Washington, D.C. – March 26, 2014 – This week marks the annual LGBTQ Pride Week at Spelman and Morehouse Colleges in Atlanta, Georgia. This year’s theme is “We are Coming Home” and includes a variety of engaging campus events aimed at celebrating the fearless, creative, and resilient spirits of LGBTQ folks of color; promoting the community and alliance building amongst the Atlanta University Consortium’s student body; and most importantly, affirming and taking pride in LGBT identities–-culturally, spiritually, and holistically.

While the America we live in today is more tolerant and accepting than decades and centuries past, we still have a long and arduous road ahead. Despite false claims that we live in a "post-racial" society, African Americans still face prejudice and systemic racism regularly. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people still combat discrimination and are denied access to basic protections. When you exist at these intersectional identities, simply trying to provide for yourself and your family becomes a battlefield.
At the National Black Justice Coalition, we have been fighting for over a decade to help LGBT African Americans live fully empowered, authentic lives. We know that Black LGBT people can struggle to find acceptance not only in mainstream America, but also within their own LGBT and African American communities. Now we have the figures to back up what we witness firsthand daily.