This past weekend, Oakland held its first ever BlackOUT, a LGBTQ Black Pride festival. This historical event was marked by fundraisers, workshops and a well-attended festival at Oakland’s Lake Merritt Park. It proved to be a success and I am sure the coordinators were pleased with and will cherish it for many more events to come.

However, one prevailing question circulating was why was now a good time to incorporate this event into the fabric of the Pride festivities that takes hold of the nation beginning in June through October?

Michelle Mitchell, director of BlackOUT offered the following:

“We were aware that Oakland is planning a “general” gay pride event, however, most major cities have both a “black pride” and a general pride. Within the African American queer community, it is often felt that our voices are lost in the general Pride events and so it was our desire to establish a black Pride for Oakland due to its large number of queers of color and to provide an alternative to traditional Pride events by incorporating workshops, which we hope will facilitate dialogue. A black Pride addresses our unique cultural agenda – we are not having a black pride to “exclude” anyone and everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend – we want the voice of the queer community of color to simply have a place to be heard.” 

The workshops, held Saturday, July 31, were attended by a cross section of participants, ranging in age from 16 to 60; residents from both Oakland and San Francisco; across all socio-economic levels, professions gender expressions and race. As the organizers have stated, BlackOUT was not an “exclusive” event. Quite the contrary; it was a celebration of the queer community of color in exercising their voices, within their community.

CC, a 16-year-old African American female from San Francisco said she came to the workshops in support of her lesbian friend, Pipi, 35, a white female from Oakland. Pipi said she learned something new via the workshop on identity in regards to the terms “stud” and “aggressive femme,” which gave her food for thought.

Even the local residents of West Oakland joined in to enjoy the food and music, while our youth played a game of tag football.

The actual festival took place on a sunny Sunday afternoon, with a moderate crowd, arriving in true, relaxed Oakland style, but allowed for a more wholesome, one-on-one interaction as old friends got caught up on news and new friends were made. Most vendors were local, but one came from as far as Las Vegas, to show her support for this first time event. Event goers sat on the grass, ate BBQ, purchased wares and watched as many of our youth performed along-side many old time greats. It was a peaceful and warming event as hugs were exchanged with promises of “we must do this again next year" as the event came to a close.

I would love to be a fly on the wall during the event debrief as successes are marked and the best practices are carried forward into the planning of next year’s event. I am sure that with each passing year, Oakland will be proud in remembering how it all began.

Photos courtesy of  Ja'Net Morris.