2021 in Review: Taking B(l)ack Pride -Uplifting the Voice of Seattle’s Black Trans Community

By Omari Salisbury | @Omarisal

Looking back, I just remember it was so hot that day, well over 100 degrees, and with nothing more than my trusty iPhone and a whole lot of bottled water I crisscrossed Jimi Hendrix Park in the Central District for over 10 hours trying to figure out the story. Taking B(l)ack Pride had gone from a small event centered around Seattle’s Black Trans and Queer community to sparking national headlines and countless death threats against the organizers and attendees.

This was the first Trans centered event I had ever been to so I did not know what to expect but I knew that I needed to be present that day to bear witness and to give the Black Trans Community who were often being overshadowed, misrepresented, and even bullied at times by powerful media outlets and special interests, an opportunity to tell their side of the story in their own words.

What I came to realize was something that I already knew, that there is humanity in all of us regardless of our orientation, what we identify as, and who we love.  That far too often Trans people and especially Black Trans are the victims of violence, prejudice, and discrimination, yep even right here in the Emerald City. You have to see someone as a human before you can see their humanity. Seattle’s Black Trans community is often seen less than.

My oldest brother Hiram, rest in peace, was gay and came out in the 80’s he lived a life wherein his humanity was oftentimes disregarded. He was not accepted in the Central District because he was gay, he was not accepted on Capitol Hill because he was Black. My brother searched for a sense of belonging until he left us in 2005 when he fell victim to HIV/AIDS. I know what it looks like firsthand when we as a city fail to have a heart for those that are different from us.

What I witnessed that day at Taking B(l)ack Pride would have made Hiram proud. A community all the way out and about uplifting themselves, a festival in the very same Central District where decades ago he was not accepted, and his little brother, taking it all in, bearing witness, giving voice, with my trusty iPhone of course. 

#CameraPhoneCollective #WWConverge #BlackTransMatter #ForHiram

——————————————-

Original Post - June 27, 2021
#TakingBlackPride - Recap from the Taking Black Pride event yesterday at Jimi Hendrix Park in the #CentralDistrict of Seattle. The day-long event was a coming together of Seattle's Black Trans community and the larger Black LBGTQ community as a whole to create a safe space for the Black Trans community to celebrate, uplift, and honor their community. The day consisted of performances by several recording artists both national and local as well as performers. The evening was capped off with the HOEVID Ball. The day was centered on Black Trans and there were several healing tents and curated resources as well as plenty of food. Despite a large number of threats targeted towards the organizers and attendees prior to the event due to the organizers requesting all non-BIPOC people who voluntarily choose to attend to pay a reparations fee. @twocsolidaritynetwork @queertheland #WWConverge #BlackTransLivesMatter #BlackInSeattle #BlackGaySeattle #QueerSeattle #TransSeattle #BlackLivesMatter #BlackMediaMatters #UpliftingOurVoices #ForHiram