BIPOC Pride, an annual celebration of Albany's LGBTQ+ minority communities, returns this weekend for its 20th year. WAMC's Sajina Shrestha sat down with co-founder Tandra LaGrone.
Tandra LaGrone: BIPOC pride is about addressing the health disparities that are in our community, and it's a community intervention.
Sajina Shrestha: You know, BIPOC Pride, not only BIPOC pride but In Our Own Voices, does harm reduction, HIV testing, health screenings. Has that demand increased over the years? And what have you seen people from the community say about what they need,
Tandra LaGrone: We know that Black, Indigenous, and people of color have some of the highest rates of health concerns and health issues throughout, you know, the country and throughout the world. So it was important when we built out and visioned BIPOC Pride at that time that there would be an emphasis on health and wellness. I talk about that 2005 experience, and what the 2005 experience of BIPOC pride at that point was just health and wellness, and then when we realized we only had like 25 people show up, we were like, “Okay, so how can we do this and also get people to take advantage, take advantage of all of the services that are offered in the capital region?’ So, we added the music, the food, and really making this a celebration, but at the same time saying, ‘Hey, listen, we also have a screening for diabetes, we also have screenings for HIV and STIs. We also have, you know, you can get your eyes checked, your ears checked.’ Then we, as we grew, we realized that there was a small percentage of the folks that were attending the celebration, actually, you know, 10% at the time, that was utilizing the health and wellness as their annual checkup.
Shrestha: If you could look forward, what would you envision BIPOC pride 10 years from now, in 30 years?
LaGrone: Well, I would hope that it would still exist, and that we are honoring that diversity under the rainbow, truly. It had such a stigma attached to it. ‘It's only just for Black, you know, Black and indigenous people of color, and no one else is welcome,’ and that's far from the truth.. I hope that it becomes so entrenched in our culture and the ability to continue to be celebrated as contributors to the overall movement, you know. In 2006 you didn't, you didn't have a large amount of people of color, BIPOC individuals marching, and in the parade, it was almost non-existent. And today, I sit back and I see the just the diversity of people marching with just so much joy and being seen and knowing that they matter and I think for 30 years I would like to have that same energy, but I also would hope that people understand that this is not just a separate space, it is a space that needs to be honored. So, my dream is for it to be like 25-100 times bigger than what it is today, and that people also understand the significance of BIPOC pride.
Shrestha: Thank you so much, Tandra.
LaGrone: You're welcome.
