Philly Black Pride returns this week for its 26th year

By Sunny Morgan, KYW Newsradio

Philadelphia (KYW Newsradio) — Philly’s LGBTQ community is gearing up to celebrate Philly Black Pride — an annual four-day event that celebrates queer people of color and their contribution to the community.

The event, which is in its 26th year, kicks off Thursday, April 24, and runs through Sunday, April 27. This year’s theme is “Love is Love.”

There will be a game night and queer musician showcase on Thursday; a youth pride party and flag raising ceremony Friday; a wellness retreat Saturday; and an empowerment summit Sunday.

Organizers say they want to continue being a space where queer people of color feel solidarity, love and joy amid the current political climate.

“I know, like, right now, a lot of prides are being underfunded or we're losing funding because of, you know, the rollbacks of DEI. So ... we're providing a space for Black queer people to come together to fellowship cause, again, it's really necessary in this climate that we're in," said Jacen Bowman, vice president of Philly Black Pride.

The event was started in August 1999 by the late Michael Hinson, a longtime advocate for Black LGBTQ issues in Philly who served in former Mayor John Street’s administration as the liaison for the queer community.

Historically, Black Pride happens on the same weekend as the Penn Relays to welcome queer athletes of color who were able to privately enjoy Pride events, according to Bowman.

“The City of Philadelphia does not really have a lot of spaces that are safe and inclusive to Black and brown queer people,” Bowman said. “We lost the only two Black and brown queer bars in the Gayborhood, Level Up and Cockatoo. So just to know that this celebration is still finding different ways to collaborate with other, you know, event spaces to create those moments of joy and celebration is an exciting thing.”

For more information, visit phillyblackpride.org.