On a sunny afternoon in Piedmont Park, Michael Roberts is line-dancing with friends on the sidewalk. He’s wearing a blue-and-white crop top with blue jean shorts while waving a fan that has the colors of the Pride flag. It’s over 90 degrees. But that doesn’t stop him from getting lost in the Afrobeats rhythms.
After all, it’s his first time attending a Pride celebration. He traveled from Macon to attend the Atlanta Black Pride festivities.
“It’s a time where we can indulge in our unique African-American experience while being queer,” the 21-year-old said. “I do think there’s a lot to be said about how a young Black man who is also gay navigates through this world. I feel like Black Pride is about expressing yourself and not caring about certain intersectionalities. It’s very difficult to do. It can be a very hard thing to balance your masculinity and femininity, and to be truthful, you don’t have to. It’s not your responsibility to balance that for others.”
Credit: Olivia Bowdoin