Kalamazoo’s first Black Pride celebrates visibility, history, and queer Black joy

On Saturday, August 29, Kalamazoo’s first-ever Black Pride Festival will take place downtown at Bates Alley. The organizers say this celebration is meant to spotlight and uplift queer Black culture and history, and to provide a space for queer Black folks to revel in the wonderful beauty of their existence.

Black Pride is co-organized by OutFront Kalamazoo and the Institute of Public Scholarship. This one-day block party will feature local and regional queer Black entertainers, as well as local vendors and businesses. Michael Cleggs-Arnott from OutFront and Dr. Michelle Johnson from The Institute discuss with Second Wave how this event has been a long time coming, and why it is the right time. 

For Johnson, co-founder and executive director of the Institute, the idea started over a decade ago. “The right time was 10 years ago, right? The right time has been… whenever (Kalamazoo) Pride started. For us to be able to have space that’s distinctive and celebratory of the unique experiences of being Black and queer and lesbian and gay and bisexual and transgender,” Johnson says. 

For Cleggs-Arnott, OutFront Kalamazoo’s deputy director, the idea began within OutFront’s Black Queer and Trans Alliance. Members of this group discussed ways to highlight the talents and work of queer Black people in Kalamazoo and ensure that the broader community took notice.

“Originally, before we started to partner with the Institute of Public Scholarship, members of Out Front’s Black Queer and Trans Alliance committee were interested in just highlighting and showcasing queer Black folks… our talents and our crafts… so folks know who we are, know that we’re here, know that we’re important,” Cleggs-Arnott says.

That is the main distinction: important. Both organizers emphasized that Black Pride is not intended to compete with or replace Kalamazoo Pride. Rather, they see it as an opportunity to focus on people and experiences that can become less visible within a large, citywide Pride. When asked why a Black Pride is important, Cleggs-Arnott says, “Purely just representation and visibility. At a lot of events around the community, a lot of Black queer folks don’t see themselves represented.”

“Mainly, I want our people (Black queers) to be able to build community… when you look at the community overall, there’s not a lot of space for (Black queer) people to build community throughout the year consistently… to know that you’re not forgotten,” he says. 

Cleggs-Arnott says that consistency and the ability to exist safely in a space is what helps someone feel not only accepted, but represented and important. For Dr. Johnson, representation is deeply connected to joy.

“I understand that joy is insistence that can also function as resistance,” says Johnson. “That it is a source of power and empowerment and connectivity and generative feelings… and so I find joy as a political action.”

Johnson says one benefit of attending a Pride festival is that it shows people who may just be emerging into their queer identity the real joy and support possible, and that being queer is not something to hide. The joy is recognized as a source of power. 

When asked the intention behind listing Black transgender individuals specifically in the press release, and its importance, the event’s organizers note the historic role Black trans activists have played in LGBTQIA+ liberation. While mainstream Pride celebrations may often erase the vital role Black transgender activists played and continue to play in the rights of queer people as a whole, both organizers spoke to the importance of not separating Pride from this history.

“We know that trans folks are under significant attack,” Johnson says. “And to be able to create spaces around safety, around belonging, around valued contribution are just critical, right?”

Kalamazoo’s first Black Pride was also not without its share of pushback. When searching for an outdoor venue large enough to host an event like Black Pride, organizers landed on Bates Alley. Typically, the city requires businesses along the alley to sign off on an event before it can take place. While most were supportive of signing, some expressed resistance.

Organizers pivoted. Dr. Johnson brought concerns about anti-Black racism in the reservation process directly to the city. She specifically credited Kalamazoo Parks and Recreation Director Patrick McVerry with helping rectify the situation and recognizing the resistance organizers were encountering as discrimination.

Ultimately, the city allowed Black Pride to move forward with its plans for Bates Alley without requiring signatures from every adjoining business.

Cleggs-Arnott says funding and capacity have historically been significant barriers to creating a Black Pride in Kalamazoo. He also described difficulty reaching parts of the Black community, particularly some religious institutions.

“Honestly, it has been, as it has always been, unfortunately… a struggle with the Black community to be willing to listen and to learn about LGBTQ folks locally,” he says. “I really hope it’s (Black Pride) a catalyst for not just Black queer folks, but the Black community at large to realize that… we’re here, and we need not just the support, but we need your love.”

When asked where the organizers wish to see Black Pride in five or so years, both organizers were hopeful and thoughtful. Cleggs-Arnott believes the event can eventually grow into a larger festival weekend, with more small-scale events across Kalamazoo that lead up to a music festival celebrating Black queer artists. Johnson has a similar vision, imagining a future Black Pride centered in nature and designed as an immersive weekend-long festival.

“My dream is for us to be out in a natural world with a festival kind of vibe over the weekend; that’s my dream. And I think Michael and I are pretty aligned on that idea,” Johnson says. “So… I want us as Black queer people to reap the benefits of the natural world that we know are there.”

The Aug. 29 event includes multiple performers and vendors from Kalamazoo and beyond. Most Bates Alley businesses will participate with food, drinks and specials, followed by an after-party at the Institute of Public Scholarship featuring an open mic and silent disco, a dance party where people listen to music through headphones rather than loudspeakers. Admission is $8, with “pay what you can” and “pay it forward” options. Organizers say no one will be turned away from Black Pride for not having the money to enter.

For those who are not BIPOC, what is the best way to support Black Pride? After speaking with Cleggs-Arnott and Johnson, it is clear that all are welcome, not just Black folks. When asked the above question, both organizers focused on volunteerism and the option to pay it forward when it comes to tickets. Black Pride still needs volunteers, and would be overjoyed to have a pot of free tickets that have been paid for at the front gate. 

Both organizers want the experience people have at Black Pride to deepen their sense of belonging and joy. They want people to feel uplifted but also educated on queer Black history, and to carry that feeling with them long after the event ends. 

“And so I want all. I want that whole range, and then it cycles back, right? Back to the anticipation, back to the presence,” Johnson says. “And so I want that…for all Black people and Brown people. I want that for queer people, and I especially want it for the people who are functioning at the intersection of Black queerness.”

The first Black Pride is more than just another event in the saturated arts and culture calendar of Kalamazoo. It is an attempt to make a particular community more visible and to honor the history that brought it here. Black Pride is an active resistance of people feeling like they are not supposed to belong, organizers say. Black Pride, they say, is about celebrating the act of loving and valuing Black queer people.