Founded in 2017, Black, Out, & Proud carved out a space for themselves at the intersection of Black and queer identities in Columbus. Now in its fourth year, Heroes Among Us brings together local artists whose songs often go unsung in celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community.
“[Columbus] is a really gay city,” said Jyll Person-Boyd, the organization’s social and program chair.
Person-Boyd lives in Columbus and wants the world to know that the city not only goes hard during Pride Month, but all year long.
The Buckeye Flame caught up with Person-Boyd to learn more about the event and what makes Columbus’ Pride stand out from the crowd. Click play directly below to listen to our chat or read our conversation underneath.
Before we talk about the event, I would love to talk to you about your connection with Pride. What is Pride like in Columbus?
Jyll Person-Boyd: My connection to Pride started when I became a part of Black, Out, & Proud. Black, Out, & Proud was founded in 2017 and we really are at the intersection of Black/LGBTQ in Columbus. We really try to celebrate that we are the longest running queer art collective in the State of Ohio. This is our fourth year and it’s a very affirming, safe space.
What separates Pride in Columbus from other parts of Ohio?
We’re a really gay city so at this point it spans all year long. Columbus is a great place to celebrate Pride. There’s always something to do. I feel like maybe in other cities you get the one main Pride event on Pride Weekend and then that just wraps it up. In Columbus, we’re celebrating all month long, if not all year long. There are so many things to do, so many different organizations and so many different ways to celebrate.
This event is called “Heroes Among Us.” Can you talk about what that title means and what went into planning the event?
Heroes Among Us came from wanting to celebrate those who we felt weren’t being celebrated in the Black and queer community. We wanted to make sure that we were uplifting artists who were Black and queer because they don’t always get the shine that they deserve. We wanted them to know that we see them as heroes among us. We wanted to amplify their voices so that’s really where the name came from.
Artists are so creative so bringing them all in together is usually a heavy task, but absolutely a labor of love to truly celebrate them and amplify their work so people can see what we have to offer here. We try to make it accessible with the price tag that we put on it so more people do get access to art and access to fashion, because sometimes those communities can be a little limited. We want to know that everyone can be celebrated and have their part in it if they wanna do so.
To clarify, how much are tickets for the event?
VIP tickets are $50 and they come with a swag bag, but general admission is $25.
Can you tell us more about the fashion show and the performances people can expect?
We have artists there that you are able to see their work such as visual artists who will have paintings and stuff like that for sale. Our host this year is Tiffany Marie and she’s a great local poet who will be doing some of her poetry.
We also will have a musical performance by Edwen, who’s a local queer artist that we’ll be uplifting as well. We are really looking forward to having them this year. And then of course, with the fashion show, we have six artists.
Akili, which is a great designer here, we have Thickish, a local designer as well, AYA Emporium– so really great local designers. We wanna uplift them and support their work just like we do these national designer brands.
There are so many things to do and so many ways to celebrate. Whether you wanna be outside and get active or if you’re more of a chill person and you wanna have a drink and watch a fashion show, that is an option too. So we really try to make sure that everyone who feels they wanna be a part of the queer community in Columbus finds their own way to celebrate. 🔥
Ignite Action
- ‘Heroes Among Us’ will be held on Saturday, June 10 from 5-8pm at The Wells Barn (1777 East Broad Street Columbus, OH). Get your tickets here.
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