Today’s event is set to welcome thousands to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in East London
BY ELEANOR NOYCE, IMAGES BY CHRIS JEPSON/UK BLACK PRIDE
UK Black Pride has been Europe’s largest celebration for African, Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American and Caribbean-heritage LGBTQI+ people since its foundation in 2005. Today, it returns to an audience of thousands for an in-person event balancing protest and party.
Centring on the theme of “power”, the event is welcoming the likes of Sadie Sinner, Gok Wan, The Cocoa Butter Club, Rikki Beadle-Blair and Two Twos amongst many others to the stage. The Wellbeing Area – sponsored by London South Bank University – centres LGBTQI health and wellbeing, featuring speeches and performances from UK Black Pride’s Education and Inclusion Officer and DIVA’s Features Writer Char Bailey, DaddyPuss Rex, Lee Trash, South Asian Heritage and more.
Excitingly, DJ Mimi, Gok Wan, Big John and many others are set to blow up the DJ tent with the sound of queer joy, with the afterparty – hosted in collaboration with Pxssy Palace – centring Princess Trium, Edith Escobar, Lady Shaka and DJ Biggy C.
“London is a city where we celebrate our Diversity, but we know there is still so much to do at home and abroad to ensure that everyone is treated equally and has a stake in society.”
With massive support across business, media and more, this year’s event is headline sponsored by NYX Professional Makeup with further sponsorship from TikTok, Gay Times and Getty Images. It is further supported by the Mayor of London, BNP Paribas, Vodafone, Factset, LSBU, EY, Bloomberg, Tesco, Avanade and IHG Hotels & Resorts.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has issued his enthusiasm and excitement for UK Black Pride’s return, stating: “I’m delighted that thousands of people will unite at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park today to mark UK Black Pride 2022.
“London is a city where we celebrate our Diversity, but we know there is still so much to do at home and abroad to ensure that everyone is treated equally and has a stake in society.
“By gathering together today, members of our Black LGBTQI+ communities and allies will unite in celebration and send a message to the world about the power of equality.”
Co-founder and Executive Director Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, who is also the Executive Director of Kaleidoscope Trust, has previously spoken out on honouring the powerful Black queer women that came before UK Black Pride. “UK Black Pride is eternally indebted to the loving power of the Black queer women who founded and maintain us, and to those who continue to show up in spirit and in flesh to ensure our communities have a pride celebration all their own”, she states.
“We are grateful to those who express power rooted in a firm belief that equality is not a pipe dream or a nice-to-have, and those who harness their power to positively impact the lives of those who have been left behind and forgotten. We honour the power our communities continue to wield to ensure that our communities are defended and supported, loved and protected.”
For more information, visit the UK Black Pride website at ukblackpride.org.uk or follow UK Black Pride on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Solidarity with African, Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American and Caribbean-heritage LGBTQI+ people globally.
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