[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 75 (Friday, May 27, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E989]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         RECOGNIZING THE 21ST ANNUAL DC BLACK PRIDE CELEBRATION

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 26, 2011

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of 
Representatives to join me in recognizing the 21st annual DC Black 
Pride celebration, to be held in Washington, DC on May 26-30, 2011.
  The DC Black Pride celebration is a multi-day festival featuring 
music, dance, films, a poetry slam, a church service, community town 
hall meetings, and a health and wellness expo, among other things. The 
DC Black Pride celebration is widely considered to be one of the 
world's preeminent Black Pride celebrations, drawing more than 30,000 
people to the Nation's capital from across the United States as well as 
from Canada, the Caribbean, South Africa, Great Britain, France, 
Germany, and the Netherlands.
  The DC Black Pride celebration has deep roots in the DC community, 
dating back to 1975. It grew out of the Club House's annual Memorial 
Day weekend celebration, called the Children's Hour. After the Club 
House closed in 1990, local individuals and groups kept the tradition 
alive by organizing the first DC Black Pride celebration on May 25, 
1991, at Banneker Field. The celebration has grown from a few hundred 
people to the thousands expected for the 2011 celebration.
  The DC Black Pride celebration fostered the beginning of the 
International Federation of Black Prides and the ``Black Pride 
Movement,'' which now consists of 40 Black Pride celebrations on three 
continents.
  Fittingly, the DC Black Pride celebration's organizing body, Black 
Lesbian and Gay Pride Day, Inc., a local affiliate of the International 
Federation of Black Prides, chose ``21 Years and Legal!'' as the theme 
for this year's celebration. The theme reflects the 21 years DC Black 
Pride has fulfilled its mission to increase awareness of and pride in 
the diversity of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender African-
American community, as well as support for organizations that focus on 
health disparities, education, youth and families.
  DC Black Pride is led by a volunteer Board of Directors, which 
coordinates this annual event and smaller events throughout the year. 
We are pleased to also recognize DC Black Pride 2011 board members: 
George Birdson, Jimma Elliott-Stevens, Earl Fowlkes, Jr., and Danielle 
King.
  I ask the House to join me in recognizing the 21st annual DC Black 
Pride celebration, and to welcome its attendees.

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