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Jul 01 2018
UK Black Pride's Lady Phyll Tells It Like It Is, And Like It Needs To Be Told Comments (0)

Unnamed(All images via GT)

Lady Phyll speaks with GT about the founding of UK Black Pride, which has been around since 2005, saying:

In founding UK Black Pride, you'll have to really understand and recognize that this is more about a collective, a group of people. You know, the reason I always put co-founder is because the 'co' is about our community. The community founded this.

She grabs one of the July covers, and has much more to say inside ...

Why UK Black Pride needs to exist:
 
Until we all have the same rights, until we all do not face any form Unnamed-1of injustice, until we all have proper access to housing, to health, to school, to education, then there will always be a need for Black Pride. In an ideal world, we wouldn't need [any Prides] would we? We wouldn't have to deal with championing or fighting for rights, for LGBTQ people, but we don't live in an ideal world because there's homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, but there's also racism. Black Pride was set up [not only to celebrate POC], and have pride of place, but to also combat systemic racism.
 
We've got young queer black and brown bodies who are living on streets, who have no place to go, who don't know where their next meal is gonna come from, who have been [cast] out by their families, and need a place to feel like they're loved, need a place to shed a tear and to know that there are people out there with a shared commonality... of course if people want to put black and brown [stripes in the flag] because that's how they identify with it a lot stronger, then why should anyone question that? [And] those arguing that we're arguing that we're ruining the flag, I would say that they're ruining society by not letting people be.
 
On misrepresenting black women in pop culture:
 
This is the conversation that I have with so many black women. Our history of how we're underrepresented in particular circles, but overrepresented in others, is so well documented. When [I as a black woman am] called aggressive or angry, it's because I have every right to be aggressive and angry. I have every right to assert myself in a particular way because my body has been used. It's been raped, it's been disrespected, it's been fetishised, pulled to pieces, and it's also fed other people who don't deserve [nor] have the [right to it].
 
 
Why UK Black Pride can't just be part of Pride:
 
Therein lies the problem. You know, what is normal to non-POC [LGBTQ] people is not [necessarily] our norm. We're trying to usualise the fact that black people should be seen and heard, and visible 365 days of the year, 24/7. But we should be seen and represented in a positive light [all the time].
 
More here!
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