reach the next generation of black gays and lesbians.
“They think it’s all about parties and D.C. is not giving the best parties anymore – so why even come?” he says. “[Leaders] need to recruit the right people across the age groups to keep it relevant.”
Fowlkes says crossing generational boundaries is a high priority for the group. This year, for instance, he says the board included two young adults who later bowed out due to scheduling conflicts. Also, among the panel discussions planned for this weekend is one titled, “Does the Black LGBT Community Really Care About Black Youth?”
But the fledgling efforts ring hollow for B. “Breeze” Bennett, a 25-year-old area party promoter and community personality. She could think of only one person under age 35 who is directly involved with the group and saw little outreach on the many e-mail lists she belongs to.
“It seems like they’re definitely interested in spirit,” she says of the Black Pride board’s efforts to recruit young leaders. “I would just like to see more action behind those sentiments and more resourceful outreach – just a bit more gumption.”
Out & About
Plan your wedding the LGBTQ way
Washington D.C. LGBTQ+ Wedding Expo scheduled for Sunday
Rainbow Wedding Network will host “Washington D.C. LGBTQ+ Wedding Expo” on Sunday, March 1 at 12:30 p.m.
Guests can meet and mingle with a curated selection of LGBTQ-welcoming wedding professionals from across the region, each ready to help bring your vision to life, and spend a beautiful afternoon exploring everything they need to create a celebration that reflects them.
There will be a relaxed, self-guided look at the Watergate’s spaces and amenities, savor signature cocktails and delicious tasting samples, and connect with other couples who are on the same journey.
Visit Eventbrite to reserve a spot.
Friday, February 27
Center Aging Monthly Luncheon With Yoga and Drag Bingo will be at 12 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. Email Mac at [email protected] if you require ASL interpreter assistance, have any dietary restrictions, or questions about this event.
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Happy Hour Meetup” at 7 p.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar and Restaurant. This is a chance to relax, make new friends, and enjoy happy hour specials at this classic retro venue. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Trans Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This group is intended to provide an emotionally and physically safe space for trans people and those who may be questioning their gender identity/expression to join together in community and learn from one another. For more details, email [email protected].
Saturday, February 28
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ+ community, including allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
The DC Center for the LGBT Community will host “Sunday Supper on Saturday” at 2 p.m. It’s more than just an event; it’s an opportunity to step away from the busyness of life and invest in something meaningful, and enjoy delicious food, genuine laughter, and conversations that spark connection and inspiration. For more details, visit the Center’s website.
Black Lesbian Support Group will be at 1 p.m. on Zoom. This is a peer-led support group devoted to the joys and challenges of being a Black lesbian. You do not need to be a member of the Beta Kappa Chapter or the Beta Phi Omega Sorority in order to join, but they do ask that you either identify as a lesbian or are questioning that aspect of your identity.Send an email to [email protected] to receive the zoom link.
Sunday, March 1
LGBTQ+ Community Coffee and Conversation will be at 12 p.m. at As You Are. This event is for people looking to make more friends and meaningful connections in the LGBTQ community. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Monday, March 2
“Center Aging: Monday Coffee Klatch” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more information, contact Adam ([email protected]).
Tuesday, March 3
Universal Pride Meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This group seeks to support, educate, empower, and create change for people with disabilities. For more details, email [email protected].
Wednesday, March 4
Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom upon request. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit www.thedccenter.org/careers.
Center Aging Women’s Social and Discussion Group will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom. This group is a place where older LGBTQ+ women can meet and socialize with one another. There will be discussion, activities, and a chance for guests to share what they want future events to include. For more information, email [email protected].
Thursday, March 5
The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5 p.m. if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245.
Virtual Yoga Class will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This free weekly class is a combination of yoga, breathwork and meditation that allows LGBTQ+ community members to continue their healing journey with somatic and mindfulness practices. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.
a&e features
Transmission DC breathes new life into a storied sound space
A fresh home for boundary-pushing culture on H Street
Late last year, phoenix-style, a fresh home for boundary-pushing culture arose on the H Street corridor. Transmission DC – a queer, trans, and POC-owned, operated, and centered community-focused venue – powered on in the former home to the Rock & Roll Hotel (famously, not a hotel, but very much rock & roll). Transmission (1353 H St., N.E.) arrives secure in its mandate – or even birthright – to provide a place to celebrate creativity and music through a lens of inclusivity and respect.
Transmission’s team brings experience, but also representation. Owners/partners Kabir Khanna (who is also programming director), Katii B, Ellie McDyre, and Kelli Kerrigan together previously managed 618 productions, a venue in Chinatown, crafting “some of D.C.’s freakiest parties, raves, and mosh pits” they note.
They packed up operations last fall to a space curated specifically for D.C.’s underground music and culture scene, building their efforts in Chinatown to bring in more fans in queer and POC circles.
Transmission, Khanna points out, is built on DIY values. In the music scene, DIY means that promoters and organizers – often disconnected from the mainstream and part of marginalized communities – build shows and programs collaboratively, but independently from institutions, supporting each other as smaller, independent venues close. Here, Transmission aims to ensure that those putting together these underground inclusive shows have a more permanent and stable home, can have access to resources, and can provide more sustainable income to artists. “We’re trying to get more people to support and enjoy the music, and also give artists and organizers within the DIY community more structure and a larger cut,” says Khanna.
Khanna also notes that Transmission operates “under the principles of safety, inclusivity, and respect.” McDyre added that even at venues that claim inclusivity, that statement might not take place in practice. We’re “not just pitting up a rainbow flag,” says McDyre, but as some of the owners are trans and POC, audiences can see themselves reflected at the top.
Much like the DIY nature of the music community, the Transmission owners brought a DIY ethos to turning around their space.
In March 2020 – the height of COVID lockdowns – Rock & Roll Hotel suddenly shuttered, though not due to the pandemic; instead, the venue claimed that decreasing sales and increasing competition led to the closure. For 14 years, it was the central spot for cheap beer and lesser-known and celebrated acts. The space stood vacant for more than five years, until Transmission turned the power back on.
“When we got into the space, it was effectively abandoned for years,” says Khanna. “There was a ton of mold, and paint primer covering all surfaces. It was nearly falling apart.” Khanna noted that many music venues like this one, regardless of how well it was maintained, “get the shit kicked out of it,” given the nature of shows. The team called in mold removal contractors, ripped up most of the floorboards, and started fresh.
Transmission’s first floor is styled as a stripped-down black box: the better to take in the music. “It’s minimal on purpose to act as a canvas for set design and music,” without a specific aesthetic, says Khanna. Moving upstairs, the second floor has been opened up, removing some walls, and now has a larger dance area than the first floor. Beyond the first two performance levels, and a holdover from Rock & Roll Hotel, is the rooftop. Though without a stage, the rooftop space is filled with murals splashed across the walls, with a full bar. Transmission’s current capacity is 496, but the team is looking to grow that number. Transmission will also leverage the full kitchen that Rock & Roll Hotel operated, bringing in Third Hand Kitchen to offer a variety of food, including vegan and vegetarian options.
Khanna pointed out an upcoming show reflective of Transmission’s inclusive ethos: Black Techo Matters on Feb. 27. The event is set to be “a dynamic, collaborative night of underground electronic music celebrating Black History Month.” Khanna says that techno came from Black music origins, and this event will celebrate this genesis with a host of artists, including DJ Stingray 313, Carlos Souffront, and Femanyst.
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