2022 Black Pride Leadership Summit Reflection

The 2022 Black Pride Leadership Summit was my first. It was an experience that I will not soon forget. I had the opportunity to meet black queer pride leaders from all over the United States. I even had an opportunity to gain some wisdom from a black pride leader from the United Kingdom. There was a mix-up when booking my hotel which caused me to have to walk between my hotel and where the summit was taking place. This minor inconvenience allowed me to see D.C. in a way that I would have probably missed if I didn’t have a reason to leave to hotel. The summit itself was filled with valuable information for anyone trying to build a nonprofit organization with queer people of color as the target population they are trying to serve. There was information for organizations that have been in the game for a while but had aspirations of expanding their reach and power in their respective communities. The different pieces of training from the sponsors were filled with very good information, but it was information that I was already familiar with.

The networking events were well planned and highly enjoyable. I was able to dance, eat, commune, and just be a human being with people whose life experiences and career paths were similar to my own. The Center for Black Equity hosted an amazing concert in the hours following the end of the seminars. The vendors that were present were a nice mix of corporate partners and local black queer businesses. If we aren’t using a space like that to provide an opportunity for our own people, we are failing our people. I made a few friends, and I plan on making trips to some of their pride events either this year or next.

I would like to thank Curtis Lipscomb for sponsoring me for this trip. I would like to thank the Center for Black Equity for welcoming me and being an amazing host. I would like to thank my partner for joining me and pushing me to step out of my comfort zone. There were definitely stressful events that took place, but this trip was an enriching experience that I will never forget.

Joshua Grant, Former Pride Decides Program Assistant