Thursday, May 18, 2006

From The Congressional Record:

HONORING THE 16TH ANNUAL DC BLACK PRIDE CELEBRATION

SPEECH OF
HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON
OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THURSDAY, MAY 18, 2006

* Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, Memorial Day Weekend, May 26-29, is the 16th Annual DC Black Pride celebration in Washington, DC.

* DC Black Pride is an exciting 4-day event complete with dynamic workshops, receptions, cultural arts activities, small and large nightclub events that culminates in the world's largest Black Pride Festival at Metro Center, on the site of Washington, DC's former Convention Center. Many consider DC's Festival one of the world's preeminent Black Pride celebrations. The Festival consistently draws more than 30,000 people to the Nation's Capital. Attendees come from every major urban area in the United States as well as from Canada, Great Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the Caribbean and South Africa. The Black Pride Festival features activities for the entire family including performances by national recording artists, 200 exhibition booths, book signings from noted writers, participation from national and local health organizations, and arts and crafts.

* Black Lesbian and Gay Pride Day, Inc (BLGPD), the celebration's organizing body, chose the theme "Fire 2006" to encourage the Black Lesbian Gay , Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) people to "get fired up" about their health and wellness, to strengthen the Black LGBT Community, and to encourage Black LGBT people to live their lives with pride.

* Black Lesbian and Gay Pride Day, Inc, a nonprofit organization with a volunteer Board of Directors coordinates this annual event. BLGPD's 2006 Board consists of Clarence J. Fluker, President; James Hawkins, Vice President; Janisha Gabriel, Secretary; Lisa Washington, Treasurer; the following Members at Large: Ramon Gardenhire, Shanika Whitehurst, Sterling Washington, Ray Daniels, Donovan Anderson, Courtney Snowden; and these Members Emeritus: Earl Fowlkes, Eric E. Richardson, and Cheryl Dunn who lead BLGPD in its mission to build knowledge of and to create greater pride in the Black Lesbian, Gay , Bisexual and Transgendered community's diversity while raising funds to ameliorate and prevent health problems, especially HIV/AIDS, in this community.

* I ask the House to join me in welcoming all attending the 16th Annual DC Black Pride celebration in Washington, DC, and I take this opportunity to remind the celebrants that United States Citizens who reside in Washington, DC are taxed without full voting representation in Congress.