Black History Month is about celebrating and honoring the triumphs of Black individuals and communities, while also recognizing the generations of Black people who have faced and continue to face systemic and structural oppression.

In recognition of Black History Month, the Office of LGBT Affairs is proud to highlight the experiences of Black LGBTQ+ Philadelphians who are making a difference in communities across the city today.

Headshot for Shawnese GivensShawnese Givens, LMFT (she/her)

Acting Executive Director, the Attic Youth Center

How has your racial identity shaped the work that you’re doing in the community now? 

As a queer woman of color, I’ve had far too many experiences of not being fully seen. It’s my mission to create spaces in community where folks can feel safe in fully expressing who they are and also be valued for who they are. There is so much strength, resilience, and beauty in Blackness that’s rarely reflected to us by society. Recognizing this in myself has been a driving factor in my dedication to being a change agent for our community.

What is your proudest accomplishment, personal or professional?

One of my proudest accomplishments was the decision to come out as bisexual in the professional realm. I was taught that a clinician should be a blank slate, giving little to no personal detail to clients. After Pulse, I realized that being fully authentic was the most impactful way for me to show up clinically. That meant acknowledging that I was hurting deeply too—because it was personal. It means a lot to me to see myself reflected in my providers, peers, and mentors, and I felt I had a responsibility to myself and others to be a part of that. Since then, I have felt more confident in fully embracing my identity in all realms and have seen the transformative power of authenticity.

What are you looking forward to in 2020?

In 2020, I’m looking forward to being even more comfortable in my skin. 2019 had its challenges but they highlighted how much growing I’m capable of. I’m looking forward to seeing what the work of 2020 brings for me and other people of color in the LGBTQ+ community.

Headshot for Celena MorrisonCelena Morrison (she/her)

Executive Director, Office of LGBT Affairs

How has your racial identity shaped the work that you’re doing in the community now? 

My racial identity has allowed me to reach those in the LGBTQ+ community on a more personal level. My racial identity is the very reason that I have experienced the same trauma as the most marginalized people in our community.

What is your proudest accomplishment, personal or professional?

My proudest professional accomplishment is becoming the new Executive Director of the City’s Office of LGBT Affairs.

What are you looking forward to in 2020?

I’m looking forward to working with new community organizers to create some awesome new initiatives that will bring about change.

Headshot for Tyunique NelsonTyunique Nelson (they/them)

Outreach and Recruitment Coordinator, Adolescent Initiative, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

How has your racial identity shaped the work that you’re doing in the community now? 

Growing up, I didn’t have a lot of Black LGBTQ+ role models, and I didn’t think that I knew any non-binary people at all. I was very confused, and I didn’t know if I belonged. Once I started to explore our history more, I found the stories of so many beautiful, brilliant, resilient, Black ancestors that I could relate to. I found that Black LGBTQ+ people have been leading advocacy and activism movements for generations. Now, I know that we belong and that we have always been leaders. LGBTQ+ and non-binary people come in all races, sizes, and passions. Every young person should be able to see themselves in their role models, and I hope to be that for other young people.

What is your proudest accomplishment, personal or professional?

I am the most proud of my ability to stay true to myself and my personal values inside and outside of work. Honesty, generosity, and inclusivity are just a few things that I value most. It feels so powerful to never compromise on those values. Being myself has opened the world up to me.

This past year, I stepped into multiple leadership roles in my city and nationally. In all of these spaces, I am bold and unapologetic about the need to approach all movements intersectionally and center the most marginalized. I am so proud of my ability to not only speak my truth in these spaces but to make space for others affected to come forth and tell their story as well. We must all work together because there is power in numbers.

What are you looking forward to in 2020?

I never thought that I would be sitting on national steering committees or on the board of directors for the only organization in Philadelphia exclusively serving LGBTQ+ youth at 22 years old. There are so many opportunities to speak up and take action that I, and youth that hold similar marginalized identities, deserve to claim as ours. I am looking forward to seeing LGBTQ+ youth thrive and win over and over again. Young LGBTQ+ people have always led these movements, and it is time to give credit where credit is due. I look forward to spending 2020 making space for community and witnessing community members rise up and claim what has always been there. I am constantly in awe of the power and ability of LGBTQ+ Philadelphians.

Headshot for Tiffany ThompsonTiffany Thompson (she/her)

Associate Director of Gender and Sexuality Initiatives, Program Manager of the Women’s Resource Center, Swarthmore College

How has your racial identity shaped the work that you’re doing in the community now? 

As a Black queer masculine of center woman, my racial identity is one of many that shapes my work. However, it is the one that I fight for the hardest. In higher education we are seeing an increase of diversity and inclusion, but the number of queer and trans folks of color in leadership positions is still slim (if at all). Having a seat at the table is not enough if you are the only one and the others in the room do not also have your back. So, my race has to be at the forefront of how I serve my community or my other identities will also get white-washed away.  

What is your proudest accomplishment, personal or professional?

It is hard to think of anything I have done as accomplishments because the work is never done. I am proud of my community and our resilience. I am proud of queer and trans folks of color whose existence alone is an act of resistance. I am proud of my queer and trans families who are raising our future generation of fighters when others want us to disappear. I am proud of our abilities to celebrate everywhere and whenever while being ready to fight back at any second. So, my biggest accomplishment is being part of a community that inspires me every day.  

What are you looking forward to in 2020?

In 2020, I am looking forward to watching and supporting another group of LGBTQ+ students of color find their way through higher education. I am also looking forward to spending more time in community. Sometimes doing the work means going on a self- journey of change and discovery that has taken me away from the people and places that I care about the most. In 2020, I am turning back to those that bring me the most joy. 

Headshot for VinChelleVinChelle

Philadelphia’s Trailblazing Tribal Drag Queen 

How has your racial identity shaped the work that you’re doing in the community now? 

I have used my platform to bring awareness to the local Black entertainment in the city that often gets overlooked and is not showcased enough. In the drag community, Black queens do not get the recognition they deserve, and I noticed that well before I even started doing drag. It is, and always has been, a mission of mine to fight that and stand proud as a Black person and help inspire other Black people to do the same! 

What is your proudest accomplishment, personal or professional?

I am so blessed to have the opportunity to have a show here called “Black Girl Magic: Philly,” and we were voted best monthly show at the Philadelphia Drag Awards. We also recently celebrated our one year anniversary at Voyeur Nightclub with special guest Trinity K Bonet from RuPaul’s Drag Race!

What are you looking forward to in 2020?

 I am looking forward to showcasing even more Black talent not only in Philly but in other nearby cities. I am also bringing “Black Girl Magic” to several colleges around the area this year, and I am always looking forward to performing more and showcasing more fun African looks!

Headshot for Rev. Naomi Washington-LeapheartRev. Naomi Washington-Leapheart (she/her)

Director for Faith-Based and Interfaith Affairs, Mayor’s Office of Public Engagement

How has your racial identity shaped the work that you’re doing in the community now?

Howard Thurman wrote, in Jesus and the Disinherited, “Many and varied are the interpretations dealing with the teachings and the life of Jesus of Nazareth. But few of these interpretations deal with what the teachings and the life of Jesus have to say to those who stand, at a moment in human history, with their backs against the wall.”

I think Thurman was right—any faith that seeks to be dynamic and consequential must take seriously the political, social, and economic concerns of a human being. My Blackness, and the joy and challenge of being Black in America, is baked into my engagement with Christianity. In my work, I’m trying to constantly pose the question: how can our faith commitments help us meet the deepest needs of folks whose backs are against the wall? How can we make our faith tangible and real every day?

What is your proudest accomplishment, personal or professional?

I’d say that 2019 was a really great year for me—I celebrated another year of being a wife and mother, I won a teaching award for my work at Villanova University, and I used my voice to demand justice as a lecturer at major universities, a preacher in pulpits around the country, and an advocate in the halls of Congress and on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court building. I was honored to end the year in this new role, where I’ll try to create strategic opportunities for City government to hear from and work with faith communities.

What are you looking forward to in 2020?

Deeper, more strategic engagement with people of faith throughout the city. Lots of laughter, lots of joy. Transitions—in my personal life, in the political sphere, and in the religious world.

Learn more about the Office of LGBT Affairs.