Have you ever felt invisible in the stories you love? For Black LGBTQ+ people, this feeling is all too common. We rarely see our true selves represented on screen or stage, and that gap has real consequences. Every story left untold is a missed chance for someone to feel seen. Black Alphabet was created to change that narrative and give our community the spotlight it deserves.

In 2013, a group of Black LGBTQ+ friends in Chicago started a small film festival to showcase stories about people like us. What began as a conversation about the lack of Black queer films blossomed into the Black Alphabet Film Festival (BAFF) – Chicago’s first Black LGBTQ+ film festival. The impact was immediate: filmmakers found a platform, audiences saw themselves reflected, and a long-silent community voice grew louder. BAFF’s early success proved that when you shine a light on hidden stories, whole communities come alive.

Over the years, that single festival grew into Black Alphabet NFP, an international movement using arts, media, and wellness to uplift Black LGBTQ+ lives. We realized our stories span many forms – film, literature, performance, dialogue, and beyond. So we expanded our programming to meet those needs, all while keeping our original vision at heart. Today, Black Alphabet is proud to be the world’s oldest and largest Black LGBTQ+ focused arts organization, recognized in 2023 by the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame. But our true pride comes from the people we serve every day.

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