Pride is about so much more than just being your true self. It’s about coming together to raise each other up in a safe space. Pittsburgh Black Pride, one of the oldest Black Pride celebrations, has now been providing that opportunity for 30 years, making this year a particularly special one to celebrate.
Back in 1995, Flecia Harvey, along with other founding members, sought to create a safe and affirming environment in Southwestern PA for the Black LGBTQIA+ community. Decades of building up the organization through dances, musical concerts, health fairs, BBQs, parties, and happy hours have led to one of the biggest celebrations for Pittsburgh Black Pride yet.
Pittsburgh Black Pride is hosting a round-up of events aiming to highlight the achievements and progress made over time while also calling attention to the issues of today. Continuing with their usual Pride traditions, the month holds an opening reception, a ball for the ballroom kids, a family day at East Liberty Presbyterian Church, a community BBQ, and a closing party to end it all with a bang. On top of these traditional events, Pittsburgh Black Pride is implementing important resources into a senior luncheon tea party focused on wellness and a voter Q&A at Penn Hills Library with up-to-date political information.
“We’re celebrating and we’re being joyful,” says Harvey. “We’re informing and letting people know what’s happening and what to look for. It’s very important for us to do this because sometimes people don’t have the avenue to get information. So when we can combine celebrations with accessible resources, it makes it easier for people to enjoy themselves and get informed at the same time.”
Another new event for this year is a gospel concert led by Pastor Deryck Tines at the First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh. It’s meant to be a time for people to relax and let the enchanting selections by the community choir and local gospel artists take over. Beneath the surface, this concert can also be a very healing moment for members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
“I think that a gospel concert is warranted and needed where we can get in touch with our spiritual being” says Harvey. “I’m really hoping to get some folks to attend the gospel concert because some people in the community feel like they can’t be close to God. They feel like they’re living wrong and that God doesn’t want them. But God is a loving God. He opens up his arms to everyone, and everyone should know that they are loved.”
Feeling love is intertwined in everything that Pittsburgh Black Pride does. Tensions are rising since the Trump administration’s takeover, leaving everyone feeling distraught in various ways. But these parties and gatherings are a way to combat what’s happening and know you’re not alone. Harvey is even seeing the distress close to home, so she’s doing all she can this Pride season to comfort those facing the blowback.
“My one niece, she lives in New York, and she is really going through it mentally with everything that’s going on with the trans community,” tells Harvey. “If the majority of the trans community is going through this right now, then we need to wrap them in our arms, embrace them, and hold them up. I don’t want to lose them to suicide or to being beaten in the street. Hate is real and it’s alive. So, I just want to embrace them and let them know that we’re gonna be okay. You can be who you are here.”
For Pride celebrations to have an effect, it goes beyond what Pittsburgh Black Pride can do. It’s up to those in Pittsburgh to show up and step up. To keep non-profits like this one afloat, it’s essential to volunteer, sponsor, and attend the events they work to make happen. Without this support, Pittsburgh Black Pride would not be able to provide such important resources to the Black LGBTQIA+ community and beyond.
“I don’t want us to lose Pittsburgh Black Pride, I want it to build,” explains Harvey. “I hope we can be a stronger community and be there for each other because at the end of the day, we’re all we have. That’s why I started Pittsburgh Black Pride, because we didn’t have anything. I just hope to push Pittsburgh Black Pride to a point where we can always have a space by us for us.”
