Black Prides Impact Report 2025 by Center for Black Equity

BLACK LGBTQ+ PRIDES IMPACT REPORT 2025

This impact report reflects data submitted through annual reports completed by approximately half of Black Pride organizers across the network. The information shared here represents a snapshot of collective impact based on available data at the time of publication.

The reporting period spans the 2025 Black Pride season, with celebrations taking place between April and November. Data is self-reported by local Black Pride organizers and reflects both Pride weekend activities and year-round programming.

As additional annual reports are received, this report will be updated to more fully capture the scope and reach of Black Prides globally. While not exhaustive, the insights included highlight consistent patterns in health access, cultural visibility, community care, and leadership development across the network.

About the Data

• Self-reported by Black Pride organizers

• Approximately 50 percent of organizers submitted reports

• Includes Pride events and yearround programming

• Updated as additional reports are received

Purpose of this Report

To document collective impact, support learning across the network, and inform partners, funders, and community stakeholders.

BLACK LGBTQ+ PRIDES

Black LGBTQ+ Pride celebrations, known as Black Prides, form an international network created to address the specific cultural, social, and health needs of Black LGBTQ+ communities. Beginning with the first DC Black Pride in 1991, these celebrations emerged as spaces for connection, visibility, and collective care in response to the limitations of mainstream Pride spaces.

Black Pride organizers are members of the Center for Black Equity, which publishes this report and supports organizers through convening, resources, and shared infrastructure. Planned and led by local organizations, Black Prides extend far beyond the celebrations and function as year-round community infrastructure focused on health and wellness, cultural affirmation, education, and economic empowerment.

Across regions and countries, Black Prides play a vital role in strengthening Black LGBTQ+ communities by addressing stigma, racism, and barriers to care. Their impact is felt not only during celebrations, but throughout the year in the lives of individuals, families, and communities they serve.

BEYOND THE CELEBRATION

Organizations that plan and lead Black Prides function as year-round community infrastructure serving Black LGBTQ+ people through:

Health and Wellness

• HIV and STI education and referrals

• PrEP and PEP awareness

• Mpox vaccine outreach

• Mental health resources

• Wellness navigation

Culture and Visibility

• Arts and cultural events

• Ballroom and performance spaces

• Storytelling and legacy preservation

• Black-owned business showcases

Safety and Community Care

• Safe-space programming

• Crisis support and referrals

• Healing circles

• Anti-violence awareness

Youth and Leadership Development

• Mentorship

• Leadership pipelines

• Youth programming

• Volunteer and internship pathways

Advocacy and Civic Engagement

• Voter education

• Health equity advocacy

• Coalition building

• Community representation

Digital Engagement

• Year-round health messaging

• Community announcements

• Digital storytelling

• Emergency resource sharing

COMMUNITY MEMBERS

ENGAGED OUTSIDE OF PRIDES

BLACK PRIDES

ATTENDEES AT BLACK PRIDES

ECONOMIC IMPACT

Black Pride celebrations function as economic engines for host cities. Through travel, lodging, dining, transportation, nightlife and retail spending, Black Pride events generate millions of dollars in local economic activity each year. Destination Prides in particular attract national and regional visitors, producing sustained revenue beyond Pride weekend and supporting hospitality, tourism and small businesses.

$60 MILLION

ESTIMATED ECONOMIC IMPACT*

$250,000

DIRECT HOTEL REVENUE*

Attendee spending supported local economies through:

Hotel Accommodations

Dining and Food Services

Shopping and Retail Transportation

Entertainment and Nightlife Tourism Activities

ECONOMIC IMPACT BY PRIDE

Black Pride RVA

Black Pride St. Louis

Boston Black Pride

Charleston Black Pride

Charlotte Black Pride

DC Black Pride

Harlem Pride

Houston Splash

Kentucky Black Pride

Knights and Orchids Society

Little Rock Black Pride

Richmond, VA

St. Louis, MO

Boston, MA

Charleston, SC

Charlotte, NC

Washington, DC

New York, NY

Houston, TX

Lexington, KY

Montgomery, AL

Little Rock, AR

Minnesota People of Color LGBT Pride Minneapolis, MN

Nashville Black Pride

New Haven Black Pride

New Orleans Black Pride

Oakland Black Pride

Pacific Northwest Black Pride

Philadelphia Black Pride

Nashville, TN

New Haven, CT

New Orleans, LA

Oakland, CA

Seattle, WA

Philadelphia, PA

Pittsburgh Black Pride Pittsburgh, PA

San Bernardino County Black Pride

San Diego Black Pride

South Carolina Black Pride

South Florida Afro Pride

St Pete Black Pride

Tri-State Black Pride

Upstate Pride SC

Vegas Black Pride

San Bernardino, CA

San Diego, CA

Columbia, SC

Fort Lauderdale, FL

St. Petersburg, FL

Memphis, TN

Greenville, SC

Las Vegas, NV

$500,000 – $750,000

$150,000 – $200,000

$500,000 – $750,000

$40,000 – $60,000

$3,000,000 – $5,000,000

$5,000,000 – $10,000,000

$3,500,000 – $5,500,000

$2,000,000 – $3,000,000

$150,000 – $200,000

$15,000 – $25,000

$200,000 – $300,000

$ 150,000 – $250,000

$400,000 – $600,000

$75,000 – $100,000

$2,250,000 – $3,500,000

$150,000 – $250,000

$140,000 – $200,000

$2,000,000 – $3,500,000

$100,000 – $150,000

$40,000 – $60,000

$300,000 – $500,000

$150,000 – $250,000

$300,000 – $500,000

$30,000 – $100,000

$100,000 – $150,000

$1,500,000 – $2,500,000

$20,000 – $30,000

Atlanta Black Pride Weekend Atlanta, Georgia

Austin Black Pride Austin, Texas

Baltimore Black Pride Baltimore, Maryland

Birmingham Black Pride (BHAM Pride) Birmingham, Alabama

Black & Latin@ Gay Pride Albany, New York

Black Pride Colorado Denver, Colorado

Black Pride NL Amsterdam, Netherlands

Black Pride RVA Richmond, Virginia

Black Pride St. Louis St. Louis, Missouri

BLAQOUT

Kansas City, Missouri

Boston Urban Pride Boston, Massachusetts

Charleston Black Pride Charleston, South Carolina

Charlotte Black Pride Charlotte, North Carolina

Chicago Black Pride (Windy City Black Pride) Chicago, Illinois

BLACK PRIDES

Cincy Black Pride (Cincinnati Black Pride) Cincinnati, Ohio

Cold as Hell Detroit, Michigan

Dallas Southern Pride Dallas, Texas

DC Black Pride Washington, District of Columbia

Fayetteville Black Pride Fayetteville, North Carolina

Harlem Pride New York, New York

Historic Selma Black Pride Selma, Alabama

Hotter Than July Detroit, Michigan

Houston Splash Houston, Texas

Indiana Pride of Color Indianapolis, Indiana

Jackson Black Pride Jackson, Mississippi

Jacksonville Florida Black Pride Jacksonville, Florida

Kentucky Black Pride Lexington, Kentucky

Kingston Pride Kingston, Jamaica

Los Angeles Black Pride Los Angeles, California

Little Rock Black Pride Little Rock, Arkansas

Milwaukee BLAQ Pride Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Minnesota People of Color Pride Festival Minneapolis, Minnesota

Montego Bay Pride Montego Bay, Jamaica

Nashville Black Pride Nashville, Tennessee

New Haven Black Pride New Haven, Connecticut

New Orleans Black Pride Weekend New Orleans, Louisiana

NYC Black Pride New York, New York

Oakland Black Pride Oakland, California

Pacific Northwest Black Pride Seattle, Washington

Parada Preta São Paulo, Brazil

Paris Black Pride Paris, France

Philadelphia Black Pride Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh Black Pride Week Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pride in Lagos/GLOW UP PRIDE Lagos, Nigeria

Pride Month Suriname Paramaribo, Suriname

Rochester Black Pride Rochester, New York

San Diego Black Pride San Diego, California

Soul of Pride San Francisco, California

South Carolina Black Pride Columbia, South Carolina

South Florida Black Pride Miami, Florida

St. Pete Black Pride St. Petersburg, Florida

Trans Resistance Boston, Massachusetts

Tri-State Black Pride Memphis, Tennessee

UK Black Pride London, England

Upstate Black Pride Greenville, South Carolina

Vegas Black Pride Las Vegas, Nevada

West Virginia Black Pride Charleston, West Virginia

DIGITAL IMPACT

5,500,000 DIGITAL ENGAGEMENTS

2,900,000 SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENTS

PUBLIC HEALTH PARTNERSHIPS

Black Prides organizers serve as trusted points of connection between public health systems and Black LGBTQ+ communities. Through partnerships with local and state health departments, Black Prides help ensure that essential health services are delivered in culturally responsive, community-centered spaces.

Many Black Pride organizers partner with local or state health departments

These partnerships strengthen access to care by meeting people where they are and reducing barriers related to stigma, trust, and visibility.

What these Partnerships Enable

Public health partnerships support a wide range of services, including:

• Mpox vaccination and outbreak response

• HIV and STI testing, PrEP, and PEP access

• Mental health and wellness resources

Black Prides help translate public health systems into trusted, accessible care for communities most impacted.

Trusted Health and Wellness Hubs

Beyond Pride celebrations, many Black Prides provide or facilitate year-round health and wellness services. These efforts extend the reach of public health partners and ensure continuity of care throughout the year.

What the data shows

• Most Black Prides offer year-round health or wellness services

• Many serve 250–500 or more people annually outside of Pride

COLLABORATION BETWEEN BLACK PRIDES AND PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENTS

ANNUAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS SERVICE REACH ACROSS BLACK PRIDES

Absolut

Adidas

BLACK PRIDE SUPPORTERS

Partnerships with local and national organizations large and small are essential to success of Black Prides

AIDS Healthcare Foundation

AIDS United

Alliance For Full Acceptance

American Airlines

American Cancer Society

American Express

Anchor Health

APLA Health

Apple

AT&T

Bank of America

BET

BET Her

Birmingham AIDS Outreach

Boston Celtics Foundation

Bunker Hill Community College

Capital One

Central Outreach Wellness Center

Chase Brexton Health Care

Chestnut Healthcare

Cigna Healthcare

Coca-Cola

College of Charleston Archive

Comcast NBCUniversal

Community Health Center

Corporate Health Systems

CrescentCare

CVS Health

David Geffen School of Medicine

Delta Air Lines

Duke University Hospital

East Carolina University

Einstein Healthcare Network

Emory Healthcare

Federal Health Services

Fenway Health

Florida A&M University

Ford Foundation

Franciscan Health

Gilead Sciences

Google

Harvard University

Hilton Hotels

Houston Health Department

Howard University

Human Rights Campaign

Indiana University

Institute for Health Equity

Jackson State University

Johns Hopkins Medicine

Johnson C. Smith University

JPMorganChase

Leichtag Foundation

Leonard Litz Foundation

Lyft

Marriott International

Massey Cancer Center

Mazzoni Center

Memphis Health Department

BLACK PRIDE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT

Each year, the Black Pride Leadership Summit brings together organizers, thought leaders, and community builders from across the Black Pride network to strengthen our shared infrastructure. The Summit creates space for connection, skill-building, and honest dialogue around the challenges and opportunities facing Black LGBTQ+ communities.

Through workshops, strategy sessions, and peer exchange, participants gain practical tools to sustain their organizations, grow their impact, and lead with intention. We are committed to sustaining and expanding this Summit as a cornerstone of Black LGBTQ+ empowerment, leadership development, and collective impact.

The Center for Black Equity is a coalition of Black Pride organizers formed to promote national networks of LGBTQ+ leaders, grow Black Transgender and Queer Pride and community programs, advance efforts dedicated to improving health and wellness opportunities, economic empowerment, and equal rights while promoting individual and collective work.

1200 G Street NW, Suite 810 Washington, DC 20005 centerforblackequity.org 201.641.8527 • cbe@centerforblackequity.org