In honor of Transgender Day of Remembrance, we look back at when Omari Salisbury chronicled the pivotal Taking B(l)ack Pride event at Jimi Hendrix Park in Seattle's Central District in 2021. The festival, which centered on the city's Black Trans and Queer community, sparked national attention and unfortunately resulted in threats against organizers and attendees. Salisbury spent over ten hours at the festival, using his trusty iPhone to document the day and capture the unfolding story of Seattle’s Black Trans community.

Salisbury was motivated to be present to serve as a witness and to provide the Black Trans community an opportunity to share their experiences in their own words. Salisbury noted that this community is often overshadowed, misrepresented, and subject to bullying by certain media outlets and special interest groups. His commitment was to ensure that a community frequently denied a voice could tell their side of the story without external filters.

Through his reporting, Salisbury gained a deeper understanding of the violence, prejudice, and discrimination that Trans people, particularly Black Trans individuals, endure even in the Emerald City. He connected this experience to his late brother, Hiram, who came out gay in the 80s and struggled for acceptance in the Central District and on Capitol Hill before his death in 2005. From Salisbury’s perspective, the spirit of self-upliftment and visibility at Taking B(l)ack Pride, a festival in the very neighborhood that once rejected his brother, would have made Hiram proud.

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