2006: UK Black Pride celebrated for the first time
The brainchild of trade unionist, Phyll Opoku Gyimah, aka Lady Phyll, UK Black Pride addressed a lack of space for queer people of colour, and today welcomes around 8,000 people to celebrate black LGBT experiences.
The first UK Black Pride took place as a small gathering in Southend-on-Sea. And from humble acorns do mighty oaks grow – the celebration is now Europe’s largest celebration for African, Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American and Caribbean heritage LGBTQ people. UK Black Pride has become so popular it’s outgrown it’s regular spot at Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens and this year’s celebration takes place in Haggerston Park in east London.
While the focus is the summer event, UK Black Pride hosts a variety of events and activities throughout the year in and around the UK. These are aimed at promoting and advocating the spiritual, emotional and intellectual health and wellbeing of the communities it represents.
Lady Phyll said: "Until we all have the same rights, until we all do not face any form of injustice, until we all have proper access to housing, to health, to school, to education, then they'll always be a need for Black Pride."
Stonewall research shows that over half of BAME LGBT people (51 per cent) have faced discrimination from within the LGBT community.
Earlier this year, UK Black Pride and Stonewall announced they would be working in partnership to empower Britain’s black, Asian and minority ethnic LGBT communities.