In celebration of the 2008 GLBT Pride Season, here is my photo montage projections project of my June 2006 trip to NYC for the 37th Annual Heritage Pride Parade.Featuring two teadance mixes from DJ Bryan Hughes' July 2007 'Tea & Crumpets" series, the project begans on Friday evening, 23 June 2006, when Ken, Mark and I drive up to NYC from WDC, with Ken at the wheel.
It then picks up on Sunday morning, 25 June, shortly after 11 am on 8th Avenue in Chelsea when Ken and Mark headed to the Flatiron District and I walked to the Village ... to watch the parade at our respective locations.
Images of 'folks caught in the rain' then follow while I brunched at the Dublin 6 on Hudson and West 11th Street in the Village.
Once the rain stopped, at around 12:45 pm, I took to the street and, captured the crowd waiting on Christopher Street before the arrival of the parade.
The Sirens and other women motorcycle clubs lead the parade down Christopher Street, followed by the Emprire City MC.
From the beginning of the montage, until the end of the parade, Bryan Hughes' "Tea & Crumpets" #2/3 serves as background music.
"Tea & Crumpets" #1/3 serves as background music for the "end of the parade'. Which, while reflecting on the 10 June 2006 attack upon drag performer and dance music recording artists Kevin Aviance by a gang of four male youth ... highlights the 2006 Heritage Pride theme "The Fight For Love and Life!".
And though I did not mention this in the project, when reflecting on the attack upon Aviance, I could not help but reflect on two Saturday nights ago when I was attacked on the subway in WDC by a gang of young black males who when two older black men intervened, the gang of youth then shouted '... but he's a punk ...!'
Nor did I mention that when on Sunday night that I returned to The Village to relax from having spent the entire day photographing the parade when I attempted to enter Ty's that the door manager said "... you can't come in ... the place is full!" ... in the exact same way that when visiting NYC in September 2007 the exact same door man said the exact same thing to me.
And in the exact same way that I had experienced racism at bars in WDC during the 70's and 80's.
While the fight for many may be for the right to love, as a 50 something gay black male who practiced integration not only must I still fight racism but, in most cases, my fight must now also be against those who I loved and against those who professed to have loved me.
As an older but wiser and more mature black man, F--- THE LOVE!
Its about my LIFE!
Click image to view my NYC's 2006 "The Fight For Love & Life" Heritage of Pride PARADE photo montage at Google Video. And here is my 2006 NYC PRIDE WEEKEND photo collection.
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