Black History and Black Futures: Black LGBTQ+ Voices
“To be Black, nonbinary, and queer is a gift from God, but an unresolved issue to people who project their ignorance or fears onto me,” writes William DeShay C. Jackson in their reflection on the color yellow + sunlight in the devotional journal Colors of Hope.
“My experience as a nonbinary person and minister has been both an exciting journey of exploration and a painful realization that my identity is considered invalid by some… Recognizing that we are all on a journey, I try to practice grace in a way that preserves my choice to be authentic while supporting someone else’s journey of understanding and processing new information… It may take a while for someone to see the Imago Dei in me when they did not know the Imago Dei can exist in this form. Their lack of recognition does not negate my ability to see God in them.”
To be Black, nonbinary, and queer is a gift from God
The gifts and contributions of Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people are often overlooked. Join AllianceQ in celebrating Black history and Black futures.
Black Futures Month
Black Futures Month is explored in the historical and current events dictionary. [1] The Movement for Black Lives describes Black Futures Month as “a visionary, forward-looking spin on celebrations of Blackness in February; a time to consider and celebrate Black history and to dream and imagine a world in which all Black people are free.” [2]
ALL.
Affirmation, Love, Liberation for ALL.
Also in their Colors of Hope chapter, DeShay Jackson describes abiding in God and abiding in community, working together to flourish. “Our differences need not be daggers for attack but invitations to glimpse our diverse and expansive God.”
Some invitations:
Read all of DeShay Jackson’s reflection in Colors of Hope; read and engage all of Colors of Hope and “hope in color” with us!
Learn about Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (February 7), and explore the Faith-Based Black HIV/AIDS Awareness & Prevention Guide from National Benevolent Association.
Watch “Our America: Who I’m Meant To Be,” a 45-minute film that explores how the LGBTQ+ community is multicultural, multi-ethnic, multi-faith and multidimensional. AllianceQ clergy colleague Wanda Floyd is featured in the film!
Follow Many Voices, a Black church movement for gay and transgender justice.
Learn about “16 queer Black trailblazers who made history.”
Engage with and support Black queer owned organizations. We love the Marsha P. Johnson Institute. (Email us the names of orgs we should know about and support!)
Read Black LGBTQ+ authors. (Email us to share your favorite Black LGBTQ+ authors!)
Follow Row House: Row House is “Raising the Volume on Voices That Matter” and publishing books at the intersection of personal development and social justice.
Check out these lists: “Best Black queer books, according to Black LGBTQ leaders” and “Find a Home in These Unsung Classics of Black Queer Literature.”
Find articles, media, and resources at Stonewall x Black History Month.
Check out GLAAD’s Black History Month resource kit and their stories about LGBT faith leaders of African descent.
[1] https://www.dictionary.com/e/historical-current-events/black-futures-month/