Cincinnati Black Pride is on for 2020.
But the event, scheduled for June 25-28, will now be held virtually due to restrictions around COVID-19.
“It just wasn’t an option to do away with CBP,” says Tim’m T. West, co-founder and Board Chair of Cincinnati Black Pride.
West says the festival has picked up so much momentum in such a short time, having only been introduced in Cincinnati in 2018.
“We have built a community in which we can talk about Black LGBT life in Cincinnati,” he says.
Instead of being a negative, West says that the virtual nature of this year’s Pride allows for greater participation than in previous years, noting that Cincinnatians who are currently in other states and even other countries will now be able to participate.
And members of the LGTBQ+ community who are not yet out of the closet may also feel more comfortable joining virtual events, so West says they plan to maintain a digital aspect for future Cincinnati Black Pride events as well.
This year’s Cincinnati Black Pride includes five main events spread over four days:
- 7:30 p.m.-midnight Thursday, June 25: 3rd annual Black Alphabet Film Festival
- 7:30-10 p.m. Friday, June 26: Vizazi Torch Awards
- 8-10 p.m. Saturday, June 27: The Front Porch, followed by Rock Hard Party & DJ Collaborative
- TBD Sunday, June 28: Interfaith Services
The Black Alphabet Film Festival was founded in Chicago in 2013, with Cincinnati being the second city to embrace and present the festival. West says that the festival is a platform to “express diversity within the community.” This year’s showings include King Ester (directed by Dui Jarrod), the story of “a trans woman struggling to find her path in New Orleans during the week before Hurricane Katrina,” according to the film description; Rafiki (directed by Wanuri Kahiu), about two girls who fall in love in a Nairobi housing estate; and Wolf (directed by Ya’Ke Smith), about a family who finds out their son has been molested, and a son who veers toward collapse because of his love for his abuser.
On Friday, the Vizazi Torch Awards (Vizazi is a Swahili word that means “generations”) will honor 12 Cincinnatians “committed to advancing and improving the quality of life for Black Queer and Trans folks.” Nominees are recognized in three categories based on age group: Spark (29 and below), “Every fire begins with a spark;” Ember (30-49) “Embers keep the fire alive;” Fire (50+) “The light of flames guide the way.”
This year Cincinnati Black Pride will introduce the Kiburi Award (Kiburi meaning “pride”), honoring Cincinnatians who have left the city but “continue to make Cincinnati proud with their contributions to the LGBTQ+ community and beyond.” The awards will be followed by a virtual after-party.
Saturday’s Front Porch is designed to showcase multiple genres of performance art, focusing on Spoken Word, acoustic Soul and Hip Hop music. This year’s Front Porch will feature performances by DJ Rah D, Nhojj, Ashley Phillips, Ken J. Martin and Tim’m T. West himself. This is meant to be an inclusive event, inviting “people who appreciate creative expression for all kinds of people, by all kinds of people.”
The Front Porch will be followed by Rock Hard Party & DJ Collaborative, a virtual party experience with the announcement of DJs and schedule TBA.
The weekend will come to a close with virtual Interfaith Services lead by Rev Derek Terry of St. Peters UCC; Pastors Lesley Jones and Noni Gordon of Truth & Destiny; and Pastor Terry Hocker of Bound By Truth and Love Ministries.
West says the importance of Black Pride is even more elevated in the current political and social climate amid the surge in support for the Black Lives Matter movement, saying that oftentimes Black LGBTQ+ folks aren’t acknowledged in the fight for Black lives, making them “doubly marginalized.”
This topic was discussed in a pre-Pride forum called “Do All Black Lives Matter?,” which can be viewed on the Cincinnati Black Pride website.
For more information about this year’s Cincinnati Black Pride and the Black LGBT community, visit cincinnatiblackpride.com.
This article appears in May 6 – Jun 14, 2020.
