Seven Black LGBTQ leaders in honor of Juneteenth and Pride month

Good morning!

This is Kemone Hendricks of Evanston Present and Future with your daily Evanston Juneteenth update!

My efforts with Juneteenth include educating the community on its importance, significance, and the many sectors of the Black community it crosses to create a sense of unity. So, in honor of Pride month and Juneteenth, I’m sharing an article from CNN that highlights an importance that is not often thought about when you hear the word Juneteenth.

"African Americans have long celebrated the legacies of leaders like Rosa Parks, Malcolm X and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., all formidable forces for change within the black community and beyond. But as Americans celebrate Juneteenth -- the unofficial June 19 holiday marking the abolition of slavery in the US -- it's important to remember that these figures don't represent the whole of black activism.

For decades now there has been another battle for civil rights happening in the black community, one that history has largely overlooked: the struggle for equality and respect by LGBTQ black Americans. For me, Juneteenth is significant in that it highlights what was done centuries ago. But it should only be an initiating catalyst for the work that should continue because people are still not free.

'Pride month, to be clear, is an extension of Black History Month,' says David J. Johns, Director of the National Black Justice Coalition. He cited the efforts of a transgender Black activist who helped spark the Stonewall uprising in New York City 50 years ago -- one member in a long legacy of young queer people who fought for the rights of others."

Read the rest of the article here.

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