CHARLOTTE, N.C. — For Jermaine Nakia Lee it’s been 18 years.
He co-founded Charlotte Black Pride, the weeklong events-filled festival, aimed at celebrating this community’s culture.
The first festival took place at the former cultural center, that’s now Little Rock AME. Like many, Nakia Lee is a transplant, moving to the Queen City area from Miami.
But there was something he noticed just after making Charlotte his new home.
It was clear that African American LGBT community was primed and ready to support this organization, community support," Lee said. "Once you have that, then you start reaching out to your allies to your other community partners, to the business sector."
That’s just the beginning of the work required to pull off events like this one.
Last year’s theme was ‘empowerment’. This year it’s Renaissance.
Nakia Lee said it's to honor the cultural awakening led by Black LGBTQ people.
"Until we're all free, none of us are free," Lee said. "And in the LGBTQ spectrum, Black trans women are on the bottom."
It’s why he adds Black Pride continues to work behind the scenes.
black pride partners with organizations that do work with black trans women, organizations like transcend sharp transcend Charlotte, and organizations like State of Emergency," Lee said. "And we do work to support them financially through coalition work through rallying together through coalescing our elected officials and letting them know about this crisis.
Work that will continue until Black Pride rolls around again, next year.
Contact Kia Murray at kmurray@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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