It’s about not trying to convince institutionally white spaces to accept who we are in their establishment.
Celebrating Black Pride means occupying the space with other Black queer people and Black party promoters in spaces that have actually accepted us. I don’t ever remember a time Nellie’s has ever specifically celebrated Black Pride. Was that celebration done in partnership with queer organizers? Have they traditionally celebrated or acknowledged Black Pride prior to this? I noticed on Nellie’s social media page that the bar celebrated Black Pride in late May. That can only be solved by long-term solutions. There’s a misunderstanding that if you just increase the number of people of color, without proper training among other things, that’s going to turn the tide.
If everyone there is not properly trained on how to communicate when they see anti-Black racism, it doesn’t mean anything. The truth of the matter is, it doesn’t matter if you increase the number of Black bartenders. I know people who have gone back, and they’ve said it looks like there’s more Black bartenders. I meant what I said when I said I would never be back at Nellie’s. In many ways, people aren’t forcing them to care,” Mitchum said. I think they were hoping this would be a moment and that people would get over it. “I don’t think Nellie’s cares or has ever cared. frustrated a lot of attendees who wanted to hear from him. He attended virtually, but it had always been the intention that all parties involved to appear in person. At one point, it seemed like was going to come, but, ultimately, he still did not. What was particularly frustrating was a community listening session that we wanted to have with Nellie’s. How much progress have Nellie’s and its owner made since then to fulfill all five?
Nellie’s reopened last July without meeting the original demands from organizers. The question is always going to be: Space for who? Many of us have noticed that there’s been this systemic push against this one bar that’s supposed to be a space for queer, trans, non-binary people. I met with the owner of Nellie’s,, on a couple of occasions, in addition to writing a pretty lengthy letter back in 2017, which was also at the top of Pride month. Many of us who have been actively pushing back against Nellie’s have been noticing this trend for years. Preston Mitchum: One of the most frustrating things in pushing back against the anti-Black racism against Black patrons at Nellie’s is that last year’s incident, for many people, was a one-time moment. Does the Keisha Young story reflect historical struggles that you’ve felt in addressing reports of racism within that space? VICE: The incident at Nellie’s wasn’t the first time that you’ve called out the bar for its alleged mistreatment of Black LGBTQ patrons. This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity. In many ways, people aren’t forcing them to care.” “I think they were hoping this would be a moment and that people would get over it. “I don’t think Nellie’s cares or has ever cared,” he told VICE. Now a year later, Mitchum said nothing has changed. He said this includes unequal treatment of Black and white patrons and what he alleged was the bar’s dismissal of guests’ concerns when approached about these issues. Preston Mitchum, former board co-chair for Collective Action for Safe Spaces (CASS) and lead organizer of the protests that followed, has been calling out Nellie’s for anti-Blackness that he said he’s experienced in the space since 2017.