Spirituality

Don Abram’s shared passion for the Black Church and the LGBTQ+ community prompted him to start Pride in the Pews. Don grew up in a hand clapping, toe-tapping Black church on the Southside of Chicago. Every Sunday, at 11:00am, he was in the pews expecting a soul-stirring sermon. At the age of 14, he was called into ministry and moved from the pews to the pulpit—a paradigm shifting transition. With his new role, he adopted theological positions that mirrored the teachings of his home church. After years of preaching orthodoxy, everything came to a halt when Don realized that he embodied the one of the very things that he preached against: queerness.

As a student at Harvard Divinity School, Don was presented with an opportunity to critically engage scripture with a focus on marginalized communities, including the LGBTQ+ community. With rigorous theological training and a heart for justice, Don deconstructed queerphobic theologies from the perspective of Black liberation theology. As Don’s theological commitments evolved, his love for the Black Church never ceased. In fact, his commitment to ensuring that the Black Church pursued a ministry that centered the needs and voices of marginalized communities grew stronger.

Frustrated with lack of theological nuance and the silencing of LGBTQ+ voices in the Black Church, Don decided to launch Pride in the Pews. He believes that far too many LGBTQIA+ Christians in the Black Church

still hear dehumanizing messages about their sexuality and their gender identity, which impedes their ability to contribute to a more just world. So, he decided to confront queerphobic theologies in the Black Church through storytelling.

Armed with a $40,000 grant and a calling to ministry, Don launched Pride in the Pews. It is a grassroots nationwide nonprofit that develops, equips, and organizes emerging Black LGBTQ+ leaders of faith to advance social movements through civic engagement, political education, and storytelling. Pride in the Pews seeks to create a platform by which LGBTQ+ Christians in the Black Church can share their testimony and contribute to a more just and equitable world. Don is deeply committed to ensuring that the next generation of Black LGBTQ+ leaders of faith are equipped to be change agents.

Q: How did Pride in the Pews get started?

A: The work of Pride in the Pews was born on the heels of historic protests for racial justice and during ongoing legislative attacks against the LGBTQIA+ community. In the wake of the George Floyd protests, Don saw a unique time for the Black Church to recommit itself to the work of justice for all, regardless of sexual and/or gender identity. The Black Church has always been the training ground for monumental leaders in our nation’s history. However, it has excluded a pivotal consistency for far too long: Black LGBTQ+ leaders of faith. With the proper tools, training, and resources, the Black Church can once again be a birthplace for transformative leadership, producing individuals who act as catalysts for social movements that impact the church and our nation. But, it must become radically inclusive and lead from a place and empathy and compassion, especially for LGBTQ+ people, to do so. At Pride in the Pews, we believe that the next generation of changemakers lie within Black LGBTQ+ leaders of faith but the Black Church is not equipped to provide them with the necessary training and skillset. We are working to fill that gap, so that Black LGBTQ+ people of faith can continue to be catalysts for social movements that advance equity and justice for all.

Q: What is the goal of Pride in the Pews campaign?

A: Pride in Pews imagines a Black Church reconciled unto itself. We envision a church that reflects and celebrates the sexual and

gender diversity that exists within Black Christandom while challenging all systems of oppressions that seek to dehumanize the disinherited. We envision a church that embodies intersectional liberation through advocacy, community outreach, mutual aid, and ministry for the marginalized. We envision a church that acknowledges and resists the vestiges of harmful theologies and ideologies that serve to otherize and disempower members of our own community.

@Pride in the Pews

@Pride in the Pews