San Diego Black LGBTQ Coalition: Fostering love, connection and safety for San Diego’s Black LGBTQ community
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For Ronald Epps, the decision to join the San Diego Black LGBTQ Coalition was part of the organization’s purpose: to be a haven for all whose overlapping identities include blacks and LGBTQ.
“I joined the coalition because it was difficult for me to find a safe place for myself here in San Diego. I’ve always been looking for my tribe, my people, ”he says. “I’ve also worked in nonprofits throughout my career. So when I heard about the coalition and their great work, I saw so much potential and wanted to be of use. “
The organization “was founded in 2015 to empower the black LGBTQ community in San Diego,” it says on its website. Their work includes connecting members to resources and services, social networks and events, and financial support that enable the community to connect with one another and thrive. There is a working list of social organizations, mental health specialists, and other resources that members can access, along with their Black Trans Emergency Fund, which supports access to emergency shelter, food, clothing, transportation, and the procurement of necessary medication. As a result of their ongoing collaborative work, the coalition recently received the Stonewall Service Award from San Diego Pride.
Epps, 28, is Vice President of the Coalition Cabinet and lives in Normal Heights. He took some time to talk about the work the organization does, why it is important to have an engaging and safe space for the black LGBTQ community in San Diego, and his commitment to ensuring that all black LGBTQ people are in Feeling loved and seen in their community.
Q: Can you say something about a specific organization and room especially for blacks in the LGBTQ community? What difference does it make to have such a dedicated room?
A: Having a space that is run by blacks and blacks is so important to feeling a part of, especially in a city like San Diego where many of the people who live here didn’t grow up here. Most organizations may have one or two colored people, and even fewer who are both colored and identify as LGBTQ. These people are then charged with speaking for everyone in their community. This is a huge and diverse group of people for whom it is responsible to speak. Our organization includes many black queer people who identify and experience life in different ways. This gives us the unique advantage of being able to connect with and understand our voters and our community. We don’t have to constantly defend our point of view or remind people to be inclusive or diverse because we already are.
Q: What impact has the coalition and its work had on you personally?
A: The coalition has reminded me that I am not alone and it confirms my emotions and my feelings. I am surrounded by people who have gone through something very similar. Growing up I didn’t have any black LGBTQ friends. Now I have the chance to make a small difference and be surrounded by people who share my values. I am very happy to have found the coalition.
Q: In your statement on the Cabinet Coalition website, you say, “I want my LGBTQ black family to feel loved and seen in our community!” What about you in practice? Feeling loved and seen in the community?
A: Our community is often forgotten or we are symbolized and used as props to illustrate diversity. I want queer blacks in San Diego and around the world one day to know that San Diego has a place to go and get what you need. I got here lost and had to look up and down to find my place. I don’t want anyone else to have to go through this. There is no reason anyone should ever feel alone or an outsider. San Diego is such a beautiful city and often black queer people arrive and leave because they felt they didn’t have a place here.
What I love about Normal Heights …
Normal Heights is the perfect mix of quaint and lively that I love. I can sleep peacefully and be surrounded by great neighbors, and then at any time of the day I can walk to Adams Avenue and see a busy street and little town going on.
Q: What does it mean for the San Diego Black LGBTQ Coalition to receive the Stonewall Service Award from San Diego Pride this year?
A: The award recognizes those who have made a significant contribution to the LGBTQ community and an individual or organization must be nominated by the community. We are honored to receive such recognition in our own community. We worked really hard to get where we are today and the award shows us that people respect us as a relatively new organization. Sometimes when you find yourself in the trenches doing this it can be hard to tell if you’ve made a difference and if people trust you. The recognition confirms us and at the same time tells us that we have a lot more to do.
Q: There has been a significant social movement in the past year. When you think of Pride this year, what do you think of?
A: For me, pride means life this year! It means freedom to just be outside and be seen. My people are murdered every day so I live for them and I celebrate for them. I want to honor the lives of the members of my community who have so unjustly lost their lives or are living in fear. I pray for them and have cried for them, and I will stand up for them and make sure we don’t always live in a world of fear.
Q: What do you think is important to know / understand for people interested in supporting the LGBTQ black community in San Diego?
A: It is important to understand that our community is diverse and complex. We live at many crossroads. Some people – and many of those in the entire LGBTQ community – don’t believe in Black Lives Matter. To support us, you have to believe in supporting our overlapping identities as queer blacks.
Q: What was the challenge of working with the San Diego Black LGBTQ Coalition?
A: As a new organization, we have no employees. We depend on the availability and efficiency of our board members. We have been really lucky this year and have cultivated a great team of people dedicated to mission, but our capacities are very limited and many of us have full-time jobs outside of our work in the coalition. We have to constantly juggle our priorities. Also, it is much more difficult for us to create that sense of community when we don’t have a physical space that is ours, forcing us to rely on others when we want to host an event.
Q: What was rewarding about this job?
A: We know that we not only help people in need, but also create a space where people can feel joy! It’s the duality for me. It gave my life meaning and purpose.
Q: What did this work teach you about yourself?
A: As young professionals, many of us look to our careers and status to validate ourselves. I felt underqualified and often struggled with impostor syndrome. The coalition has shown me that I am much more valuable than I ever realized.
Q: What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
A: In high school I was told that it’s not what you know, it’s who you know, who knows you and how you treat them. I never fully understood this until I graduated from college and started finding my way in this world. It’s about the connections you make and the impressions you make.
Q: What would be one thing people would learn about you?
A: I think people would be surprised that I don’t identify as mixed / biracial. I fully identify as black. Although I recognize my European ancestry, I don’t identify as any kind of white.
Q: Please describe your ideal weekend in San Diego.
A: My ideal weekend in San Diego is to be outside, surrounded by friends, with a cocktail in my hands.
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