From the Desk of Miami Correspondent-King D
Greetings from Miami! I must apologize for my hiatus from the blog. I have been traveling all over the place- Cozumel, Mexico; my 10 year class reunion in the Midwest, and I also covered Miami Beach Bruthaz Weekend in Miami Beach. And finally I am happy to be back home in Downtown Miami and looking forward to my annual trip to Atlanta for Labor Day??? Or am I and “a whole lotta other folks” setting ourselves up to be disappointed by another 2008 Black Gay Pride Gone Wrong.
I guess the verdict is in…in 2008, it seems we took a step back in Prides and the reason we have Black Pride celebrations, due to promoters and organizers losing sight of what Black Pride is all about. It seems we have individuals who are more into furthering their own cause than that of the Black gay community. Or maybe it’s due to global warming, we blame everything on that these days. From the cancellation of Los Angeles Pride, overpriced venues and events for Sizzle Miami, no-show celebrities in D.C, to the recent and embarrassing cancellation of Pride in the City in Brooklyn; where did we go wrong. Sure a lot of the blame falls on particular individuals who feel they can treat the Black gay community any kind of way to make a buck. Some of the blame falls on organizers who have no idea on what Black Pride is really about. But some of this blame falls on US. We continuously support these individuals and their events, a lot of time against our better judgement. After this summer, I am sure this attitude will change. Either we will make conscience effort not to support greedy promoters AND voice our concern either by phone, letter, fax, or email as to why you are not attending their event. Or the recession will. To make travel arrangements and travel half way across the country, to attend a planned Black Pride for it to be Cancelled. I would be pissed to say the least.
So I am hoping that Atlanta Black Pride will not disappoint. It is always very organized at most events, and it seems the promoters have a pretty good handle on things. With so much competition with parties, clubs, and events, they wouldn’t dare charge some outrageous cover. I have attended every Pride in Atlanta for the past 10 years and I have never had a bad time. But 2008 has been full of disappointments. I am a little leery already due to the fact there are still rooms available at the host hotel for the In the Life organization and we are two and half weeks away from Labor Day. It could be the ridiculous high rates due to the name change to the “W”. I don’t know. This hotel usually sells out a couple of months prior to Labor Day. So, we will see. If you do plan to be in Atlanta, definitely check out the opening ceremonies at the host hotel (www.inthelifeatl.com), a must attend event. I will see you guys there, but I will be up the street at the Westin.
Well ladies and gents, this is your friendly Miami correspondent signing off. More Blogs to come.
King D
No comments:
Post a Comment