Pride and the Bible Belt

Selma, Alabama was at the heart of the Civil Rights Movement. It was here in 1965 that Black protesters were chased and beaten during a march that would become known as Bloody Sunday. And today, that fight for Black liberation continues in Selma with Quentin Bell, the executive director of the Knights and Orchids Society, a nonprofit group that supports Black queer people who are facing housing insecurity, healthcare needs, and discrimination.

Quentin has been an LGBTQ+ advocate for more than a decade. And as he told Trymaine Lee, “Black liberation means the liberation of all Black people, regardless of gender, regardless of orientation, regardless of spirituality.” 

On this episode of Into America, Trymaine visits Selma to learn about Quentin’s work. And he speaks with Lynda Blackmon Lowery, one of the foot soldiers of the Civil Rights Movement, about how the fight for queer rights today is carrying on the legacy of the activists of her generation.

For a transcript, please visit msnbc.com/intoamerica. 

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Further Reading and Listening:

• How the Black queer community is re-imagining the family tree
• Into Black Trans Liberation