As a black, LGBTQI+ (Queer) woman that is also clergy and the faith leader of a predominantly Black congregation when it comes to the intersections of my womanhood, queerness and Blackness, freedom is an all-encompassing concept.   

It means real equity and equality for Black people from all corners of the nation and across the globe. We cannot expect any formidable progress if we continue to disregard the most marginalized in our communities. Therefore, the fight for freedom cannot waiver when turbulence occurs. A key requirement for liberation is an acknowledgment of past transgressions and a willingness and hunger to unite for a brighter tomorrow for everyone.   

In the Black LGBTQ+ community, the month of June tends to embody a profound sense of freedom from many.   

Not only is June LGBTQ+ Pride Month which was literally born from a riot against police harassment and brutality, but it also encompasses Juneteenth. This federal holiday, which falls on June 19, is a celebration of the effective end of slavery in the United States. When in 1865, a Union general arrived in Galveston, Texas, to inform enslaved African-Americans of their freedom and the end of the Civil War.  As I preached on Pride Sunday at Church of the Village United Methodist Church and the Pride parade was passing by literally at the time that I was preaching, I was speaking about Pride being a riot and a parade.   

While Pride and Juneteenth are celebrations of liberation, resilience, and progress, for Black queer people, the interwovenness of the two also illuminates the beauty and reality of their interconnected identities and the oppression we face.   

Black queer people fight against both racism in and outside of the LGBTQ+ community and homophobia, transphobia and misogynoir from in and outside communities of color. We are disproportionately affected by the many pandemics we are experiencing at present, COVID, AIDS and Racism.   

This is especially important as we confront increasing attacks on our freedoms, continued over policing, white supremacy and attempts to erase our existence from this nation’s fabric. A Black queer perspective of the world, the fight and what it will take to be free is needed now more than ever.    

In the words of Assata Shakur, “It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains.”

* Rev. Dr. Vanessa M. Brown will be one of our guests from New York at the multi-faith worship service for Christopher Street Day on July 22^nd at St. Mary´s Church