Ten years ago, things looked very different for Bayard Rustin LGBTQ+ Resource Center, Akron’s multicultural LGBTQ+ center.
“We had barely $10,000 in our entire budget, no one got paid and we didn’t have the right space,” said Steve Arrington, executive director.
Fast forward to 2026 and a decade of community investment later: The center now has a robust calendar of events and a full roster of paid staff – and it’s all housed in an 8,000-square-foot space.
“And we’re outgrowing even that,” Arrington said.
Another change: 10 years ago, there was no Akron Black Family Pride Cookout. But this year, the community is coming together to celebrate their progress and each other.
Held on August 1 from 3 to 7pm at Hardesty Park, the event will feature free food, games, scholarship announcements, community service awards and “so much joy.”
“The vibe will be family,” Arrington said. “It will be like going to a family reunion. We’re all brothers and sisters in this struggle and our voices need to be heard – especially Black LGBTQ+ voices – more than ever in this political climate.”
Arrington wants to be very clear on one point: When he says all are welcome, he really means all.
“I hear all the time from the good white folks, ‘Well, it’s for Blacks only,’” he said. “Who told you that? No one’s ever told me that Akron Pride was for the whites, even though that’s mostly who is there. But we go. We have a booth every year. Black Family Pride Cookout brings us all together.”
An award for outstanding service to the LGBTQ+ community will be given to the House of Makaveli, an Akron-based ballroom house that placed fourth in Season 3 of “Legendary,” the HBO Max voguing reality competition series
“It’s the only ballroom house in Summit County that made the national scene, and if we don’t recognize them, no one else will,” Arrington said. “They danced and performed, and if it would’ve been a white group, they would’ve been on the front page of the [Akron] Beacon Journal.”
Arrington is also excited for the intergenerational aspect of the upcoming picnic, with parents, grandparents and children all present.
“We have a lot to learn from the generations ahead of us and those of the present day,” he said. “This picnic really is an opportunity for us to come together.” 🔥
IGNITE ACTION
- The Akron Black Family Pride Cookout will be held on August 1 from 3 to 7pm at Hardesty Park.
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