Pride in Harlem Brings Local LGBT Members Together

Photos and story by Senait Gebregiorgis

Harlem Pride celebrated its seventh year this year with different vendors and community tables, as well as showcases from dance and musical performances. The day-long celebration took place at Jackie Robinson Park in West Harlem. President and co-founder of Harlem Pride, Carmen Neely, recalled how the event initially started as a party to promote an art exhibit about the LGBT community. Over the years the event blossomed into more than just that.

“What we’re doing now is adding a lot more emphasis on community groups and organizations and the services they provide,” Neely said. “We’re also trying to have people be more politically aware and learn more about entrepreneurship.”

A variety of community tables promoting health, wellness and safe spaces in the LGBT community were present including the Center for HIV Educational Studies & Training (CHEST). Jonathan Lopez is the project coordinator of the center which conducts research and promotes strategies to prevent the spread of HIV in LGBT communities.

“There’s a lot of LGBT people that live here in Harlem,” Lopez said. “So I think having uptown spaces — not only just in Manhattan or lower Manhattan, but having this [Harlem] space for us to reclaim and feel safe is important.”

Community tables were not the only attention grabbers. Helen Skipper attended Pride celebrations across the country managing her business for six years. Dozens of attendees crowded her “Pridizmi” vendor waiting to purchase rainbow items during the Harlem event.

“What I noticed was that everyone had flags, but nobody had anything else,” Skipper said. “I thought that everybody deserves rainbow and rainbow shouldn’t just have to come out for pride, and when it does come out it doesn’t have to just be flags and bandanas. So basically I stocked anything and everything rainbow — I have items from the car, the house, your pet, your baby, your couch, your shower.”

As the day went on, people came in and out dancing and eating with friends and family while celebrating Harlem’s LGBT community. As her sales continued Skipper shared a message of what Harlem Pride meant to her.

“We deserve to love, we deserve to figure out who we love, we deserve to show love, we deserve to be loved,” Skipper said. “I belong to this community. Everybody here is my brother and sister. We’re all a family and if we can’t love each other how can we love ourselves?”