Take It From Me, One Day We’ll All Be Free

of out LGBTQ elected officials taking office this year, we are seeing a record number of laws across our nation aimed at erasing Queer and Trans identities and limiting Black voices. This tells me that it is not just enough to be at the table. It’s not just enough to be visible and seen. It’s about getting down in the trenches and doing the work together.

Pride Weekend is here! I thought June would be a lot quieter for me without being President of SF Pride, but that clearly that was not to be. With the emergence of Juneteenth as a National Holiday, a holiday the Black community has been celebrating for as long as I can remember, June has been busier than ever.

However, it’s certainly a tender time to be a Black person, an LGBTQ person, and especially a Black LGBTQ person anywhere in this country. In Florida you have a governor who is creating Anti-Gay laws to go along with his “Anti-Woke” i.e. Anti-Black laws that will not only ban children from learning about cultural history but could also eliminate POC spaces and groups like Historically Black Greek organizations.

In Texas, you have a governor who has outright banned “diverse spaces.”

In Georgia you have a legislature that is still trying to limit the rights of Black people to vote. In Mississippi, there was an attempt to create an entire voting district so Black people could vote. Multiple states have used censure rules from the floor to kick out or silence Black and Queer legislators.

Even though we saw a huge rainbow wave in 2022 with a record number

One thing that I reminded my constituents in El Cerrito, and I want to remind our readers, is that Juneteenth and Pride are both all about community taking up space— whether it is to celebrate our triumphs, yell about the injustices we still face, or just to celebrate our brilliant selves. This space is ours! It is ours to own and invite others in to celebrate and fight alongside us.

Let this also serve as a reminder that sitting in the intersection of these two brilliantly bright celebrations are Black LGBTQ people. Black LGBTQ people are still the most atrisk populations in both communities. We are the ones often left out of the conversations about resources and services. We are the least likely to be in positions of power in either community. So, as you are celebrating, remember those at the intersections fighting for all of us to be liberated and free.

We will dance for our victory. We will cry about our pain. We will yell for our liberation. We will fight like hell and we will win!!

“Take it from me, one day we’ll all be free.”

—Donny Hathaway

Carolyn Wysinger was elected in 2022 to serve on the El Cerrito City Council. She is an LGBTQ author, activist, and former president of the SF Pride Board of Directors. She can be found on Instagram & Twitter @ CdubbTheHost