Lunch Counter

An Assignment by Lincoln P.

Description of Image: I immediately recognized this image to be of a sit in protest because I had seen similar images when studying the Civil Rights movement in high school. The sit-in style protest, where protestors would enter a pla ce they weren’t welcome and stay, was popular during the Jim Crow era and Civil Rights movement in the 1960’s. Sit-ins were effective because it was illegal in many states for black people to eat at white restaurants such as the one in the image. The image captures the state of the country at the time: black people suffering and trying to be heard without being given a voice, and white people doing what their racist parents, ancestors, and government taught them. The image also shows the extreme racism and mob mentality among whites which was common at the time.

The image’s impact: The most impactful aspect of this picture to me is the amusement and lack of guilt on the faces of the white protestors. It is the most impactful for white Americans because it shows our history and what we are capable of. When looking at this image I see what American culture was like during most of the 20th century. I see what behavior was socially acceptable and expected during the 20th century. It is impactful for white people to acknowledge that our values, beliefs, and morals are mostly a result of our upbringing, and aren’t necessarily right. This acknowledgment is impactful because it makes one question their own values, beliefs, and morals.

Where am I in this image: I am a straight white male with no disabilities who was raised in an upper class family. Some of my ancestors have been in America since the colonies. Throughout my life I have almost always been surrounded by other white people. My lack of experience with black people makes me susceptive to biases and racism. If I were raised in the place and time this photo was taken I would have grown up in a much more racist community. This would have resulted in me being nurtured in a different way; and therefore, becoming a different, more racist person. I would most likely have been a bystander at a sit in and if not, maybe I would have been a harasser. It makes me uncomfortable to admit this and to know how much power society has over my beliefs and values. It makes me feel less confident in my values and beliefs to know that my values and beliefs are situational and could be very drastically different if I had been raised in a different time by different people.

Want to learn more about Sit Ins of the Civil Rights Movement, click here for more.

Students in an African American Studies course were tasked with analyzing a historical image, and putting themselves into the image as well. This 3 part assignment was a lot of processing work for students, this particular selection reflects the journey of one white male student grappling with his own historical and current positionality. He has graciously granted us permission to showcase an example of some of the work our students do individually.

The Sea/Tac Kiki ‘Ballroom Scene’: Bringing Kiki Ballroom to the PNW

By: Jake, Lincoln, Ravyn, and Zoe

What is the Sea/Tac Kiki Ballroom Scene?

Kiki Balls are a tradition that dates back to the 1970s in New York City. In a world that discriminates against Queerness, Transness, and being Black and Brown–Leaders of the Kiki Community founded a movement that celebrates and awards these very identities.  The Sea/Tac Kiki ‘Ballroom Scene’ is a grassroots organization dedicated to bringing Kiki Ballroom culture to the Pacific Northwest. They are intent on providing a space for Black and Brown members of the LGBTQ2S+ community to come together and be authentically, creatively themselves. Those who do not identify with this community are welcome to join but the space is specifically intended for Queer Black and Brown people. The Sea/Tac Kiki Ballroom Scene was founded in February of 2019 by Rocky Jones and Chris Davis. Since its founding, it has been committed to providing consistent events, balls, and education to the wide Tacoma community. They have hosted a Kiki Ball every month since February, recruiting judges, DJs, and Houses from Oregon and Washington. They have also hosted weekly classes at the Tacoma Urban Performing Arts Center (T.U.P.A.C) in Downtown Tacoma, WA as well as monthly “takeovers” as a casual spin on the traditional Ball. At these classes, students learn what it means to be a part of Ball culture and how to compete in the different categories of performance. One of the primary goals of this organization is to provide a space where Queer youth can go to express themselves among other like-minded people.

Promotion for a Kiki Ball hosted by the Sea/Tac Kiki ‘Ballroom Scene’.

Who are the founders of the Sea/Tac Kiki Ballroom Scene?

Rocky Jones (aka Eleekay Princeton) and Chris Davis (aka ChiChi Princeton) are the founder and co-founder of the ‘Sea/Tac Kiki Ballroom Scene.’ Rocky is the House Father of the House of Princeton, which he founded. Chris is the House Mother of the House of Princeton, and also works for the non-profit PCAF (Pierce County AIDS Foundation) for HIV healthcare. Together, they wanted to create a space for Queer People of Color within the Seattle/Tacoma community. Rocky moved to Tacoma from Maryland, where the Kiki Ballroom scene was more established. But even so, Rocky described the scene as “underground underground” because it was not widely publicized in Maryland’s mainstream culture. He was drawn to the openness and freedom of Ballrooms, describing it as love at first sight, but there were a few caveats. Rocky saw fault within the hierarchies of performers and the lack of welcome towards newcomers. When he first moved to Tacoma, there had previously been a Ballroom Scene in Seattle run by Jade Voterslang, but when Jade moved away, the community involvement dwindled. Rocky and Chris established the Sea/Tac Kiki ‘Ballroom Scene’ to fill this gap.

In an interview with Rocky and Chris, they describe the beginning stages of the scene. Chris wanted to start a Black Gay group to build community and have more spaces, so he reached to Rocky and started to hold meetings. The group then moved towards events, and with Rocky’s ballroom history, they decided to have a ball. Rocky said “A lot of people told me: ‘Rocky, you’re crazy. That will never happen here.’ But I’m a strong believer that if you stay consistent and really believe in what you want to do, you can make it a reality. I was not letting it down.”

Rocky and Chris both have a lot on their plates between parenting the House of Princeton, coordinating the Sea/Tac Kiki Scene as a whole, and managing their personal lives. Chris describes their work dynamic: “Rocky is the ideas, the big dreamer, I’m like the reality execute. We have the perfect balance.” Rocky responds, “One thing I like about Chris is that he doesn’t tell me ‘No,’ he’ll say ‘we’re not ready for that yet,’ or ‘we can’t afford it,’ or ‘we need to figure it out.’ With me dreaming big and him keeping me somewhat to a reality level, we’re still gonna grow huge.” The two accredit their success to respect and friendship.

A video from one of the Sea/Tac Kiki Ballroom VOGUE/Pose classes taught at the Tacoma Urban Performing Arts Center (T.U.P.A.C).

What is Kiki Ballroom?

One of the best ways to understand the Kiki Ballroom scene is to watch or attend a Ball. Many resources to do so can be found on the Emerald City Kiki Sessions website as well as more detailed information on the scene as a whole.

A video depicting what you might see at a Kiki Ball.

Kiki Ballroom is essentially a mix of performance, runway, and a celebration of Queer identities. At a Kiki Ball, participants will compete in different categories to be judged by a panel of judges, or the audience itself, to win prizes or trophies. There are a variety of categories that one can compete in such as vogue, best dressed, sex siren, face, etc. These categories dictate the performance and presentation of the participant and include their own sets of styles, techniques, etc. This means that performers must dedicate a significant amount of time to practicing for these Balls.  If the performers succeed and are deemed the best by the judges or the audience, trophies and other prizes can be won at Kiki Balls. For more detailed information on these categories go to the Emerald City Kiki Sessions website.

Houses are integral to the Kiki Ballroom scene due to the community they build. Houses serve as families, adding onto the community and support that the scene already provides its members. These Houses are comprised of ‘children’, a House Father, and/or a House Mother. The House Fathers and Mothers serve as leaders and instructors of their House and choose which children can join their house. These families are very close and compete together to win trophies for the collective House.

Music is also important to the Kiki Ballroom scene and has evolved throughout the decades to carry the attitude and power of the performers (Lindores 2018). “‘These are more than just b*tchy songs; they form a soundtrack of power, control, manipulation, escape and fantasy. They glorify gayness and femininity’” (Lindores 2018). Kiki Ballroom is all about expression, making it important for the music to also support this expression (Lindores 2018). In these songs, words that have been used negatively to describe members of the LGBTQ2S+ community are reclaimed and used positively as words full of power and pride. The music is largely electronic and provides many spaces for performers to pose and move along to the beat (Lindores 2018).

A song from an artist on the Emerald City Kiki Sessions resource page that showcases the electronic and lyrical elements of songs used in Kiki Balls.

What is the history behind Kiki Ballroom?

Drag ball culture has been around for over a century; however, throughout its history, ball culture has been steadily changing. The first drag ball, The Annual Odd Fellows Ball, was held in Harlem, New York in 1876. This Ball served as a place for people to dress in drag and compete and compare their displays of gender presentation (Lindores 2018). Drag balls became more and more popular into the 20th century. The popularity of drag balls peeked in the early 20th century due to the increase in racism and segregation entering the mid 20th century (Lindores 2018, Iovannone 2019). Most balls between the 1920s and 1960s consisted mainly of white performers, and when people of color did participate in these early drag balls, they were usually expected to whiten their faces with makeup.(Goodman 2018). Drag queens of color were often derided in mainstream drag balls for appearing too ‘ethnic’ (Iovannone 2019).

In 1967 Crystal Labeija, a Black drag queen, lost the Miss All America Camp pageant to Rachel Harlow, a White drag queen. For years, Crystal had believed that drag pageants favored White queens and was determined to change drag culture to be more accepting and inclusive of people of color. Crystal walked off the stage in protest when she lost, and shortly after, Crystal addressed cameras stating “I have a right to show my color” (Goodman 2018). Crystal’s public accusation that drag event organizers were rigging the vote to select white winners made her a symbol of strength among people of color in the drag community (Lindores 2018).

The moment when Crystal LaBeija protested against the discrimination of Ballroom and decided to change Ballroom herself in order to make it more inclusive.

A few years after the 1967 Miss All America Camp pageant, a drag queen named Lottie began to try to organize a ball specifically for Black drag queens in Harlem. Lottie asked Crystal for help, and the two started a ball in the 1970s that lay the groundwork for Kiki Balls today (Goodman 2018). Crystal Labeija also started a House during the 1970s called House of Labeija. House of Labeija inspired the rise of many other Houses for people of color such as House of Xtravaganza and House of Ninja (Goodman 2018). Today, House of Labeija is considered to be one of the most influential Houses within drag culture, especially in the Kiki scene (Lindores 2018). House of Labeija and other houses for Queer people of color in the 70s were the inspiration for Kiki Balls all across the country, including the ones here in Tacoma.

Future goals for the Sea/Tac Kiki Ballroom Scene:

The Sea/Tac Kiki Ballroom Scene hopes to continue to provide support for Black and Brown members of the LGBTQ2s+ community by providing a space to be original and creative. The founders of this organization would like to ultimately expand enough to have actual houses to home the House families as well as to one day have an aid center. Because of their focus on Queer youth, the Sea/Tac Kiki Ballroom Scene would like to connect with colleges and high schools to get more youth involved in Ballroom. Their objective is for any new individual to be able to find a leader/mentor and family within the Sea/Tac Kiki ‘Ballroom Scene’. This way the community could build them up to be more confident and outspoken, making tackling the challenges of daily life easier. Their big dream would be to one day perform in Paris but ultimately, Rocky and Chris just aim to give everyone the best Ballroom experience they’ve ever had.

How does the Sea/Tac Kiki Ballroom Scene relate to African American Studies?

“‘You have three strikes against you in this world. Every black man has two — That they’re just black and they’re a male. But you’re black, and you’re a male, and you’re gay. You’re gonna have a hard f*cking time’”

Paris is Burning

As a result of racism and stigma, Black and Brown people live in a state of double consciousness. W.E.B. DuBois defines double consciousness as a “sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity” (DuBois 1994, 2). As a result of being told that they are less-than and treated as such by White people for years, Black and Brown people live with not only their identity but the identity that has been ascribed to them by White people. This means that Black and Brown people must remain constantly aware of how they are being perceived by White people as a preventative measure against any harassment, discrimination, or violence that they may fall victim of.

Although being LGBTQ2S+ is becoming more accepted in mainstream society, those who identify as such continue to face stigma, ostracism, and violence. Venus Xtravaganza, an essential figure in Paris is Burning, was murdered at the age of 23 before the end of the documentary due to her being a transgender woman. Although tragic, it is not seen as a shock even to her best friend and House Mother, Angie Xtravaganza because of the difficulty that comes from being transgender. Although she was murdered in the 1980s, transgender people and other members of the LGBTQ2S+ community are still victims of violence and harassment. Venus Xrtravaganza was a victim of transphobic hate crime; she was murdered based on her identity. She would have to be hyper vigilant, meaning she would always have to be aware of dangerous situations strictly because she was transgender. Even with this vigilance, she was unable to overcome the dangers of transphobia.

Black and Brown members of the LGBTQ2S+ community live with a triple consciousness as they must constantly be aware of their being Black or Brown as well as their sexual identity. The Sea/Tac Kiki Ballroom Scene provides a space where these identities can be embraced rather than diminished and hidden as they may often be in the greater world. The Kiki Ballroom Scene allows members of this community to feel apart of a welcoming and accepting community that they may not have otherwise been able to find somewhere else. Understanding the difficulties that Queer Black and Brown youth must go through such as bullying, living with parents who do not understand them, and a lack of access to resources or outlets, Rocky and Chris place emphasis on making the Sea/Tac Kiki Ballroom Scene a place where Queer youth under the age of 21 to gather and get support. The Sea/Tac Kiki ‘Ballroom Scene’ is a place where Black and Brown members of the LGBTQ2S+ community can fully embrace their identity without having to worry about how others may perceive them.

A large ball that the Sea/Tac Kiki Ballroom Scene will be performing in as well as the last event of their first year of being an organization.

For more information on the Sea/Tac Kiki Ballroom Scene as well as to stay updated on events they are hosting or participating in, visit their Facebook page.

To get in contact with the founders, Rocky Jones and Chris Davis, visit their Facebook pages.

If you would like to attend one of the POSE/Vogue classes that are offered by the Sea/Tac Kiki ‘Ballroom Scene’, the schedule can be found here.

For more information on the Kiki Ballroom scene in general, visit the Emerald City Kiki Sessions website.