By Miko Evans for Meak Productions
Annually on MLK Holiday Weekend, Atlanta’s LGBTQ community produces various events in honor of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the King Family’s support for Human Rights. Known to some as Atlanta Winter Pride, Queer people of color, in particular, gather together to enjoy a variety of cultural celebrations.
All events conclude on the King Holiday with the Annual Bayard Rustin & Audre Lorde Community Breakfast, the official signature event of Southern Unity Movement, Inc., a long-standing Atlanta-based Black LGBTQ advocacy organization. This historic event returns after a two-year hiatus to the Loudermilk Conference Center in downtown Atlanta on January 16, 2022, with doors opening at 9:30 AM.
“Like A Phoenix, Rising into Our Collective Power!” is the returning theme for the breakfast. It is symbolic of the resilience of Atlanta’s Black LGBTQ community as it rises from the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic to continue the cherished 22-year tradition.
The breakfast is named after two trailblazing Black gay civil rights activists: Bayard Rustin (Dr. King’s advisor and Architect of the historic March On Washington 1963) and Black lesbian Poet/activist Audre Lorde. The initiative directly aligns with Dr. King’s vision of the “beloved community” while acknowledging the contributions of LGBTQ people in the quest for equality.
This year’s event will be hosted by the founder of Meak Productions, Inc. and industry pioneer Miko Evans, along with pioneering queer activist, entertainer, and founder of Southern Fried Queer Pride, Taylor Alxndr. Both figures have been long-time supporters of the Rustin Lorde Breakfast and understand its importance for future generations. With a percussive opening, musical offerings, spoken word, a youth art space, and a drag performance, the artistry, historical resistance, and totality of Black LGBTQ people will be front and center.
Community legend and event co-founder R. Darlene Hudson envisions this year’s breakfast as a testament to what makes Atlanta’s Black LGBTQ community an integral part of the continuation of the civil and human rights movements in Atlanta and abroad. The event is free and open to the public; however RSVP is required. Please follow this link to register
