It's Pride Month and it is a good time to be reminded that the LGBTQ community owes all of our rights today to the Stonewall Riots in 1969. The Stonewall Riots were started by Trans and Queer People of Colour who were mostly black. One of the people that started the riot was Marsha P. Johnson, a black transgender woman. It is reported that Marsha P. Johnson and her friend Sylvia Rivera resisted arrest and threw the first brick. This brick started the gay rights movement and is the reason why we are able to openly celebrate Pride. If it wasn't for Marsha. P Johnson, a black transgender woman we would not have Pride.

"No Pride for Some Of Us Without the Liberation of All Of Us" - Marsha P. Johnson

JJ Malibu interviewed some members of our community to hear why Black Lives Matter is important to Pride. Our aim is to amplify Black voices in our community and start a conversation about discrimination and racism to educate ourselves.

Kyle Goffney (@kylegoffney)

"When we say “Black Lives Matter” we also know that “All Lives Matter”. Why we say “Black Lives Matter” is because we also know that Black Lives are targeted and affected the most. If you’re black & you’re gay, then you’ve already got two 🎯🎯 targets on your back. I’m black and I’m gay, and those are two things about me that I can’t ever change, but what I can change is how I am mistreated in my country. If you’re mistreated in a relationship, you get out of it or do something about it, and that’s what blacks & gays in America & World Wide, are doing now! We’re doing something about it because we are tired of being mistreated and targeted just for simply being who we are ✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿🌈 America better listen because this movement is not going to leave or stop until the senseless killings stop. Many don’t want us here but well we deserve to be here just like anyone else"

John (@growingthiccbull)

"This 50th Pride is happening against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic and renewed calls for racial justice due to the murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless others. The fight for racial justice and Pride Month is that the struggle and sacrifice for human rights are universal among all marginalized groups. Therefore, using the platform of Pride Month to showcase and demand justice for ALL queer black lives advances human rights as a whole. Because Black people are humans too."

Amir Morris (@amir_morris)

"Black lives matter is important to pride because without black lives, who knows how much longer it would've taken for us to get to where we are today. 50 years of celebrating pride could have been 25 years or 10 years. Black lives have played a part in every aspect of change the U.S. has seen. From development to liberation, it took a black person(or group) pushing for change, acceptance, and equality. That's including pride. So to discredit, overlook, or ignore our impact on history as we know it, is to be comfortable in your ignorance and refusal to educate yourself.

That includes other people of color who have moved to the US and enjoy the freedoms of being gay and ostracize black people while promoting and idolizing white men as the standard of beauty."

Kenneth Kerr (@_justkenneth)

"When we think about pride and what it means, we must reflect on its history and beginnings. Much like the BLM movement, the pride movement started out of a demand for equal and fair treatment. As a gay person of color, when I say black lives matter...I mean ALL black lives (gay, straight, bi, trans). This movement is important especially during the month of pride because if we want it to matter, we need EVERYONE to matter. Black lives should be celebrated, valued, and respected just as much as others.

The first pride started as a result of a black trans woman and without her courage, we would not be able to celebrate the way we do today. BLM reminds us that standing up against injustices may not always be met with good reception but it is necessary if we are to be heard."

Ché Myers (mx2xist)

This is a little bit of what I have to say about why Black Lives Matter and why it's important to Pride.

If you know me it is apparent, I keep to myself and that I am generally private. I’m also a man of few words. What has been going on in our country during the past couple of months, however, has made me want to share how I am feeling. Watching another black man be killed by an officer who is sworn to “defend and protect” us was more than I can stand. I feel it deeply because that is me. I could be that man next. I can see myself, on the street, with the knee to my neck, and five officers holding me down, draining the life out of me.

Amadeus (massively_mode)

"Hi there, Amadeus here. The black lives movement is a powerful 1 and 1 that rings true to me as a black person and person of colour. As I talk to you now, I live in the UK and I see a lot of hurt and pain from the black community and people of colour towards our white counterparts. I can see that we've had injustices for a long time and I've seen this happen in the UK and for my entire life as well. I am with you! We need change and this is a part of how we can get change. I hope we can all come to a great resolution for everyone and not to have hate for each other #BLM"

Visit https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/ to get more involved and educate yourself and those around you!