Arts & Entertainment
DC Black Pride to return in-person this year
‘Bigger. Bolder. The original is back.’
Since 1991, Black LGBTQ people and their allies have flocked to the streets of D.C. during Memorial Day Weekend to celebrate the beauty of the Black LGBTQ community and to raise awareness and funding to combat HIV/AIDS. Now, after a two-year hiatus triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s Black Pride has returned with a focus on creating community.
“This is really the place to be if you’re Black and queer in D.C.,” said Kenya Hutton, deputy director for the Center for Black Equity, an LGBTQ advocacy organization that plans the event. Hutton has been involved in planning DC Black Pride for the past 13 years.
“There is a heavy buzz early on about Black Pride [this year],” he said.
This year’s events will run for four days, and will attract both a local and international audience including LGBTQ advocates from England, France, and Ghana.
“We have two members from the House of Garcon coming in from Paris,” said Hutton. “A lot of international people are coming to D.C., and after a two-year hiatus, the hunger to be back [is there].”
The weekend will commence with an opening reception on Friday, May 27 at 5 p.m. at the Renaissance Washington D.C. The event, also presented by Impulse DC and Us Helping Us, People Into Living, Inc., will feature live performances by Queen Diva Big Freedia and Atlantic Recording artist Tai’aysha. There will also be special appearances by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and other guests who will be announced at the event. The event is free — registration is available on Eventbrite— and also includes two drink tickets.
Other events to look out for during DC Black Pride include kickoff events such as the Unity Ball on Thursday, May 25 at 9 p.m. at Karma DC hosted by commentator Kirk “Boom” Balenciaga, with music performances by DJ Tony Play, and the official Saturday night main event— “The White Party”— which will feature a performance by rapper and social media star Saucy Santana on Saturday, May 28 at 10 p.m. at Echostage.
In addition to the celebratory events, there will also be workshops focusing on a myriad of topics such as LGBTQ health, diversity, body positivity, and a writer’s forum.
The Black Pride Wellness Suite Open will be on Friday, May 27 at 2 p.m. at Renaissance Washington DC. The event, sponsored by DC Health, will provide HIV and full panel STD testing, safer sex kits and harm reduction supplies, and same-day PrEP initiation and PEP to those eligible.
“Becoming You: The Body Positivity Workshop” will be on Saturday, May 28 at 11 a.m. at Renaissance Washington DC. The workshop will be hosted by Tonka Garcon, from the HBO hit show “Legendary,” who will guide attendees on how to build self-confidence, love, and appreciation “without feeling left out.”
The writer’s forum will be on Saturday, May 28 at 2 p.m. and will be hosted by author James Earl Hardy who has written books such as “Men of the House” and “B-Boy Blues.”
Given that DC Black Pride will take place with the backdrop of the May 14 Buffalo, N.Y., shooting and other recent incidents in D.C. as well, the Center for Black Equity has boosted its security measures to ensure that attendees are safe.
“We are working closely with the Maryland Police Department [and] one of their officers will walk through an active shooter training [with our staff],” said Hutton.
Hutton added that because the pandemic took away the Black LGBTQ community’s ability to gather for two years, it is essential that guests leave the event feeling a sense of belonging.
“This is home. This is where it starts. This is our culture,” he said. “DC Black Pride is always home for queer people.”
Studies report that the pandemic disproportionately affected LGBTQ individuals’ mental health.
LGBTQ people faced mental health and substance abuse problems at higher rates than their non-LGBTQ peers due to lower incomes, fewer work opportunities and a lack of access to adequate healthcare, according to 2021 health analyses by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Other studies also show that 16% of Black people reported having a mental illness, and 26% of people who reported a severe mental illness over the past year are men, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
To bring to light the importance of mental health and wellness in the LGBTQ community, other organizations such as D.C. nonprofit group Us Helping Us will host events “to understand the complex issues of intersectionality that Black, gay, transgender, and bisexual men face.”
Us Helping Us will host “Pride Festival in Park” on Monday, May 30 at 12 p.m. at Ford Dupont Park. The organization works to improve the health and well-being of Black men with HIV and AIDS, and will partner with Amerigroup DC for Monday’s event.
“Every day, we see the impact our mental health services have on our clients, whether it be through individual appointments with our therapists or counselors or our support groups,” said DeMarc A. Hickson, the nonprofit’s executive director in a press release. “Mental health is critical to keeping our clients healthy physically.”
The fourth annual Equality Prince William Pride was held at the Harris Pavilion in Manassas, Va. on Saturday, May 17.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The Washington Blade held its 18th annual Summer Kickoff Party in Rehoboth Beach, Del., on Friday, May 16. Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer spoke along with State Sen. Russ Huxtable, CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Kim Leisey, Blade Editor Kevin Naff, and Clear Space Theatre Managing Director Joe Gfaller. The event raises funds for the Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship in Journalism, which was awarded to AU student Abigail Hatting.
(Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)
In some fowl fiction foreshadowing, a gay-owned chicken joint has come home to roost on U Street, taking a page from the chicken window subplot on the HBO show “Looking.”
Last Friday, Lucky Pollo – much more than just a takeout window – stretched its wings atop the busy nightlife corner of 14th and U Streets NW.
Behind the poultry production place is Zach Renovátes, a D.C.-based nightlife operator and managing partner of LGBTQ venues Bunker and District Eagle, as well as the LGBTQ event production company KINETIC Presents.
Renovátes opened Bunker in February 2023 and District Eagle in January of this year. Lucky Pollo is the third in his growing gay empire, though this time there are noshes.
“Lucky Pollo was meant to be fun and a little provocative,” Renovátes said.
Based around its Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, Lucky Pollo is a quick-service restaurant boasting a small menu of poultry and sides. Renovátes says that the dishes are deeply rooted in Peruvian culinary tradition, “a playful experience alongside seriously good food.”
Lucky Pollo’s signature chicken is steeped in a dozen-plus-spice marinade for 24 hours. The meat is then slow-roasted, rotisserie-style, over oak-wood charcoal. Chicken options include quarter, half, and whole.
Helming the kitchen at Lucky Pollo is Chef Luis Herrera, who brings Peruvian recipes passed down through three generations, including his grandmother Laura’s original creations.
Beyond the full bird, the menu features Peruvian-inspired sides like yuca fries (“I personally love these,” says Renovátes) and fried plantains, as well as comfort classics such as mac and cheese and mashed potatoes, and bowls, wraps, and salads. Herrera oversees development of the multiple sauces (including staff favorite, the “secret green sauce”), crafted in-house using traditional Peruvian ingredients.
Lucky Pollo, in its streetside perch, is an independent concept from District Eagle, open to the public and staying open late (3 a.m. on weekends) to serve both nightlife guests and the wider U Street crowd hungry for late-night bites. However, just beyond the kitchen, tucked in the back lies a vintage 1950s candy machine—labeled “Out of Order,” which serves as the door leading to subterranean District Eagle.
Renovátes notes that when District Eagle is open, security staff will maintain a strict two-line policy, ensuring that those seeking meat to eat will not get entwined with those looking to gain access to District Eagle.
Lucky Pollo unites the need for sustenance with the idea of a bit of fortune, given its motto, “Get Lucky” and the whimsical brand mascot: a leather-booted chicken perched on a horseshoe. Renovátes and his District Eagle business partner had always been interested in opening a restaurant, and the Lucky Pollo space was indeed lucky: It already came with a functional kitchen. Plus, he says, the nearby fast-casual places around 14th and U streets “don’t offer a lot of quality options,” so opening the chicken spot “was a no-brainer.”
The space, designed by NYC creative Jasin Cadic, blends theatrical street-art-style vibes with Keith Haring-inspired wall prints, neon signs, and ceiling-hung chicken figurines —”some edgy, some sweet,” says Renovátes —creating an immersive, playful atmosphere. Lucky Pollo and District Eagle maintain separate amenities for their respective customers.
Lucky Pollo opened last week with a competition to devour a whole rotisserie chicken in the fastest time, with the winner earning $1,000 and a framed spot on the restaurant’s “Wall of Fame.” The opening also featured other games and prizes, and a full crowd spilling out the door.
“We want it to be a great place to eat, but also serve as a playful front for something completely unexpected.” Renovátes says.
On weekends especially, he jokes, the motto will be, ‘Come for the chicken, stay for the cock.’”
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