When Global Black Pride, an organization that celebrates Black LGBTQ+ communities around the world, thought of cities to host its first U.S. celebration, Atlanta was at the top of the list.
Of course, there were other cities the group considered, but Atlanta was a no-brainer, said president and co-founder Micheal Ighodaro.
“The community in Atlanta has been the center of Black LGBTQIA history since the very beginning,” he said. “Black Pride in Atlanta is already big in the country, and we felt like it was important for folks around the world who don’t get to experience pride in their own countries to come here and experience what Atlanta offers.”
Partnering with Atlanta Black Pride Weekend and the City of Atlanta, Global Black Pride will host numerous events from Aug. 27-Sept 2. The organization formed in 2020 and hosted its first in-person festival in Toronto in 2022. Global Black Pride celebrations occur every two years.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
This year’s festivities include a combination of conferences, award ceremonies and concerts that will be held at The Starling hotel, Georgia World Congress Center and Piedmont Park. For Ighodaro, it’s all about creating a “global Black village.” He estimates as many as 200,000 attendees this year.
“It’s also about experiencing the unique space that’s for and created by Black people here. We’re holding space for advocacy to happen, for policy conversations to happen, for learning and networking to happen, and obviously the party element,“ Ighodaro said. “There’s an upcoming presidential election, and we want people from other countries to let people here know why it’s important what the U.S. does here and why it affects their lives and their countries.”
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
One of the main events is the Piedmont Park festival that will be headlined by popular Nigerian singer Yemi Alade. Ighodaro said this marks one of the first times that a major Afrobeat artist will headline a Pride event. Billy Porter and Omawumi will also perform at the festival.
“Some African artists are afraid of the homophobic laws and criminalization that happens in the continent. For someone like that to headline Pride, it’s so much bigger than Atlanta.”
Credit: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP
Credit: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP
Other events include the Influencer Awards Gala at The Starling and the Pure Heat Community Festival, where singer and television personality Tamar Braxton will receive the ultimate icon award. Ighodaro hopes the event will continue to expand as more people understand the essence of Black Pride.
“We’re trying to re-create what people think Black Pride is. We’re trying to create an experience that’s worth promoting. For me, (Black Pride) is not excluding. It’s (about) celebrating and accepting and openness. It means celebrating myself as a Black gay man, but also opening the space for others to be free in who they are.”
For those attending, Ighodaro promises that this year’s celebration will be “an experience of Black Pride that they’ve never seen before.”
HIGHLIGHTS OF 2024 ATLANTA BLACK PRIDE
- Global Black Village Exhibition Center and Main Stage: Will feature art exhibits, workshops, vendors and discussions around challenges that Black queer communities face. Aug. 27-30. Free entry. Georgia World Congress Center, 285 Andrew Young International Blvd NW, Atlanta. tinyurl.com/yc3n2ah6.
- Black Excellence Influencer’s Dinner: Serves as a fundraiser for Global Black Pride and will honor Rashad Burgess, Lisa Cunningham, Funky Dineva, Judge Pierce Hand Seitz, Derek Ford, Devin Barrington, Adrienne Gates, Congresswoman Barbara Lee and Earl D. Fowlkes Jr. 7 p.m. Aug. 30. $200-$1,500. The Starling, 188 14th St. NE, Atlanta. atlantablackprideldr.com/influencer-dinner.
- Global Black Pride x Atlanta Black Pride Weekend Festival: Featuring performances from Yemi Alade, Billy Porter and Omawumi. Noon-8 p.m. Aug. 31. Free entry. Piedmont Park, 400 Park Drive NE, Atlanta. globalblackpride.org/global-black-pride-festival-atlanta-2024.
- Pure Heat Community Festival: Featuring performances from Keke Palmer, Tamar Braxton, Niecy Nash-Betts, Jessica Betts and more. There will also be health markets and an LGBTQ youth festival. Noon-8 p.m. Sept. 1. Free entry. Piedmont Park, 400 Park Drive NE, Atlanta. pureheatcommunityfestival.com.
- For more events, visit globalblackpride.org or atlantaprideweekend.com.
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