By Neil Armstrong
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| Photo contributed Rikki Nathanson, Vice President, Global Black Pride |
The first in-person Global Black Pride, which was held in Toronto from July 27 to 31, was missing some international participants who could not attend because of problems with the issuing of Canadian visas for them to travel here.
Only 7 of their 26 scholarship recipients made it to the five-day international gathering which was under the theme, “Honouring our Past, Securing our Future” — “a testament to our principles of being unapologetically Black in our positioning, where we are committed to collectively and courageously working for freedom and justice for all Black LGBTIQ people.”
Founded in 2020, the event brings together Black LGBTQI+ communities across all continents to celebrate culture and diversity, providing a space for activists and organizations to engage and reflect. This year’s event was held in partnership with Pride Toronto and Blackness Yes!
Rikki Nathanson, vice president of Global Black Pride, says it unfortunate that the Canadian government did not think about or even give priority to people that were coming to Global Black Pride in Toronto, or the International AIDS Conference that was happening in Montreal at the same time.
“The processing of Canadian visas is incredibly slow taking anything from a couple of weeks to as much as six to eight weeks. This was very problematic for us as Global Black Pride (GBP) that had given out 26 scholarships, i.e. fully funded expenses for people to attend GBP and its events. Due to the visa constraints we were only able to bring 7 of the 26 to Toronto.”
She said one of the participants spent 4 days traveling, 3 of those sleeping on an airport bench in Amsterdam. “He has a valid 10-year visa expiring in 2026, and still he was not allowed to board a flight to Toronto. The reason being that “his visa could not be read” at the departure counter. That was totally uncalled for and was just done out of sheer racist profiling of a black man.”
This as eventually resolved and the participant from Zimbabwe was able to attend some of the sessions of the global event here.
“This situation really is unfortunate, demeaning and totally inhumane, considering that these folks in the Global South do not have the ease of access to consulate offices or embassies in their own countries. They often have to travel long distances to a Canadian office in another country in their region. This they do and then still have to wait for long periods of time to obtain the visa, or even be denied the visa with no option of a refund,” says Nathanson.
Global Black Pride, together with other civil society groups, has voiced their concern regarding this practice to the Canadian government and is seeking reparation or a statement from the federal authorities.
Efforts were made to get a comment from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada but to date there has been no response.
Scholarships are offered to Black people who would otherwise be unable to attend the conference due to financial reasons, especially from the Global South. Only Black LGBTQI+ people of any sexual orientation or gender identities, of African/Black ancestral origins and of varied intersectional national and ethnocultural groups across the African Diaspora and have lived experiences of being racialized as Black are eligible for these scholarships.
In recognition of the colonization and enslavement of people of African and Indigenous descent globally, and in the spirit of decolonization, Global Black Pride encouraged First Nations, Indigenous, Aboriginal and Two-Spirited, Trans, gender-diverse, non-binary people, activists, storytellers, and elders to also apply.
“We particularly encourage intersectional applications from Black LGBTQI+ persons including, but not limited to, women, racial minorities, First Nations/Indigenous/Aboriginal people, persons with disabilities, Trans, gender-diverse, non-binary people, activists, elders, and persons of any sexual orientations or gender identities,” says Global Black Pride on its website.
A full scholarship covered visa application, processing fees, and associated costs, a roundtrip flight to Toronto, accommodation, a local travel pass, and daily allowance for incidentals – per diems.
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| Photo contributed Sherwin Modeste, Executive Director, Pride Toronto |
Six or eights weeks into his new role as executive director of Pride Toronto, Sherwin Modeste got a call from his friend Doug Kerr, executive director of Dignity Network Canada, encouraging him to meet the organizers of the virtual Global Black Pride who were thinking of holding an in-person global event.
Kerr asked if Pride Toronto would be interested and Modeste quickly answered. “I’m like Black queer folks coming together, why not. And today we’re here,” said the Grenada-born head of Pride Toronto while speaking at the opening ceremony of Global Black Pride at the Central YMCA in Toronto on July 27. The 5-day global event (July 27-31) was held in partnership with Pride Toronto and Blackness Yes!, a community-based committee that works year-round to celebrate Black queer and trans history, creativity and resistance.
Modeste said in 2019 he attended WorldPride in New York City that marked the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots. “It was such a good time and I remember visiting the Stonewall and hearing the stories of these trans women, predominantly trans women of colour, predominantly Black and Latinx women, and I left New York and I said I’ll go back to Toronto and I’m going to become a member of Pride.” In November 2020, he became the executive director of Pride Toronto.
“Bringing Black folks across the globe together, both physically and virtually, to have some very honest and frank conversations about where we are as Black folks in relation to being queer and being Black. I think having those conversations — whether it was through the human rights conference, through the marketplace, but also for those of us that are in the north that take our freedom and take our rights for granted — hearing of some of the personal stories and hearing of the impact of homophobia, transphobia and biphobia on our siblings in the south was really important. We talk about celebrations but they talk about survival.”
One of the recommendations out of the Global Black Pride human rights conference is for Pride Toronto to host an annual conference to talk about Blackness within the 2SLGBTQ community.
Modeste is looking forward to having that discussion with his board and staff to see how they can make this happen in conjunction with Blackness Yes!
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| Photo credit: Neil Armstrong Left to right: Aina-Nia Ayo'dele, Jill Andrew and Debbie Douglas at the opening ceremony of Global Black Pride in Toronto, Canada |
In her remarks, Jill Andrew, MPP Toronto-St. Paul’s, said it will take a lot of work to break down, rebuild and dismantle the systems that all too often shove Black LGBTQI+ people to the margins.
“We must never forget our right to access the very resources we need to not only survive but to thrive and we must create the world where we can get the help we need without shame and stigma.”
Andrew said she sits on the shoulders of many ancestors and Black politicians such as Jean Augustine, Zanana Akande, and Alvin Curling who paved the way for her.
Noting that she is the first queer Black person to be elected to the Ontario Legislature, Andrew said she usually tells young people that politics is for people across the age spectrum.
LeZlie Lee did the Land Acknowledgement and Marci Ien, MP for Toronto Centre and Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth of Canada brought greetings. Lady Phyll was the emcee.
The five-day programme included an opening ceremony, a human rights conference, a marketplace and global village/health zone, a closing ceremony, and the annual Blockobana.
Organized by Blackness Yes!, Blockobana is an all-day music and arts festival where LGBTQI+ African, Black and Caribbean people celebrate cultures free from homophobia, transphobia, and anti-Black racism. For the first time, it was held at Stackt Market on Bathurst Street, near Front Street in Toronto.
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| Photo credit: Neil Armstrong Lance McCready and Tyler Boyce |
Photo credit: Neil Armstrong DJ Blackcat and Kevin Adams
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