UK Black Pride 2018: 14 photos of people of color living their best lives

08 Jul 2018

Lewis Oakley at UK Black Pride | Photo: @lewyoaks / Twitter

James is the Family Editor for Gay Star News. Formerly…

UK Black Pride is a celebration of everything LGBTI people of color have to offer.

The annual Pride festival – always held a day after Pride in London – is at the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens in London’s south-west.

It’s an alternative Pride that specifically celebrates people of color.

This is why Black Prides matter

In the words of LGBTI activist Alexander Leon, it exists ‘because white-led Pride events have historically excluded our voice and lived experience.’

Happy Black Pride! We are set to make History, Herstory & TheirStory today as we set our stage. Keep the noise up at #UKBlackPride, Sun 8 July. It’s about Love, Unity, Respect, Inclusion and everyone bringing their best selves. https://t.co/4mIiw0ShvM #shadesofthediaspora 🏳️‍🌈 pic.twitter.com/EMjBJHjwR5

— Phyll Opoku-Gyimah (@MsLadyPhyll) 8 July 2018

He says white allies are welcome to join in the festivities for the day, but they must recognize their privilege in doing so. They must also acknowledge this event is not catered for them so they should act respectfully.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan took to Twitter for a special message today (8 July).

He said in a video: ‘As mayor, I’ll always stand in solidarity with our black LGBT+ community and be an ally in the struggle against prejudice and for equal rights.

‘London’s diversity is one of our city’s greatest strengths and no one should live in fear or feel they have to keep quiet about who they love,’ he also said.

So, without further ado, here are the best photos from UK Black Pride 2018.

UK Black Pride 2018:

A post shared by Stefan (@ill_s01) on Jul 8, 2018 at 8:27am PDT

A post shared by Angeline Bell (@thtgirlangeline) on Jul 8, 2018 at 11:50am PDT

Happy #blackpride Such good vibes here at @ukblackpride pic.twitter.com/nAXFQ3VAIH

— Lewis Oakley (@lewyoaks) 8 July 2018

#BlackPride ready pic.twitter.com/9FwK0Tyjua

— Resident Spice 🌶 (@mangoes_marxism) 8 July 2018

At UK Black Pride 🏳️‍🌈💕 https://t.co/kmLy9RwqhD pic.twitter.com/tnOepD20WL

— marcus (@marcusjdl) 8 July 2018

A post shared by Chidera (@theslumflower) on Jul 8, 2018 at 9:00am PDT

A post shared by BISHI (@bishi_music) on Jul 8, 2018 at 10:59am PDT

A post shared by Dominique Bull (@dominique_bull) on Jul 8, 2018 at 10:59am PDT

i had such a good time at uk black pride!!!! here’s me with a gay postbox pic.twitter.com/z2SpEf6ZrU

— 💤 (@zilchbot) 8 July 2018

A post shared by Thanyia Moore (@thanyiamoore) on Jul 8, 2018 at 10:30am PDT

Black Pride 2018 with Haus of @allaboutfka ✊🏽🏳️‍🌈 pic.twitter.com/TTacxby4g8

— Danny 🧜🏼‍♂️ (@dannynasrous) 8 July 2018

Feeling so proud. #QTIPOC+ #BlackPride #PrideWeekend #Pride2018 @ukblackpride is a major success this year! Hats off to all the team and especially @MsLadyPhyll 👏🏼 👏🏼 🏳️‍🌈 pic.twitter.com/6PeqnZJGo2

— Joshua ‘It’s Coming Home’ Garfield (@JoshuaGarfield) 8 July 2018