Our Coming of Age with Pride

As a young person in 1970s some of my fondest memories are of those times spent with older black Gay and Lesbian persons who inspired me.  I was enthralled as I listened to their stories of their lives and the lessons they learned.  What better to way to learn about history than from one who experienced it?

My coming of age and evolution started when as a young college student in 1970s – participating in marches against the Vietnam War, racism and social injustice.  Born and raised in Washington D.C. this city was a magnet for these types of activities.  It was also during this time, the early stages of black Gay and Lesbian visible institutions, i.e., bars, clubs, social, cultural and political organizations were founded.  This not only happened in DC but other places after Stonewall Uprising in 1969.  For me the social, cultural and political shifts of that time were part of my coming of age.  Being part of these venues, activities and events helped me know who are I am today, and gave me a supportive environment when I needed one.

A black gay man, then in his late 60s, was one of founders and first coordinator of the DC Black Pride celebration that started over 19 years ago; I personally knew Welmore Cooke.  Today, I am happy to see that some of the Generation X members are stepping up and giving DC Black Pride new energies.

What meaning does Black Pride have for the different generations today? Does it have the same meaning to a person who grew in the 1970s as oppose to a 20 year old of today?  I am part of the Baby Boomer Generation (those born between 1946-1964).  The X Generation (born between 1965 to 1980) followed us; they are now in their 20s and early 30s.  My comments are directed at this group of new leaders.

I, like many of my contemporaries, are living different lives than how it was 10, 20 or even 30 years ago. Some of the issues that we fought for back then are very much still with us – AIDS, civil rights, gay rights and social justice.  Who is carrying the banner?   As the population ages these issues continue to be important.  However, add to the above list the issues of – health care, accessible housing, income security, long term care, care giving, and other legal directives associated with our lives.

One of the newer issues will be the impact of the number of persons living with HIV/AIDS.  By 2015, it is estimated that over half of the persons living with HIV will be over 50 with a disproportionate number being black

As everyone reflect on this, the19^th celebration of DC Black Pride let us not forget, the reason for the season.    Black Pride was conceived to give support to those who were dying and getting sick at astronomical rates.

As a sidebar, many of our black gay leaders in 1980’s and early 90’s who were the pioneers for us are not here today because of the AIDS epidemic. The under 30 generation did not experience what many of my contemporaries and I lived through, that is going to an average of 2 funerals a week at the height of deaths due to AIDS. AIDS is still ravaging the community but you don’t see the same levels of deaths but more people are living with HIV/AIDS due to medical advances since the mid 1990’s.

In addition, the number and proportion of Gay, Lesbian and Transgender (GLT) over 50 will increase significantly over the next few decades, along with the general population.

And we have to ask ourselves, at what age are we no longer classified as young or youthful, and are labeled as an older adult, senior, elder, old, middle age, etc.?  What particular issues do we (those over 50 year olds) continue to have in common with a younger generation?

Aging is everyone’s future.  For the present and future generations, the chances are that you will be either a caregiver or care receiver to an older family, friend or significant other will increase.

I have a favorite quote that keeps me grounded:

How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these.                            George Washington Carver

Generations in our community working together can create a better world in that they will honor and preserve our histories and traditions, and reunite those parts of us that have been fragmented by racism, sexism, ageism, and homophobia.  Let’s make it better for those who follow us.  Let us find the best way to dialogue and share through our many ways of communications – (i.e., face to face, telephone, text messaging or internet).

It should be the mission of all Black Pride celebrations to be the safe space for all generations to address these challenges.  In order for this to happen, we have to do our part to build bridges between generations that will last.  Working together on events, workshops, movies, videos, mentoring, community projects, etc., that is inclusive of all generations, is an excellent start.

Black Pride should be a code word for celebrating our diversity not only in terms of racial, sexual orientation and cultural but also our generational identity.

Let’s us continue to come of age together with pride through our sharing, uplifting and working together.  Let us all age with pride.

Courtney Williams

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