Eleventh Annual Black Gay Pride Festival This Weekend

Tonight's the kickoff for the eleventh annual St. Louis Black Pride festival, a celebration of and for black folks in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

"It's just another way of celebrating and acknowledging the diversity we have in St. Louis," says Erise Williams, president of St. Louis Black Pride. "LGBT people of color tend not to be very visible due to cultural issues and homophobia. Just like any other community, we come in all shapes, sizes, colors and styles."

Williams says the larger Pride St. Louis festival, which took place earlier this summer, is great, and that Black Pride isn't meant to compete or detract -- the two complement each other.

Things get into gear tonight with an opening reception and dance at the Regional Arts Commission, 6128 Delmar in the Loop, from 7 p.m. to about 11 p.m. Tomorrow, check out discussions and workshops at RAC from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. and a short film festival starting at 5 p.m. The Black Pride Block Party, put on by Enjoi Entertainment, will be at 312 8th Street  from 9:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Black Pride wraps up with a jazz brunch at Big Moe's in Manchester Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.