“We shouldn’t have to force people to recognize us”: Destiny Harris On Overcoming Queer Erasure at HBCUs
Student-activist, poet, and, organizer, Destiny Harris. Photo courtesy of Destiny Harris.
Destiny Harris (who uses all pronouns) is tired of the erasure of queer students, organizing, and leadership at HBCUs.
Destiny Harris’ interview is a part of ‘Voices in Movement’ February 2020 theme, #MakingBlackQueerHistory: Black LGBTQ+ Women and Non-Binary Student Activism at HBCUs. To read the descriptor, please click here.
Throughout history, Black queer, transgender, and gender non-conforming folks have pervasively been erased, overlooked, forgotten, and neglected for their leadership in radical movement building in Africa and in the African Diaspora. It is ironic because they were––and are still––and have always been leaders and spearheaders of movements, with many having attended historically Black colleges and universities. Yet, their stories often go untold.
And Destiny Harris is tired of it.
A poet, organizer, and activist from Chicago, Illinois, Harris is a freshmen sociology major and psychology minor at Howard University. They are a member of CASCADE, the Coalition of Activist Students Celebrating the Acceptance of Diversity and Equality (which was previously BLAGOSAH, the Bisexual, Lesbian, Allied, and Gay Organization of Students at Howard University, and the Lambda Student Alliance), Howard’s official undergraduate LGBTQ+ student organization. They are also an organizer with Dissenters, a new national movement organization dedicated to reclaiming resources from the war industry. Organizing in their native Chicago, Harris is a member of the #NoCopAcademy campaign and is a part of the Kuumba Lynx Performance Ensemble.
Harris shared with me why LGBTQ+ students should not have to force people to recognize them at HBCUs; why queer organizing on and off HBCU campuses should not be erased; and Black Women Radicals they admire.
As a queer student at Howard University, what are the benefits and difficulties of your experience at an HBCU?
Destiny Harris (DH): “Going to an HBCU is definitely a unique experience as someone who is queer. As someone who is actively involved and does a lot of work in organizing, I find myself in really radical spaces but I might be in that space where I can be unapologetically Black but at another space, I can be unapologetically queer. For me, it is not often that those spaces intersect where I can be unapologetically Black and queer at the same time. However, being at Howard, I feel there is more space for me to be both at the same time and it doesn’t have to be a separation. I have never met so many unapologetically queer people––there are a lot of queer people, like, A LOT. There are a lot of queer people at Howard and also in D.C., so that is really dope. I don’t feel I have to separate my identities here. Another plus side is that Howard has a very interesting history of queer organizing. We have the first recognized queer organization amongst HBCUs, so the history of queer organizing on campus is strong.”
“However being at Howard, I feel there is more space for me to be both at the same time and it doesn’t have to be a separation. I have never met so many unapologetically queer people––there are a lot of queer people, like, A LOT.”
“That being said, there are still some of the same issues that exist outside of predominantly Black spaces. There is a lot of toxic masculinity mixed with homophobia but that is not unique to Howard but it is something that is there. However, there is definitely a strong queer community here, a lot of solidarity, and we definitely show up for each other.”
How has CASCADE offered you a sense of community, home, and a safe space at Howard?
DH: “First of all, everyone in CASCADE is so beautiful in their own way! I appreciate the variety in CASCADE because I feel sometimes people have this singular idea of what it looks like and what it feels like to be queer but CASCADE shows you that you can be queer in your own way. There is just a lot of representation up and down the spectrum and everybody on the spectrum has visibility. It is also a space that is open to trans and non-binary folks––which all queer spaces are not. There are a lot of queer spaces that are transphobic as fuck. CASCADE is dope because there are a variety of people and everyone is represented. We all have different majors and we are all from different cities but we are all there in solidarity with one another. There is also mentorship from students who help us freshmen babies. It is really dope.”
What do you think Howard and other HBCUs can do to ensure LGBTQ+ rights, justice, and representation on campus?
DH: “One, they can actual acknowledge that we exist. Also, doing more stuff to make this campus more inclusive and welcoming because a lot of times, there is just a lot of erasure of the work we do. It is little things––like we do our Howard introduction every two fucking seconds but no one asks about pronouns! Like why? We add our pronouns to it but it is because we feel like we have to. It should be automatic for professors to ask about pronouns or automatic that there are gender neutral bathrooms. We shouldn’t have to propose our ideas 12 or 13 times, especially when another student does it, it is approved right away.”
“In general, it is acknowledging that queer folks exist on campus and to stop the erasure of our identities. At HBCUs, a lot of radical organizing has occurred and it is because of Black queer people. They need to acknowledge that.”
“Universities love to provide themselves on diversity––air quotes––but there is a difference between diversity and inclusion and actually acknowledging students and providing safe spaces for them. In general, it is acknowledging that queer folks exist on campus and to stop the erasure of our identities. At HBCUs, a lot of radical organizing has occurred and it is because of Black queer people. They need to acknowledge that.”
What does it mean to you to be unapologetically queer and Black?
DH: “A lot of times, people are weird [Laughs]. People often want you to separate your identities and want you to be one thing at a time. You can’t do that. That is complete BS because it is both of these identities that make me who I am. Humans are intersectional. Our identities are not isolated and so that means all of who we are should be acknowledged.”
In the future, how would you like to see HBCUs shift and transform in terms of how they represent and highlight their LGBTQ+ students and alumni?
DH: “HBCUs should do a better job of recognizing us without us having to force them. I remember people had to force Howard to fucking acknowledge Pride Month! They weren’t going to do it unless people said it. Literally folks who are the head of CASCADE had to send emails and talk to staff and force them to do it but it is like, does it mean anything now? You did it but we had to force them. We shouldn’t have to force people to recognize us at HBCUs. I think that is something HBCUs can do, but all colleges need to do, too. In radical organizing, it is Black queer folks who are spearheading these movements. For us to learn about these movements and to learn about these histories but erase the identities of the people who spearheaded these movements, we can do a better job with that.”
“We shouldn’t have to force people to recognize us at HBCUs”
“Also, I have heard stories of queer and trans folks that have gone through the housing process and who have selected gender inclusive housing and didn’t get it or they chose gender inclusive housing but later find out they are placed in housing that aligns with their sex at birth. What the fuck? That is not okay!”
What does a “Black Woman Radical” mean to you?
DH: “It means someone who is a Black woman, who isn’t afraid to disrupt these predominantly white spaces and who isn’t afraid to challenge the narratives that exist about Black women. It is someone who isn’t afraid to work against these systems of oppression as a person and who is unapologetically Black.”
Who are some Black Women Radicals you admire?
DH: “Assata Shakur, for sure. I say the Assata Shakur chant all the time. Angela Davis. Jamila Woods, I really admire her. Zora Neale Hurston.”
You can follow Destiny Harris on Twitter @606hoodlum.