“I believe that UK Black Pride has a responsibility to be a force for change beyond the safe and celebratory space we provide at our annual pride celebration”
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE BY KOFI PAINTSIL
Lady Phyll (Phyll Opoku-Gyimah) has been appointed the first-ever Chief Executive of UK Black Pride – the world’s largest free Black Pride celebration.
Over the last 18 years, Lady Phyll has led and supported UK Black Pride with her unpaid and voluntary commitment to celebrating and supporting the queer Black community. After the success of this year’s Black Pride, the organisation has decided to create a full-time role to meet the growing demand for year-round events.
“Today marks an overdue and exciting shift in UK Black Pride’s structure, governance and mission to help us better meet the needs of our communities,” Lady Phyll said on her new position. “Our inaugural community survey, We Will Be Heard, revealed that LGBTQIA Black people and people of colour in the UK face enormous and structural barriers to their equality, safety and joy, and I believe that UK Black Pride has a responsibility to be a force for change beyond the safe and celebratory space we provide at our annual pride celebration.”
Moud Goba, Chair of UK Black Pride’s Board, also commented on the new role: “After 18 years of volunteering her time, the UK Black Pride Board is thrilled to be able to pay Phyll a salary to lead the organisation she co-founded.”
“Around the world, Black women continue to lead the way in building and sustaining movements for equality and change, and on behalf of the Board and UK Black Pride’s volunteers, I would like to thank Phyll for her unwavering commitment to creating safe and celebratory spaces for our communities. It is only right that we meet Phyll at her commitment and provide the support – fiscal and otherwise – for her to usher UK Black Pride into its next chapter.”
For the last five years, Lady Phyll has been the Executive Director of the international LGBTQIA human rights charity Kaleidoscope Trust. She is stepping down from this role, and will take up the role of Chief Executive of UK Black Pride from 1 January 2024.
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