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Round-the-clock partying and programming for D.C. Black Pride

Annual Memorial Day weekend event jam packed with seminars, parties, entertainers and more

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Black Pride, gay news, Washington Blade
Last year’s D.C. Black Pride event drew thousands from all over the Eastern seaboard. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Editor’s note: This is a partial list of many events scheduled throughout the weekend. A full version of programming and parties is under “schedule” at  dcblackpride.org.

LADIES’ EVENTS: 

UNLEASHED:

Sweet Temptation All White Party at L8 Lounge

Friday, May 24

10 p.m.-4 a.m.

727 15th St., N.W.

$15 advance; $20 at door

Music by DJ MIM and DJ Sammii Blendz

CANDYLAND 6: Sexiest D.C. Black Pride Day Party at Stadium Club

Saturday, May 25

3-10 p.m.

2127 Queens Chapel Rd., N.E.

$12 in advance: $15 at door

Music by DJs J Stackz, Deluxx, Jai Syncere, Sammii Blendz and DJ MIM

UNLEASHED: D.C. 2K19

Chocolate City

D.C. Black Pride official Mega Ladies Party

Saturday, May 25

Howard Theatre

620 T St., N.W.

11 p.m.-4 a.m.

DJs Jai Syncere and Kid Swag

General admission: $20

VIP $30

VIP table $150

UNLEASHED: The Finale Black Pride Rooftop Party

Pride Closeout Rooftop Day Party

Sunday, May 26

3-9 p.m.

Big Chief

2002 Fenwick St., N.E.

$10 entry

VIP passes available for all events at various pricing levels

Full details at unleasheddc.com

Women in the Life 25th anniversary 

Resilience Reunion

Friday, May 24 

8 p.m.-midnight

Pop-Up Archive Gallery & open mic featuring live concert from BOOMSCAT

Saturday, May 25

9 p.m.

Women in the Life 25th anniversary Resilience Reunion Dance Party

Both events at D.C. Black Pride Hotel

Renaissance Hotel

999 9th St., N.W.

Renaissance Ballroom/lower level

Details at dcblackpride.org

MEN’S PARTIES

Daryl Wilson Promotions Presents

Happy Hour/Meet & Greet

Friday, May 24

3-9 p.m.

Renaissance Hotel

999 9th St., N.W.

Tease: the official All Male Super Party

Friday, May 24

10 p.m.-4 a.m.

Hosted by Gavin Houston (aka Jeffrey Harrington)

Special guest: Monet X Change

Ziegfeld’s/Secrets

1824 Half St., S.W.

D.C. Pride Infamous Day Party

Saturday, May 25

2-9 p.m.

The Park

920 14th St., N.W.

Pride Homecoming

Saturday Night Main Event

Saturday, May 25

10 p.m.-4 a.m.

Miss Shalae (Beyonce impersonator)

City Girls

EchoStage

2135 Queens Chapel Rd., N.E.

Wet and Wild Pool Party

Sunday, May 26

1-8 p.m.

shuttle available from host hotel

The Culture Super Party

Sunday, May 26

9 p.m.-4 a.m.

The Park 

920 14th St., N.W.

Rock the Block

Monday, May 27

indoor/outdoor festival & show

Elevate Super Club

15 K St., N.E.

Naked

All male nude dancers and variety stage show

Monday, May 27

Ziegfelds/Secrets

1824 Half St., S.W.

9 p.m.-2 a.m.

Prices and full details at darylwilsondc.com

Omega Party D.C. events

Opening reception and main pass distribution at host hotel

Friday, May 24

The Fifthy Shades of Noir Warmup at Hard Rock Cafe

Friday, May 24

999 E St., N.W.

8-11 p.m.

3,000 Men Supreme Fantasy Workout

Friday, May 24

With Big Freedia

Karma Super Club 

2221 Adams Pl. N.E.

10 p.m.-4 a.m.

Mega D.C. Black Pride Appreciation Cookout Party

Saturday, May 25

Aqua

1818 New York Ave., N.E.

4-9 p.m.

6K Men Indoor/Outdoor Supreme Fantasy Midnight Festival

Saturday, May 25

Keri Hilson

D.C. Eagle

3701 Benning Rd., N.E.

Six DJs, 20 dancers and thousands of men

10 p.m.-5 a.m.

Pride Manhunt Day Party

Sunday, May 26

Eden on the Rooftop

1716 I St., N.W.

5-9 p.m.

3k Men International Traffic Light Hookup Party

Sunday, May 26

Ultrabar

911 F St., N.W.

Performance by Lightskinkeisha

10 p.m.-4 a.m.

The Apocalypse Meatloaf Chapter XI

Monday, May 27

Stadium Club

2127 Queens Chapel Rd., N.E.

9 p.m.-2:30 a.m.

Weekend passes available. 

For tickets and full details, visit omegapartydc.com

D.C. Black Pride programming

Other weekend highlights (all events at host hotel unless noted otherwise):

Saturday, May 25

Rainbow Row organization and vendor expo — 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Health screenings — 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Workshop: “Building the Tribe” — 10 a.m.-noon

Workshop: “Resume Writing & Interviewing” — 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Workshop: “Black, LGBTQ and Christian” — 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

Workshop: “Ask the Doc: Understanding Health and Wellness” — noon-2 p.m.

ONYX University — noon-5 p.m.

Workshop: “Intro to Government Consulting” — 1-3 p.m.

Workshop: “Trans and Gender Non-conforming Town Hall” — 1-3 p.m.

Literary Cafe: “Remembering Audrey Lorde” — 2-4 p.m.

Workshop: “I Am Impact” storytelling — 2-4 p.m.

Workshop: “Substance Abuse, HIV and Suicide Among Black Queer Communities” — 2-4 p.m.

Workshop: “Trans and Non-binary Youth Town Hall” — 3-4:30 p.m.

7th annual PWAP Party With a Purpose — 3:30-7:30 p.m.

Tranquility Lounge — 3:30-8 p.m.

D.C. Black Pride Mary Bowman Poetry Slam — 6-9 p.m.

Sunday, May 26

Pride Praise Party — 9 a.m.-noon

Pride in Harmony Sunday Funday Brunch and Open Mic

Exhale Bar & Lounge

1006 Florida Ave., N.E.

Sounds of Pride Concert — 1:30-5 p.m.

“One Night Stands” by African-American Collective Theater — 4 and 8 p.m.

First Congregational United Church of Christ

945  G St., N.W

Monday, May 27

Pride in the Park — 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

Fort Dupont Park

Minnesota Ave., S.E.

One of D.C. Black Pride’s longest-serving and most diligent volunteers doesn’t live in the region. 

C. Hawkins, a black, gay Boston resident, went to D.C. Black Pride for the first time in 2002 on a whim with friends just after graduating from college. He started volunteering immediately.

“Part of it’s being from the South, we’re always willing to help out,” he says. “There was a call for volunteers and part of it was we didn’t want to pay to get into something, but if we volunteered we got in for free. When you’re in your 20s, that’s your motive. I can’t remember exactly. This was when it was at the old Washington Convention Center and it used to cost to get into some of the events but we wanted to save our money to go out, not to attend something in the daytime, so it just kind of went on from there.”

Hawkins, 41, kept helping out and attending over the years — he’s only missed twice since ’02 — because there was nothing like it when he lived in Chapel Hill, N.C., or when he moved to Boston for work four years ago. 

“They would say they have Black Pride up here but I would say we don’t,” he says. “It’s just grouped in with the general pride, it’s very small and more lesbian-oriented. We just don’t have as many black gay people up here in Boston, so coming to D.C. gives me another outlet to interact.”

Kenya Hutton, D.C. Black Pride’s program director, and, like Hawkins, a volunteer, says this year’s programming “seems to have taken on a mind of its own.” Events are held at various venues but much of the programming takes place at the host hotel, the Renaissance (999 9th St., N.W.). Full schedule and details at  HYPERLINK “http://dcblackpride.org/” \t “_blank” dcblackpride.org. 

Black Pride programs for the 29th annual event have been happening all week, although the official dates are Friday, May 24 through Monday, May 27. This year’s theme is “Our TRUTHS in HARMONY: D.C. Black Pride 2019” and as in years past, it’s a solid week of programming — open mics, seminars on health, faith and other topics, a poetry slam and more — with nearly round-the-clock partying opportunities for both men and women. 

In recent years, the promoters and Black Pride volunteers have settled into a more symbiotic relationship. On one hand, there’s a lot of money to be made by charging people to attend parties and see big-name acts like Kerri Hilson, Big Freeda and City Girls, but the more serious offerings, exhibits, workshops and even worship services give the whole thing gravitas. The Black Pride website says “something for everyone — D.C.B.P. is packed with all types of activities,” and it’s true.

“A lot of this comes from the community telling us what they would like to see,” Hutton, who’s ben with the organization nine years, says. “It’s a good feeling to know this is something we’re doing by and for the community.”

Highlights Hutton singles out for this year include:

• a different approach to tonight’s opening reception. Black Pride planners reached out to a diverse group of regional organizations — everything from Team Rayceen, Pretty Boi Drag, May Is? All About Trans and dozens more — to co-present the event. It’s at 7 p.m. tonight and is sold out. Hutton says the rationale for the new approach was to show what the black LGBT people can accomplish by working together. It also ties into the harmony theme of this year’s motto. 

• An “Ask the Doc” workshop on Saturday afternoon with health care professionals for men, women and trans attendees who can ask anything they want. Questions can also be posed anonymously or texted from those watching via a live webstream.

• Career-oriented workshops such as “Resume Writing & Interviewing” and “Intro to Government Consulting,” also on Saturday at the host hotel.

• a trans and gender-nonconforming youth town hall for ages 29 and younger Saturday at 1 p.m.

• the D.C. Black Pride Mary Bowman Poetry Slam on Saturday evening where 13 poets will compete for top prizes. The event was named for the event’s former organizer, a lesbian who died unexpectedly last week. 

Other events were held earlier in the week.

On Thursday, a Unity Ball was held with competition and prizes. 

The annual Awards Reception was held Tuesday at The Park at 14th. One of this year’s honorees is profiled in Queery on page 36.

Black Pride volunteers (there are six) work pretty much year round on the event. The event has rebounded, Hutton says, after “a dip about four-five years ago.”

“It’s refreshing to see it once again rise to the status as one of the most organized Black Pride events around,” he says.

Attendance estimates for the past couple years have been about 30,000. Hutton expects it to be higher this year. Folks from as far away as South America, U.K. and even Mozambique have e-mailed organizers of their plans to attend. 

It’s impossible to know for sure, but Hawkins says about 65 percent of attendees are non-D.C.-area residents. 

Hutton says doing the work each year is a labor of love.

“We have people who have been helping with this for 20 years,” he says. “We just don’t get the kind of sponsorship levels that would allow us to get paid. We do it because we want to and because our heart is in it. We really want to showcase and provide for the community.”

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‘Tiger’ burning bright: an interview with Mary Timony

Today’s female-driven music scene wouldn’t be the same without her

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Mary Timony is back with a new album. (Photo by Chris Grady)

It’s hard to imagine what the current female-driven music scene would be like without Mary Timony. From Sleater-Kinney to Haim, from Angel Olsen to Mitski, the influence of Mary Timony is in every note being played, every word being sung. On her new solo album, “Untame The Tiger” (Merge), with its sly nod to Joni Mitchell, Timony has brought her many years of musical experience to the fore, resulting in what is easily her most accessible release. Beginning with the incredible six-plus minute opener “No Thirds” and continuing through the first single, “Dominoes,” and gorgeous numbers including “The Guest,” “The Dream,” and “Not The Only One,” Timony is assured to keep listeners purring along. Timony made time for an interview shortly before the album was released.

BLADE: Mary, I’d like to begin by talking to you about your musical lives in D.C. and Boston. I went to college in Boston in the early 1980s and was constantly amazed by the bands of the era such as Mission of Burma, Human Sexual Response, and ‘Til Tuesday. I moved to D.C. in the mid-1980s to go to grad school, and at the time, the music scene there was dominated by go-go music, and a smaller indie music featuring BETTY and the late Tommy Keene, among others. What do you remember about the music in D.C. as someone who grew up there?

MARY TIMONY: That’s interesting. We kind of did a switcheroo. I’m from D.C. and I moved to Boston. (In D.C.) I learned, as a teenager, about rock shows and rock music from being involved in the punk scene, the post-hardcore scene of kids here. Those are the shows I went to in high school. Basically, the Dischord (Records) bands and stuff. I saw every single Fugazi show from when they started in ’87. Before that, whatever was happening in 1985, hardcore shows by Swiz and Soulside and Kingface and I loved Ignition. Other than that, I would go see bluegrass out in Virginia and I loved go-go. I would go to see (go-go bands) Rare Essence and Trouble Funk. I was very into that stuff; that was really exciting. I think I liked go-go the most out of all of it, actually [laughs]. I would go to DC Space and 9:30 (Club), mostly for local (acts). I don’t think I ever saw BETTY, but I was a teenager then.

BLADE: Was the active music scene in Boston in the early 1990s part of the appeal for you when it came to relocating to Boston to attend Boston University?

TIMONY: The reason why I went there was because I wanted to go to a music program that was in a big university, in case I didn’t wanna study music the whole time, which is exactly what happened. I studied classical guitar for a year and then I didn’t really like the program much, so I transferred to study English. I found out about the (Boston) music scene from friends. We went to The Middle East (nightclub) and TT’s (T.T. The Bear’s nightclub). Then after college, I ended up living right down the street from The Middle East and I was there constantly.

BLADE: Good old Central Square! As a performer playing in bands including Autoclave, Helium, and Ex Hex, and as a solo artist with her own band, it’s not unreasonable to say that Mary, you are someone who plays well with others. 

TIMONY: [Big laugh.]

BLADE: What makes you such a good team player?

TIMONY: I didn’t know I was [laughs]. I’ve gone back and forth between doing solo stuff and being in bands. Mostly, I’ve done projects where I’ve written a bunch of songs and I’m trying to…I haven’t done a ton of collaborative stuff really. Ex Hex was fun because it was more collaborative. Wild Flag, the same thing, totally 100% collaborative in every way. But Helium was really my thing, but I got some great people that totally influenced it. I’ve always been doing my own thing but tried to find really good people. Music really is about connection. It’s never as good if it’s only one person’s vision. Usually, if it’s good it’s good because of the connection between the musicians. Music is a social art form, I think.

BLADE: “Untame The Tiger” is the title of your new album. In 1999, Joni Mitchell titled her album “Taming The Tiger.” Are you, in any way, making a nod to Joni?

TIMONY: A little bit because I am a huge fan. I have been since I was 18. But, it sort of came to me because I have a song called that on the record and I’m sure that probably came from ripping off Joni Mitchell. Then I just thought that’s a cool name for a record. Then I thought, “Oh, shit!” [Laughs] It’s already been taken! Then I thought about it and then I forgot about it. Then I thought about it again and finally, I was like, “It’s OK. It’s a little bit different.” And I love her!

BLADE: I’m currently reading Ann Powers’ book “Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell,” which comes out in June.

TIMONY: Oh, I’m definitely going to have to read.

BLADE: Yes, please add that to your reading list. “Untame The Tiger” is your first new solo studio album in 15 years. Are there things you write and sing about on your solo records that might be out of place on an album you would record with another one of your musical outfits?

TIMONY: Yes. That’s why this ended up being a solo record. I guess it was because of the tuning of my guitar. They were more or less finished songs. I wanted the songs to sound kind of acoustic. I also wanted to play with a bunch of musicians who I really love. All those things just made it seem like a solo record. If I’m writing for a band, like Ex Hex, which is basically the other band that I do right now, they’re not finished. I bring them in (to the band members) with that band in mind.

BLADE: I love the lush instrumental section on “Thirds” and the psychedelic sounds of “Looking For The Sun” and “The Guest.” Were there things you were listening to while writing the songs for “Untame The Tiger” that were inspiring to you?

TIMONY: I was listening to a lot of music, a ton of stuff. I don’t ever try to purposely emulate anything very often, but I can’t help it. I’d rather be influenced by stuff without really thinking about it too consciously. I always have loved listening to The Left Banke’s instrumentation and The Moody Blues’ string parts. Most of the string parts come from trying to emulate The Moody Blues [laughs] or The Left Banke. I’m obsessed with The Left Banke.

BLADE: “Walk Away Renée,” right?

TIMONY: Yes. This guy, Michael Brown, was such a genius. He wrote so much stuff as a teenager. His dad was a string arranger. Anyway, I love those string parts. I was listening to this prog-rock band The Strawbs and this early (Ronnie) Dio band Elf. (The Flying) Burrito Brothers and The Byrds, too. I love Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span. Richard Thompson and I was really obsessed with Gerry Rafferty’s early solo record called “Can I Have My Money Back?” I love that record. I was listening to it a ton when I was arranging the songs.

BLADE: Why was the song “Dominoes” selected as the first single from “Untame The Tiger?”

TIMONY: I don’t know. I let other people tell me [laughs]. I really hate sequencing records and I hate choosing singles. I’m just too close to it. I can’t tell what people are going to like or not. A lot of times, the ones that I like are not the ones that other people like. I asked (the people at) the label and they suggested that. I think it’s more poppy sounding. Dave Fridmann mixed that one and “Don’t Disappear” and he’s a genius mixer. and these mixers are always very pleasing and accessible sounding. I think that has something to do with it, too.

BLADE: Earlier, we talked about your long history of playing music with others, which reminded me of your guest spot singing “All Dressed Up In Dreams,” written by gay singer/songwriter Stephin Merritt for his band The 6ths’ “Wasps’ Nest” album. 

TIMONY: He’s such a genius!

BLADE: How did that come about?

TIMONY: When I moved to Boston, for a year I lived with Claudia (Gonson of Merritt’s band The Magnetic Fields), who is his drummer. I lived in a group house in Cambridge. I was friends with Claudia, and Stephin lived a few blocks away. She told me he was making this record with guest singers they wanted to go over and sing on it. I went over there one day and he taught me the song and I sang on it.  I think he’s one of the best songwriters of the last 50 years or whatever.

BLADE: I completely agree. As someone who has collaborated with Stephin, are you aware of an LGBTQ+ following for your own music?

TIMONY: I don’t know. I think maybe a little bit. I’d love that. I love everybody who can connect with it, because all I’m trying to do is connect with people.

Mary Timony (Photo by Chris Grady)
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Sherry Vine is turning 60 — and she’s not quitting anytime soon

Legendary drag queen coming to D.C. for new show, ‘Smoke and Mirrors’

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Sherry Vine performs in D.C. on March 9. (Photo courtesy of Sherry Vine)

There are many things Sherry Vine is proud of. Throughout her 33-year-long career, the drag queen has accomplished so much — she’s released music, launched her own variety show and toured across the United States and Europe. 

But what she loves the most about her career is making people laugh. 

This calling to be a comedy queen started before her formal drag career. In high school, she remembers taking part in the musicals, and Vine would find joy in making people laugh by wittily changing song lyrics. 

“Then it just evolved into doing that as the act,” Vine said in an interview with the Blade. 

From the beginning of her career, she’s made singing live parodies a central part of her performance as a drag queen. And for her 60th birthday, she knew she wanted to put on an extravaganza. 

Vine is coming to the Woolly Mammoth on March 9 while on tour for her new show “Smoke and Mirrors,” performed and written by her. It’ll include new parodies, from Bruce Springsteen to ABBA. The D.C.-based drag queen Tara Hoot will be a special guest at the show. 

There’s a lot that led up to this milestone year for Vine. It all started with developing her character more than 30 years ago. 

Developing Sherry Vine

Vine describes her persona as a down-on-her-luck showgirl from Las Vegas with a heart of gold. 

She was always obsessed with stars like Joey Heatherton and Stella Stevens. Not to suggest those stars are down-on-their-luck showgirls, Vine said, but she wanted to evoke a sex kitten mentality. Her character eventually morphed into what it is today from these inspirations. 

But at first, Vine said she thought she had to look funny to be funny. 

“I didn’t care about the makeup. I didn’t wear big breasts. I just thought I had to look like a clown,” Vine said. 

When she moved to New York City in 1992, she was surrounded by queens who balanced being funny and gorgeous simultaneously. That was eye-opening for her, she said. 

Now, she relishes surprising people, she said. She’s been told she looks “too pretty” to be taken for a comedy queen, but that’s OK with her. 

“I want to walk out on stage, and anyone who’s never seen me, maybe they’re like, ‘Oh, she looks good,’” Vine said. “And then I started singing about poop and penis and they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, she’s so stupid.’”

When she was starting out as a drag queen, Vine reflected that she didn’t envision doing drag as a career. She remembers not wanting to commit to it. She wanted to be a movie star, she said. 

“I kind of fought it. I loved it,” Vine said. “But I was like, I’m not doing this as a career.’”

But once she let go of fighting it, her career exploded. She got connected with RuPaul and was on two television specials in the 1990s. That support was crucial, Vine said, and helped her believe in herself more. 

“I was like, ‘Oh, OK. If this person thinks that I have something, then maybe I do,’” Vine said. 

Drag has changed — a lot 

(Photo courtesy of Sherry Vine)

The drag scene has changed drastically. Vine credits a lot of this transformation to “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” 

“When we started doing drag 30 years ago, no one in their right mind would have been like, ‘I’m going to do drag so I can make a lot of money and be famous,’” Vine said. 

Before RuPaul’s iconic single “Supermodel (You Better Work),” one of the only examples of drag the average consumer saw was “Mrs. Doubtfire,” Vine said.  

“You had to have a passion for it,” Vine said. “You had to have a calling.”

When Vine started, drag was a fringe art form that had an audience of mostly gay men. 

Nowadays, it’s mainstream. Drag is enjoyed by a much wider audience, and is more of a way to become famous. When Vine was coming up in the industry, there were few ways to get on TV and in films as a drag queen, short of playing a character that was murdered on “Law & Order,” she said. 

But even though drag has evolved and grown in popularity, Vine’s advice to drag queens has stayed the same over the years. 

“Don’t try to do something because you think someone else is doing it successfully,” Vine said. “Find what you do, and then exploit and explore that.”

Looking back, looking ahead 

Out of her multi-decade run as a drag queen, Vine said she’s most proud of the longevity of her career. There are a few people who have been in it as long as she has — Lady Bunny and Miss Coco Peru, for example. Few others have made it as long as Vine, she said.  

She stresses that she can’t take credit for creating things, but she takes pride in being one of the first drag queens to go viral on YouTube in the 2000s. Her “Bad Romance” parody, released in 2009, racked up more than 6 million views over the years. 

In the next few years, she’s looking into doing more television and film projects. Her latest show, “The Sherry Vine Variety Show,” just wrapped filming its third season. Creating this show is fulfilling a childhood dream of hers, she said. It’s an homage to “The Carol Burnett Show,” which Vine grew up watching. 

Whether it’s performing on camera or onstage, Vine doesn’t see herself quitting anytime soon. 

“I love performing and drag as much now as I did 33 years ago,” Vine said. “So I don’t see ever stopping.”

To get details on how to buy tickets to “Smoke and Mirrors,” visit woollymammoth.net/productions/sherry-vine.

(Image courtesy of Sherry Vine)
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Girls Rock! DC empowers young people through music, social justice education

Organization founded in October 2007

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Youth leaders of Girls Rock DC! (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Girls Rock! DC, an organization operating at the intersection of art and activism, is dedicated to empowering young people through music and social justice education. 

Since its founding in October 2007; Girls Rock! DC has been creating a supportive, inclusive and equitable space that centers around girls and nonbinary youth, with a special emphasis on uplifting Black and Brown youth. At the core of Girls Rock! DC’s mission is a unique approach to music education, viewing it through a social justice and equity lens. 

“It’s a place where people can come explore their interest in music in a safe environment, figure out their own voice, and have a platform to say it,” Board Vice Chair Nicole Savage said.

This approach allows D.C.’s young people to build a sense of community and explore their passion for social change through after-school programs, workshops and camps.

The organization’s roots trace back to the first rock camp for girls in August 2001 in Portland, Ore. Similar camps have emerged worldwide since then, forming the International Girls Rock Camp Alliance. Girls Rock! DC is a member of this alliance, contributing to the larger community’s growth and advocacy for inclusivity in the music industry.

Girls Rock! DC’s annual programs now serve more than 100 young people and 20 adults, offering after-school programs and camps. Participants receive instruction on the electric guitar, the electric bass, keyboards, drum kits and other instruments or on a microphone and form bands to write and perform their own original songs. Beyond music, the program includes workshops on underrepresented histories in the music industry, community injustice issues and empowerment topics that include running for office and body positivity.

“I’ve been playing shows in the D.C. music scene for about six years, and I feel like Girls Rock! DC is the perfect amalgamation of everything that I stand for,” said Outreach Associate Lily Mónico. “So many music spaces are male dominated and I think there is a need for queer femme youth in music.”

Lily Mónico (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The organization’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is evident not only in its leadership but also in the way it creates a safe space for queer and nonbinary individuals. Language is a crucial component, and Girls Rock! DC ensures that both campers and volunteers embrace inclusivity. 

“It is a very open and creative space, where there’s no judgment,” Zadyn Higgins, one of the youth leaders, emphasized. “It is the first time for a lot of us, to be in a space where we’re truly able to be ourselves.”

In creating a safe environment, Girls Rock! DC implements practices that include name tags with preferred names and pronouns, along with pronoun banners that help kids understand and respect diverse identities. 

“It’s really cool to watch these kids understand and just immediately get it,” said Higgins. 

Zadyn Higgins (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Girls Rock! DC is also more than a music education organization; it’s a community where individuals can embark on a transformative journey that extends beyond their initial participation as campers. Many start their Girls Rock! DC experience as enthusiastic campers, learning to play instruments, forming bands and expressing their creativity in a supportive environment. The organization’s impact, however, doesn’t stop there. This inspiration leads them to volunteer and intern within the organization. 

The unique progression from camper to volunteer or intern, and eventually to a full-fledged role within the organization, exemplifies Girls Rock! DC as a place where growth is not confined to a single week of camp but extends into an ongoing, impactful journey. It’s a testament to the organization’s commitment to nurturing talent, empowering individuals and fostering a lifelong connection with the values for which Girls Rock! DC stands.

One of the highlights of Girls Rock! DC is its summer camp, where kids between 8-18 learn to play instruments, form bands, write songs and perform in just one week. Higgins shared a poignant moment from a showcase,

“To see them go from, like, crying a little bit about how scared they were to going out on the stage and performing their little hearts out was so sweet,” said Higgins.

(Photo courtesy of Frankie Amitrano of Girls Rock! D.C.)

Nzali Mwanza-Shannon, another youth leader, agreed that the camp is the highlight of the program. 

“The summer camp, I’ve met so many friends, and it’s always kind of scary coming up to the end, but after we get to perform and everything, I’m so grateful that I’ve gotten the opportunity to perform and meet new people and be so creative and do it all in a week,” said Mwanza-Shannon.

Forty-three young people who showcased their original songs and DJ sets at D.C.’s legendary 9:30 Club attended the first Girls Rock! DC camp in 2007. They performed to a crowd of 700 enthusiastic fans. The organization since then has grown exponentially, with each passing year bringing more energy, vibrancy and fun to the camp experience.

Since the pandemic, however, the organization has struggled financially, experiencing a funding shortage as well as reduced growth in attracting new members. 

Augusta Smith, who is a youth leader and a member of the band Petrichor, expressed concern about the potential impact on the unique and friendly environment that Girls Rock! DC provides. 

“We’ve kind of been really slow and barely making enough money. And this year, we’re having a funding shortage,” said Smith. 

The impact of Girls Rock! DC extends beyond musical skills, fostering leadership, self-expression and a passion for social change through creative collaboration and community power-building. Mwanza-Shannon hopes to be a part of Girls Rock! DC for a long time, 

“I want to keep on meeting new people,” said Mwanza-Shannon. “I want to keep on being able to perform at these different places and have different experiences.”

(Photo courtesy of Frankie Amitrano of Girls Rock! DC)
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