Cleveland’s first annual Black Gay Pride Weekend was organized by Cleveland Black Pride Inc. in 1997. The first Black Gay Pride Weekend, held on August 15-17, 1997. Following ongoing exclusion and erasure of Black LGBTQ+ and Same-Gender Loving communities from mainstream Pride events, the Black Gay Pride weekend was created to cater to, highlight, and celebrate Cleveland’s vibrant Black LGBTQ+ and same-gender loving communities and cultures. The event featured three days of social events, workshops, and entertainment geared toward Cleveland’s Black LGBTQ+ and Same-Gender Loving communities. The weekend celebration culminated in a picnic at Edgewater Park. Black Gay Pride Weekends were held annually after 1997. After 2004, the Black Gay Pride celebration merged with the annual Black Unity Celebration (later renamed the Black, Gay, and Proud Celebration). The event has since continued annually as Cleveland Black Pride.
Additional information coming soon.
Resources
- “Black Pride Moves Toward Tax-Exempt Status.” Gay People’s Chronicle. Pride Guide 1998. Page B-29.
- Cudnik, Doreen. “Two Events Will Celebrate Black Gay-Lesbian Culture.” Gay People’s Chronicle. Pride Guide 1997. Page A-11.
- Cudnik, Doreen. “Black Pride is Set for August.” Gay People’s Chronicle. June 20, 1997. Pages 1, 12.
- Cudnik, Doreen. “Cleveland Joins 4 Other Cities with its First Black Pride Fest.” Gay People’s Chronicle. August 29, 1997. Pages 1, 7.
- Negron, Sidney. “Black Gay Pride.” Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. June 17, 2022.
- Roberts, Lena. “Full Weekend of Events Set for Black Pride in August.” Gay People’s Chronicle. Pride Guide 2010. Page 10.
- Schneck, Ken. LGBTQ Cleveland. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2018. Page 63.