The celebration of Black joy during Pride Month reminds us of our beauty & power

LGBTQ+ people of African descent use Black Pride events not only to celebrate, but also to define and advance their own priorities.

In LGBTQ Nation

June is Pride Month for LGBTQ+ communities nationwide — and parades abound! But as we all rev up each June for Pride, many of us also grow more aware of the fault lines of race, gender identities, class, and more that still remain; especially today on Juneteenth.

This Pride Month also serves as a reminder that the struggle for LGBTQ+ civil rights is far from over, particularly amid the surge of anti-trans legislation across the country. In Massachusetts alone, six anti-trans bills are currently being tracked.

However, Black LGBTQ+ communities continue to experience Pride differently. As still a predominantly white event in many cities and towns across the country, many queer people of color (QPOC) revelers experience social exclusion, alienation , and cultural invisibility. Today, in response, Pride celebrations centering QPOC emerged, creating Black-themed performances, parties, gatherings, and getaway weekends rooted in affirmation and belonging.

By 1999, Black Pride events had grown into the International Federation of Black Prides, Inc. (IFBP). Recognizing the need to build coalitions beyond their immediate communities, IFBP also established the Black/Brown Coalition to strengthen networks of support and advocacy.

Black Pride grooves to a different beat. LGBTQ+ people of African descent use these events not only to celebrate, but also to define and advance their own priorities.

For example, Sunday gospel brunches, Saturday-night poetry slams, Friday-evening fashion shows, bid whist tournaments, house parties, the smells of soul food and Caribbean cuisine, and the beautiful display of African art and clothing are just a few of the cultural markers that make Black Pride distinct from the dominant queer culture.

Health and wellness are also central. At Black Pride events, attendees often encounter health booths offering screenings for sexually transmitted infections, vision care, hypertension, and HIV/AIDS. Black Pride also addresses broader social determinants of health affecting the community, including unemployment, housing insecurity, gang violence, youth homelessness, mass incarceration, prostate health, trans health, domestic violence, and depression. What too often goes unreported, however, are the proactive, community-led efforts to confront and reduce these challenges.

The get-aways

Despite Provincetown’s reputation for bohemianism and artistic freedom, Provincetown — unlike Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard — did not historically have a Black enclave or a consistent summer influx of African Diaspora vacationers, whether straight or queer.

That began to change in the 2000s with the emergence of Black-themed weekends such as Womxn of Color (WoCW) and Frolic (formerly known as Men of Melanin Magic). During these two Pride Month weekends, LGBTQ+ people of the African Diaspora flock to Provincetown to celebrate community, visibility, and joy.

For nearly two decades, WoCW’s annual gathering has been a significant cultural anchor — a sacred haven of joy, love, sisterhood, and unapologetic self-expression. In this political era that increasingly targets marginalized communities, WoCW stands as a bold and affirming intersectional space. Year after year, it reasserts our right to exist, to gather, and to be seen in our fullness.
Founded in 2007, Womxn of Color Weekend (WoCW) has become a vital cultural force in Provincetown. Since 2017, the visionary power behind its growth and evolution has been Jha D Amazi, WoCW’s executive producer and director. Under her leadership, WoCW transformed into a nonprofit organization with a bold, unapologetic mission: to bring racial and cultural diversity to Provincetown while cultivating spaces rooted in belonging.

“There aren’t enough spaces that center and cater to our experiences as Black, queer, womxn — our expansive gender expressions and our layered identities,” Amazi shared with me. “My hope is that our time together says Black folks, queer folks, women folks don’t just exist here — we thrive here. We belong here.”

Frolic welcomes queer men of color from across the globe. Now celebrating its tenth year, P-town is its signature summer event. It’s an embrace of brotherhood culture — a supportive, affirming fraternity that fosters connection, belonging, and pride for all. And for six days, Frolic offers boat cruises, pool parties, club nights, beach takeovers, panels, workshops, group exercise, and much more!!

With more than 1,200 Frolickers filling Commercial Street, the town’s vibrant main drag, the energy is unmistakable, with laughter, joy, and celebration rippling through every corner. Attendees arrive from near and far, from Amsterdam to Truro, the next town over. 

“At its core, FROLIC is a space rooted in joy, belonging, and intentional community-building for queer people of color,” Ronnie Smith, the executive producer of Frolic weekend, told me. This multicultural brotherhood creates a safe, protective camaraderie that sparks lifelong friendships and shared memories.

Black joy is both an act of resistance & of visibility

The theme for Pride Month 2026 — resilience, liberation, and visibility — is more than a slogan; it is a call to action and radical self-care. WoCW and Frolic themed weekends of joy are both. They are acts of resistance, to take up space, and rebuke erasure in this political climate.

Those themed weekends are a bold declaration of our rights as queer people of color to be our authentic selves. On those weekends, we are all fam. It’s the one time each year that I gift myself a weekend of unabashed radical self-care — I only wish there were more events and space for QPOC to keep connecting and growing together.