Black Pride celebration features fun, community building
A team of vendors grill burgers and hotdogs at the Pure Heat Community Festival in Piedmont Park on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. (Olivia Bowdoin for the AJC).
Thousands of Black LGBTQIA+ people and their allies came to Atlanta over the past week to celebrate, learn and share experiences, with events culminating in festivities at Piedmont Park over the weekend.
The Atlanta Black Pride Weekend has long attracted thousands of celebrants each year, capped by the Pure Heat Community Festival, which has been in operation since 2012. But this year’s weekend saw even more enthusiasm with the addition of Global Black Pride 2024, the first time that event has been held in the U.S.
While fun was high on the agenda, serious topics such as mental health in the Black gay community, public safety, transgender rights, HIV prevention and treatment were also part of the event.
An atendee wears a shirt that says "Mental Health Matters" at the Pure Heat Community Festival in Piedmont Park on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. (Olivia Bowdoin for the AJC).
Kendra Hill walks around at the Pure Heat Community Festival in Piedmont Park with her pet snake on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024.
Zoey Fierce poses for a picture before her dance performance at the Pure Heat Community Festival in Piedmont Park on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. (Olivia Bowdoin for the AJC).
Sisters, Royal Z (left), and Zoey Fierce (right) practice their dance performance together at the Pure Heat Community Festival in Piedmont Park on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. (Olivia Bowdoin for the AJC).
Zariah, also known as Royal Z, poses for a picture before her dance performance at the Pure Heat Community Festival in Piedmont Park on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. (Olivia Bowdoin for the AJC).
Michael Hills displays his colorful nail polish at the Pure Heat Community Festival in Piedmont Park on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. (Olivia Bowdoin for the AJC).(Olivia Bowdoin for the AJC).
A family shows up for the Pure Heat Community Festival in Piedmont Park on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. (Olivia Bowdoin for the AJC).
Staff members pose for a selfie at the Pure Heat Community Festival in Piedmont Park on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. (Olivia Bowdoin for the AJC).
A festival attendee makes a video at the Press Play booth at the Pure Heat Community Festival in Piedmont Park on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. (Olivia Bowdoin for the AJC).
Kim's Caribbean Kitchen sells food at the Pure Heat Community Festival in Piedmont Park on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. (Olivia Bowdoin for the AJC).
Rapper Wingz sells food at the Pure Heat Community Festival in Piedmont Park on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. (Olivia Bowdoin for the AJC).
DeAsia is a music and culture reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She focuses on the intersection of arts, culture and diverse communities, as well as how emerging social trends are being expressed through the lens of the Atlanta aesthetic. DeAsia's work can be seen in Pitchfork, Essence, Teen Vogue, Elle and more.
DeAsia is a music and culture reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She focuses on the intersection of arts, culture and diverse communities, as well as how emerging social trends are being expressed through the lens of the Atlanta aesthetic. DeAsia's work can be seen in Pitchfork, Essence, Teen Vogue, Elle and more.
