Los Angeles LGBT Center Launches Black History Month with Grammy Award Winner Big Freedia and ‘Legendary’ Celebratory Mini-Ball - Los Angeles LGBT Center

Last Saturday, the Los Angeles LGBT Center commemorated The Future is Black: Renaissance honoring the Grammy-winning musician Big Freedia. The cultural event included an award presented to Big Freedia by youth from the Center, panel discussions hosted by Tre’vell Anderson and jarrett hill of the podcast FANTI, an interactive portrait studio, and a “mini-ball” after-party.

The newly-minted Grammy winner for Best Dance Recording, Big Freedia was on hand to accept the Center’s Bayard Rustin Award for her fearless advocacy of the LGBTQ+ community. She sat down with content creator and activist, AmbersCloset (Amber Whittington) for a moving keynote conversation exploring her journey through the entertainment industry, her advocacy, and the role she played in Renaissance, the groundbreaking album by Beyoncé.

“To the Los Angeles LGBT Center, thank you so much for this honor and for this award. We all have a mission in life, and when you know your purpose, you use your purpose to do what God has called you to do; I bring all types of people together through music and through the power of ass,” professed Big Freedia. “I'm grateful to be doing things for our community and opening other spaces [like the first Black-owned hotel in New Orleans]. We have to get together and we all have to push each other. Tonight’s award is dedicated in honor of my gay mother, Marktavia the Great, she will be missed so much.”

Attendees were also entertained by a conversation straight from FANTI podcast hosts, Tre’vell Anderson and jarrett hill. The Future is Black showcased a panel called America Has a Problem, surveying the city’s progress in the years since the protests and civil unrest of 2020. Panelists included Capri Maddox, who was appointed as the city’s first-ever Executive Director of the Los Angeles Civil + Human Rights & Equity Department (LA Civil Rights).

The event closed out with a mini-ball reception headlined by DJ Lancia and iconic guest judges from the Los Angeles ballroom scene. 

For courtesy images of Big Freedia from the Center’s The Future is Black, please click here.