DC Black Pride: Fire 2006

Continuing my weekend adventures, on Sunday I attended my first ever DC Black Pride. After meeting a friend, l., for brunch at Busboys and Poets (which if you're in the Washington, DC area you need to DEFINITELY check out) we headed to the festival site at the Old Washington Convention Center Site (9th and H Streets NW).

Busboys and Poets is a restaurant, bookstore and gathering place for people who believe that social justice and peace are attainable goals. The Busboys and Poets location enhances the community -- allowing us to bring together a diverse clientele reflective of the surrounding neighborhoods and the city at large. Busboys and Poets creates an environment where shared conversations over food and drink the progressive artistic and literary communities to dialogue, educate and interact.

In part, what brought me to my first DC Black Pride was a call for volunteers from Burgundy Crescent.

The purpose of Burgundy Crescent Volunteers (BCV) is twofold. First, we are a source of volunteers for local and national gay and gay-friendly community organizations in the Washington, DC area. Second, we bring gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender singles and couples together for volunteer activities that are social in nature.

Usually, my volunteer activities of choice are mailings for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF). In fact, it was at a mailing volunteer event for NGLTF that l. and I met (well, to be honest I only vaguely remembered her from this event, but when we ended up at the same house party later--it is a small, small, world--it was definitely a bonding point). In any case, when I saw the call for volunteers, I posed it to l. and we decided to sign up--a good chance to serve the community, as well as to socialize.

At first we were stationed at the information table handing out pride programs. Thirty minutes into our two-hour volunteer shift, however, I got moved to ticket sales at the festival's entrance. We were supposed to both get stationed there, but l. was left to program distribution while I was at ticket sales. Despite not getting to hang out with l. (which was a main point), I had a good time.

After getting to the festival relatively early (a little after 1pm--it opened at 12pm) I wondered how crowded the festival would get...it was still pretty empty then, but in the two hours I was at the entrance (from about 2:30-4:30pm) I handled 571 ticket sales. (It reminded me of my days as a box office cashier at the movie theater I worked at throughout high school.) It was exciting to see the crowds of people, and the more people the more festive the mood grew.

What was cool was that I ran into handfuls of folks that I recognized, or recognized me from Starbucks, school, and just being out (excuse the pun). I really didn't have any time to really talk to people (I mean 571 tickets in 2 hours means selling an average of almost 5 tickets every minute), but the sheer recognition factor definitely gave me a feeling of community that I cherished.

I think that's what I love most about pride...coming together in celebration.