This June 24–27, Oakland Black Pride will be holding the inaugural Inside/OUT! Black Pride Celebration, a four-day series of events including virtual workshops and limited-capacity in-person events at various Oakland businesses.
Honoring the legacies of Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, two trans women of color who shaped the early gay rights movement, Inside/OUT! is a Black-led Pride Month event that celebrates the contributions of Black members of the LGBTQ+ community. The celebration will include a kickball tournament; a Queer Expo at The Loom with over 50 primarily LGBTQ+ and BIPOC vendors and nonprofits; a Skate for Pride roller skating party hosted by Grammy award-winning musician Durand Bernarr; a Queer Pub Crawl at select Oakland bars and restaurants including Oeste, Sobre Mesa, Kingston 11 and more.
The four-day series will culminate in a Slayer’s Ball grand finale at the Bridge Yard by the waterfront, with music by Soulovely DJs, Nina Sol and Astu. There will also be a series of panels and workshops focused on advancing the health and financial stability of Oakland’s queer community, featuring an inclusive economics panel for Black and Indigenous-led LGBTQ businesses, a daily fitness and nutrition class hosted by Brown & Healthy and more.
Oakland Black Pride is an Oakland-based nonprofit organization that was founded to support Black members of the LGBTQ+ community in low- and middle-income income areas of Oakland and the regional Bay Area. “At Oakland Black Pride, we take great joy and responsibility in mobilizing to create pathways for queer Black people to express themselves freely, live healthy lives and have equal opportunities for professional advancement,” said executive director Olaywa K. Austin.
General admission to most events are free to the public, but registration is required. You can view the full schedule forInside/OUT! here.
