DENVER — This weekend, Youth Seen, an organization that supports the mental health and safety of LGBTQIA youth of color, is hosting a series of free Juneteenth Black Pride events.
The weekend events begin Thursday night with the Strange Fruit of Black Excellence Gala, a black-attire, ticketed event that will include discussions and celebrations of Denver’s diverse LGBTQIA community.
“We will spotlight some folks who are in the community, do a little bit of talking around mental health and wellness and what that looks like, what it means to take up space in the community and allyship in the community. Then we are going to go into our first award, a community award, that’s going to a pretty amazing person," said Executive Director of Youth Seen Dr. Tara Jae.
Dr. Jae told Denver7 the gala and other weekend events are about recognizing the challenges and injustices of the past while celebrating the present.
“The gala on Thursday is essentially a celebration of Black excellence within our queer community, so it is literally a reason for us to come in, show up and show out and have a good time with each other,” said Jae.
On Friday, Youth Seen will host a silent disco called “Wakanda Forever” at 9 p.m. at Civic Center Park.
There will also be a Gospel Brunch Drag Show on Sunday at noon at X Bar Denver.
