Local
Rapper Wale appears at Black Pride, apologizes
Booking agent fired for ‘miscommunication’
In an unexpected turn of events, rapper Wale appeared for a brief performance at Sunday’s D.C. Black Pride festival and apologized for an earlier decision to cancel his scheduled booking as the event’s lead entertainer.
The nationally recognized rapper and D.C. native told Black Pride organizers through a spokesperson May 28 that his decision to cancel his appearance for Sunday’s festival at the Washington Convention Center was due to a “miscommunication” on the part of one of his agents.
“The one thing I stand for is hip-hop music, and hip-hop music knows no race, no color, no age, no gender, no sexual orientation — none of that,” he told a cheering crowd after arriving on the festival stage.
“So the most important thing about it is the music, and it makes the people happy. That’s why we’re here.
“But I will say sometimes in this business you’re aligned with people who don’t understand that and don’t necessarily have the same beliefs as you do. And I apologize for not having my best foot forward … and I’m going to do better, as we all do.
“Every day we’ve got to do better. So I apologize on behalf of my team for not being the way they are supposed to be. Now with that said, can we have some fun right now?”
In response, people in the audience shouted, “Yea!”
Wale’s appearance was followed by J. Holiday, an R&B singer who was booked after Wale’s announcement that he had cancelled his appearance at Black Pride.
Holiday said he was pleased to be performing at the event and welcomed his fans from the LGBT community.
Earlier in the day, other local entertainers performed at the festival as several dozen local and national LGBT organizations and various commercial vendors interacted with attendees in booths set up in the convention center’s large exhibit hall, where the festival was held.
Among those attending the event was D.C. City Council Chairman Vincent Gray (D-At Large), who is challenging Mayor Adrian Fenty in the September Democratic primary. Fenty did not attend the event, but his Office of LGBT Affairs set up a festival booth.
Other officials to attend were Council members Kwame Brown (D-At Large), who is running for Gray’s Council chairman seat, and Harry Thomas (D-Ward 5). Council members Phil Mendelson (D-At Large), David Catania (I-At Large), and Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) attended a separate reception May 28 kicking off Black Pride weekend.
Longtime participants in the event noted that attendance was down this year compared to previous Black Pride festivals.
Earl Fowlkes, a board member and spokesperson for Black Pride, said the drop in attendance might have been due to the economic downturn, which likely made it harder for people to attend from throughout the mid-Atlantic region. Out-of-town participants have long made up a large percentage of D.C. Black Pride’s crowds.
Fowlkes, who is president of the International Association of Black Prides, said the recent trend of holding Black Pride festivals in other cities, including Atlanta, also was a factor in the lower attendance at D.C.’s event. D.C. was the first U.S. city to hold a Black Pride celebration.
Wale had initially been billed as the lead entertainer at the 20th annual D.C. Black Pride Legacy Festival & Wellness Expo.
But Fowlkes said event organizers were startled last month when they received two e-mails from Wale’s agent, one saying the rapper had to cancel due to “family obligations,” and another saying he didn’t know Black Pride was a gay-related event when he agreed to appear.
According to Fowlkes, Black Pride organizers made it clear from the start that Black Pride is an LGBT event and most of the attendees would be LGBT people.
“Black Pride now believes that as a result of failed communications between the booking agent and the artist, Wale was booked for an event after notifying management that he would be taking a few weeks off to focus on family issues,” says a statement Black Pride organizers released May 28.
“D.C. Black Pride regrets that these communications (or lack thereof) resulted in the community perception that the artist did not appreciate nor want to perform for his gay and lesbian fans,” says the statement. “The principal agent responsible for the miscommunication has been terminated.”
Upon learning that Wale had cancelled his appearance at Black Pride, organizers arranged for Holiday to replace Wale as the headliner performer. Holiday took to Black Pride’s stage after Wale delivered his remarks to the crowd and performed two songs.
As planned after the mix-up surrounding Wale’s appearance, Holiday gave a full performance as the day’s lead entertainer, including some of his songs that rose to the top of the Billboard Top 100 Chart.
Wale became a nationally recognized rapper in 2006, when his song “Dig Dug (Shake It)” led to his record company contracts and appearances on MTV.
“It was very apparent that Wale was sincere about wanting to clear up any misconceptions that he was homophobic,” said Jimma Elliott-Stevens, a D.C. Black Pride board member and attorney who represented Black Pride in its negotiations with Wale’s representatives.
“This experience was very important for the LGBT community as it showed that we will not be invisible within and outside the black community,” said Fowlkes.
Delaware
New LGBTQ visitor center slated for Wilmington, Del.
The Collective to feature gift shop, queer museum, more
During Pride month this year, the Delaware Sexuality and Gender Collective (DSGC) announced plans for “The Collective,” the first LGBTQ+ visitor center in Wilmington in nearly 40 years.
“We’ve been talking about the concept of a brick-and-mortar space for a long time,” said Noah Duckett, co-founder of the DSGC.
A licensed clinical social worker, Duckett co-founded DSGC with his mother, Julissa Corianno, in 2018. Established under Sussex Pride, the DSGC serves as a hub for leaders and organizations working directly with LGBTQ+ communities throughout Delaware.
“Our vision for The Collective is a place where our community can come to learn, create, work, and be inspired,” said Corianno.
The Collective will feature a visitor center and gift shop highlighting LGBTQ-owned businesses in Delaware.
“I think that this is something that’s going to benefit our community so much,” said Duckett.
Some of the LGBTQ-owned businesses that DSGC has already partnered with include Stressed Induced Art Attack, Moonbeam Art Collaborative, Voce Coffee, Groovy Gemini Co., Scout Cafe, Macaron Social, and Huxley and Hiro.
“Specifically in Wilmington, we haven’t had an LGBTQ-dedicated space in almost 40 years,” said Duckett.
The last LGBTQ community center in Wilmington was The Griffin Community Center, which was open for only a few years in the 1990s.
“The Griffin was a community space in the ’90s, founded by our friends James and Evo, who are so incredible and have been so supportive throughout this process,” said Duckett.
Duckett said the DSGC hopes to carry on The Griffin’s legacy.
“I think now more than ever, there’s more and more spaces closing their doors. More and more spaces are losing funding, seeing reduced funding and reduced access, especially LGBTQ+ organizations and communities,” said Duckett.
The Collective will also feature Delaware’s first LGBTQ history museum, curated by queer historian Carolanne Deal.
“We don’t have any permanent displays in the state about Delaware’s queer history, and we want people to be able to access that history any day of the year, not just during Pride month,” said Deal.
With a master’s degree in art history for museum professionals, Deal has more than seven years of experience in curatorial work and hands-on collections care.
“It’s mainly going to be a graphic display with photographs, articles, and accessible text that draws people in and creates a story for the community,” said Deal.
Although the museum will not initially have an object collection, Deal said she hopes to add physical archival pieces in the future.
“Delaware has been at the forefront of a lot of queer civil rights, and it’ll be really amazing to have that enshrined in a permanent display that’s not only up for Pride month,” said Deal.
Duckett said DSGC is currently raising funds with the goal of breaking ground this summer and opening by the end of the year.
“We would love to have rent paid for, like, multiple years up front,” said Duckett.
Duckett told the Blade that fundraising efforts have reached just under $29,000 and that the organization is awaiting several major donations from community partner organizations.
However, he said DSGC continues to be denied many grants tied to federal or state funding because of restrictions on those funds being used for LGBTQ-serving organizations.
“Private and corporate donations are absolutely vital,” said Duckett.
Anyone interested in supporting the construction of The Collective can donate online or contact [email protected] for more information.
District of Columbia
D.C.’s Mary’s House For Older Adults names new executive director
Charlene Leach to succeed Imani Woody as leader of LGBTQ-supportive seniors home
The board of directors of Mary’s House for Older Adults, the D.C.-based home dedicated to providing affordable housing for LGBTQ seniors, has announced it has named longtime nonprofit organization leader A. Charlene Leach as its new executive director.
Leach, who is now serving in the executive director’s position, is succeeding Dr. Imani Woody, the Mary’s House founding president and CEO, who announced her retirement from her official leadership role at Mary’s House on July 7.
Woody, who holds a PhD in Human Services, is credited with playing the lead role over many years in arranging both city and private funding needed to construct and operate the Mary’s House three-story building located at 401 Anacostia Road, S.E., in the city’s Fort DuPont neighborhood.
“With over three decades of nonprofit experience and 15 years serving as an executive director, Charlene brings a wealth of knowledge in organizational leadership, program development, and community engagement,” the Mary’s House board says in a statement.
“Her proven track record of building impactful programs and leading mission-driven organizations makes her uniquely suited to guide Mary’s House into its next phase of growth,” the statement continues. “Charlene is deeply aligned with the mission of Mary’s House and is committed to advancing its work to provide safe, inclusive housing and supportive services for LGBTQ+ older adults,” it says. “Under her leadership, the organization will continue to expand its impact while remaining grounded in the values that define our community.”
Leach’s LinkedIn page shows she has most recently served since 2022 as executive director of the African American AIDS Task Force in Minneapolis. Prior to that, it shows she served as executive director of the Fredericksburg Area Health and Support Services organization in Fredericksburg, Va., and before that as director of development for the D.C.-Baltimore area Women’s Collective.
Her LinkedIn page says she has been involved with Mary’s House as a volunteer and grant writer since 2016.
The newly built and enlarged Mary’s House, which opened in March 2025, with a grand opening ceremony held in May 2025 attended by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, includes 15 single-occupancy residential apartments and more than 5,000 square feet of shared communal living space.
An earlier statement released by the Mary’s House board announcing Woody’s retirement said Woody would continue to be involved with the organization as a member of the board. The earlier statement and board’s more recent statement on July 29 announcing Leach’s appointment as executive director did not say whether the board plans to name someone else as president and CEO, the title that Woody held before her retirement. But the latest statement says Leach will be running Mary’s House’s day-to-day operations as Woody did.
Virginia
Doug Ollivant to face Eugene Vindman in Va. 7th Congressional District
Republican defeated challengers in Tuesday’s primary
Republican Doug Ollivant will face off against incumbent U.S. Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-Va.) in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District.
Ollivant defeated his Republican opponents in Tuesday’s primary. Vindman ran unopposed.
Vindman in 2024 ran to succeed then-Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger in the U.S. House of Representatives after she ran for governor. Spanberger succeeded Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2025.
U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) on Tuesday easily won his primary. All other Democratic incumbent members of Congress from Northern Virginia also won their respective primaries.
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