Avery Ware, the organizer of this weekend’s Mx. Juneteenth, is bringing some joyful resistance to North Coast Yard.
“Joy as an act of resistance” is the concept of intentionally seeking out and expressing pleasure and fulfillment to defy systemic oppression and hardship. It is the theme of this year’s Mx. Juneteenth event, a celebration by and for the Black LGBT community, coming to North Coast Yard on Saturday, June 20.
Ware cites the Black church and spirituality as an example of “joy as an act of resistance.”
“The songs, shouting, dancing and community is an expressive form of joy that has been foundational to our resistance,” Ware said. “Black music and arts have always been modalities and vehicles for resistance, speaking truth to power, and storytelling.”
Celebrating drag as an art form
Mx. Juneteenth began six years ago at the Blk Punx Press location in St. Clair-Superior as a vision to create a welcoming space for the Black LGBT community. It has grown, moving to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2024 and now to North Coast Yard.
“The history of Black arts and entertainment – and that absolutely includes drag – has such a rich and expansive history that challenges white supremacy and policing of our blackness, gender, and/or sexuality,” Ware said. “This history should be taught, centered and passed down.”
Ware said Mx. Juneteenth has received pushback about having drag performers at the center of a Juneteenth celebration.
“Drag is fundamentally an art form that challenges rigid gender norms and can critique racial hierarchical systems,” Ware said. Ware encourages others to look up the history of the drag and ballroom scenes to learn more about how members of the Black LGBT community were pioneers in the movement.
Resistance through self-care and support
Mx. Juneteenth is also a resource fair featuring community groups, businesses and friends of Cleveland’s Black LGBT community.
Sahara Rivera, a past host of Pride in the CLE, hosts the fair.
“I want all the Black and brown youth who show up there to know Mx. Juneteenth is for them,” Rivera said. “This is by us, for us.”
Faceplant, a holistic skincare and waxing studio owned by Mandy Lane of North Collinwood, will have a massage bed and chair for guests to take short rests. The studio will also offer earplugs and a variety of eye masks.
“Everyone involved cares deeply about our collective healing,” Lane said, “so cultivating radical care with Mx. Juneteenth is an absolute honor and priority.”
Suggested Reading
Jordi Luke, CEO of Haus of Transcendent, said the organization will have a table set up for community outreach. Haus of Transcendent is one of the largest distributors of HIV home test kits, working with the Cuyahoga County Department of Health to pass out more than 750 last year. They’ll be providing home test kits, condoms and fentanyl test strips and connecting visitors to resources.
“Both LGBTQI+ individuals and Black communities are on the front lines of any attacks, obviously voting access, healthcare access, and so much more,” Luke said. “The system has often excluded folks, especially folks that are living in multiple intersectional identities like Black LGBTQI+ folks.”
Mx. Juneteenth takes over North Coast Yard on Saturday, June 20, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visit their website to learn more.
