TODAY (Feb 26) UK Black Pride, Europe’s largest celebration for African, Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American and Caribbean heritage LGBTQ people, and Stonewall, the lesbian, gay, bi and trans equality charity, have announced a new partnership to transform how the two organisations work with Britain’s diverse BAME LGBT communities.
The focus of the partnership is to build strong relationships with the diverse communities that will support the development of both local and national campaigning efforts of issues affecting these groups.
This work will centre and be led by BAME activists and organisations, like UK Black Pride, to drive meaningful social change and celebrate BAME LGBT people and culture across all of society.
Stonewall research revealing that over half of BAME LGBT people (51 per cent) have faced discrimination from within the LGBT community shows why this work is needed. The partnership will also see Stonewall extend its support for running UK Black Pride and recruit a new full-time member of staff. The postholder will work closely with the UK Black Pride Board and BAME community groups around the UK to drive this work forward.
Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, Executive Director of UK Black Pride, and Ruth Hunt, Chief Executive of Stonewall, said: “We are hugely excited and proud to announce this ground-breaking new partnership between UK Black Pride and Stonewall. We have agreed on a joint programme of work that will transform how our organisations are able to reach and empower Britain’s diverse black, Asian and minority ethnic LGBT communities.
“UK Black Pride and Stonewall have been working together, in different ways, for the last eight years. We are thrilled to be starting this new chapter of deeper engagement and are recruiting a new post to drive this work forward.”
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