Charlotte Black Pride celebrates 20 years

Charlotte Black Pride is celebrating a milestone: their 20th anniversary. In an effort to capture the spirit, origin and hopes for the future, we’ve come at the story from multiple angles and talked with original founders, current organizers and attendees for the event. Here’s our look at what Charlotte Black Pride has meant to so many, beginning with the recollections of Roxanne Stanard.

Four years had passed since Stanard had last visited Charlotte from Newark, New Jersey when she returned to the Queen City and also attended the first Charlotte Black Pride (CBP) celebration.

Her move to the area was a reluctant labor of love. She didn’t want to leave her partner Chris Roseberry (1948-2013), who was soon to be a grandmother and wouldn’t be able to join Stanard permanently until a year later. However, she wanted and needed to be near her mother – who was experiencing some health issues. 

Despite those challenges, the couple longed to establish connections in Charlotte’s Black LGBTQ community and hoped Roseberry would find a connection with a masculine colony of women. Their hopes and needs led them to Charlotte’s first Black Pride celebration, and a series of events held at different venues all over the city. It was a welcome relief for the two northern transplants, who found what they were looking for, and more.

“It was good,” Stanard recalls. “It was slightly disorganized, but in a good way and you got to pick and choose what you wanted to do, what event, what venue. Everyone was given name tags with their names and pictures on them. Somehow, our photos and names were reversed. My picture had my partner’s name and hers had mine . We had a great time and kept those name tags forever.”  

It’s clear Stanard misses the partner she shared a life and love with for nearly 23 years, and numerous CBP events. When asked about her thoughts of the event in recent years, she beamed. “Today it’s more structured –  with more people, more events and the expo is bigger. I like that it has evolved and grown. It’s something I look forward to every year.”  

But why did Charlotte need a Black Pride? What’s the big deal you might ask, especially considering the city had a general pride celebration (complete with a parade) that predated CBP with a history dating back to the late 20th century. Says CBP Co-Founder, Jermaine Nakia Lee: “For 20 years, Charlotte Black Pride has hosted a cultural celebration that amplifies African-American LGBTQ+ identity, history and vitality. Every year, I meet individuals, couples and families attending their first Pride celebration. The sense of joy, belonging and affirmation they express overwhelms my heart and makes me incredibly proud.”  

As for the celebration’s sustainability, he’s pleased but not surprised. “Interestingly enough, my co-founders and I (Damon Blackmon, Lynkoya “Korey” Handy and Monica Simpson) were very sure that the Charlotte community was suited to sustain a Black pride Celebration. That confidence might have been coupled with a pinch of ego and naivete, but it all worked out.

Monica Simpson, the only woman of the original founding members, has since relocated to Atlanta where she continues to be engaged in pride initiatives, social justice and reproductive rights work. She recalled her time on the CBP board, and is proud she helped create affirming and celebratory spaces for the Black LGBTQ community. “I wanted to see us reflected in the larger LGBTQ community and see our culture being centered,” she offered. 

As for what has since been built from the groundwork she helped lay, Simpson said, “I’m very proud to see the legacy is continuing. It’s also powerful to witness how new leadership is taking on organizing. This is a time, a critical time, where we [must] be on the front lines of the work for LGBTQ liberation.”

Today CBP’s board has grown to include 11 board members. Shann Fulton, Chair; Miles Perry Co-Chair (youngest board member); Markis Williams, Director of Operation; Gelisa Stitt, Treasurer; Cany Neverson, Secretary; Rell Lowery, Trans Liaison; Clarence Williams, Youth Liaison; Quandrico Rutledge-Wade, Director of Entertainment and Pageantry; Lorenzo Tucker, Volunteer Coordinator; Rayvon Moore, Chaplain, Sherman Jones, Member at Large (newest board member) and Kelsey Jones, Marketing and Communications Director.

Jones, who joined the board last year, happened upon CBP without too much of an idea of just what the organization offered outside of the social scene. “So I joined the board and learned that it was more. It was education, awareness and real community.”  

As for the organization’s future goals, Jones said: “We want to reach the people and let them know we are here, queer and Black and brown! Personally, I am excited (about this year’s events), the power in bringing community together and the legacy of CBP. Others may have started it, but the fact that it’s still happening means there’s a commitment to resilience, to Black excellence, to Black Queerness.”  

As Pride Season continues, CBP is gearing up for another memorable week of celebrations and events. “We have five amazing events July 12 -19,” Jones offered enthusiastically. “This year will be the first year of rebranding the Expo – Charlotte Black Pride Fest, which will feature hotter talent, bigger and better corporation partnerships and more information centered on health awareness. It’s not something you want to miss.” 

As for what the future holds, original co-founding member Jermaine Nakia Lee left us with thoughts on what message he might give to CBP leadership making things happen 10 years from now in 2035. “Prayerfully, conditions for queer folk in America have advanced, not further eroded. So, I offer this, ‘Never forget why we began. We started Charlotte Black Pride to create space where Black LGBTQ+ people could be fully seen, celebrated and empowered – because those spaces didn’t exist for us in Charlotte two decades ago. Hold tight to that spirit of visibility, resilience and radical joy [and] stay rooted in community. Pride isn’t just a weekend of parties and performances – it’s protest, healing, remembrance and cultural preservation. Listen deeply to your elders and uplift our youth. Continue to make room for the most marginalized among us – especially our Black trans siblings, our artists, our advocates and those who feel unseen. 

“And finally, protect the legacy. Charlotte Black Pride must remain Black governed and managed. Document the journey, honor those who paved the way and lead with vision – not ego.”

Charlotte Black Pride: Black & Bold Events

Date: July 12
Event: Charlotte Black Pride Black & Bold Kiki Ball
Location: XLNC Dance Studio, 3716 W. W.T. Harris Blvd.
Time: 3 – 8 p.m.
Link: https://charlotteblackpride.org/

Date: July 13
Event: Charlotte Black Pride 2025 Pageant
Location: Club Cabaret, 101 N. Center St., Hickory.
Time: 6 p.m. until ?
Ticket price: $10
Link: https://charlotteblackpride.org/

Date: July 17
Event: What’s the LGBT? Charlotte Black Pride Townhall
Location: Wonderworld West End, 1545 W. Trade St.
Time: 6:30 – 9:45 p.m.
Link: https://charlotteblackpride.org/

Date: July 18
Event: The Kick Back CBP Meet & Greet
Location: The Starlight on 22nd, 422 East 22nd St.
Link: https://charlotteblackpride.org/

Date: July 19
Event: Charlotte Black Pride Festival
Location: West End Complex, 1600 W. Trade St.Description: Annual free event also includes the opportunity to take part in the VIQ (Very Important Queer) Experience (ticket price $75) and includes a party on the roof with bar, swag, performers and more.
Time: 12 – 6 p.m.
Link: https://charlotteblackpride.org/