Kenya Hutton Recognition Resolution of 2026

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1 2 _______________________________ 3 Councilmember Zachary Parker 4 5 6 7 A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION 8 9 _________________________ 10 11 IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 12 13 _________________________ 14 15 16 To recognize honoree Kenya Hutton during the 2026 celebration of DC Black Pride. 17 18 WHEREAS, as a social justice, equity, HIV prevention, and sexual health advocate, 19 Kenya Hutton has worked to address a number of determinants of health among communities 20 heavily affected by HIV and other health disparities for over 20 years; 21 22 WHEREAS, throughout his career, Kenya Hutton has advocated for HIV prevention on 23 the local and national level and brought awareness to LGBTQIA+ young adults as well as 24 members of the House/Ballroom community; 25 26 WHEREAS, as a result of his service to these communities, Kenya Hutton has been 27 honored with several accolades, including the Dorian Corey Wisdom Award, the Michael J. 28 Harrington Humanitarian Award, the Award of Excellence from the Washington DC Ballroom 29 Coalition, and the DC Black Pride Presidents Award; 30 31 WHEREAS, Kenya Hutton collaborated with local nonprofits and the DC Health 32 Department in 2019 to develop an educational program focused on providing potential 33 employment opportunities for ballroom community members interested in becoming certified 34 Community Health Workers; 35 36 WHEREAS, Kenya Hutton spearheaded the development of the Capitol Ballroom 37 Council during this period – which allowed ballroom leaders to develop programming and 38 advocacy for the House/Ballroom community in addition to providing valuable programming 39 insight – resulting in him becoming one of the co-founders of the Capitol Ballroom Council, Inc., 40 a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC; 41 42

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WHEREAS, Kenya Hutton continues to push the envelope to make sure ballroom culture 43 is recognized as a vibrant, resilient community worthy of praise and support by non-ballroom 44 mainstream organizations; 45 46 WHEREAS, in recent years, Kenya Hutton has been a leading voice in the discussion 47 urging research and interventions to address substance use within the ballroom community, 48 especially Crystal Meth use, as well as developing systems to provide relief and support for the 49 ballroom community during the COVID-19 pandemic and the mpox outbreak; 50 51 WHEREAS, the work of Kenya Hutton is dedicated to the enhancement of the health, 52 economic, and social well-being of marginalized and disenfranchised communities; 53 54 WHEREAS, DC Black Pride is an annual event to increase awareness of and showcase 55 pride in the diversity of the LGBTQIA+ populations in the African American community, and to 56 support organizations that focus on health disparities, education, youth, and families; 57 58 WHEREAS, as the very first Black Pride festival in the world, DC Black Pride fostered 59 the beginning of the Center for Black Equity and the “Black Pride Movement”; 60 61 WHEREAS, since the birth of DC Black Pride, more than 50 other Black Pride 62 celebrations now take place throughout the world and on 4 continents, with many using DC 63 Black Pride as a model; 64 65 WHEREAS, May 22, 2026, through May 25, 2026, marks the 35th annual DC Black 66 Pride celebration; 67 68 WHEREAS, the theme for this year’s celebration is “New Black Renaissance,” which 69 centers Black LGBTQIA+ “artists, leaders, healers, and organizers while confronting what still 70 makes Black Pride necessary, including HIV, inequity, homophobia, and transphobia;” 71 72 WHEREAS, for more than 30 years, DC Black Pride has been an opportunity for the 73 Black LGBTQIA+ community to gather and celebrate being both African American and 74 members of LGBTQIA+ communities; 75 76 WHEREAS, DC Black Pride is the oldest and one of the largest Black Pride events in the 77 world, drawing thousands of residents and visitors from around the globe; and 78 79 WHEREAS, DC Black Pride brings more than 500,000 people to the nation’s capital 80 from across the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, South Africa, Great Britain, France, 81 Germany, and the Netherlands and will carry that tradition this year and into the future to 82 celebrate their shared community, raise awareness and funding for HIV/AIDS prevention, and 83 stand against homophobia inspired by violence and bigotry. 84 85 RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That 86 this resolution be cited as the “Kenya Hutton Recognition Resolution of 2026”. 87

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88 Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia recognizes and celebrates Kenya Hutton 89 during the 2026 celebration of DC Black Pride. 90 91 Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately. 92