Ian L. Haddock is the founder and executive director of The Normal Anomaly Initiative
JENNY BLOCK | Contributing Writer
JennyEBlock@iCloud.com
The Black Like That Festival is coming to Houston, hosted by The Normal Anomaly Initiative partnering with Pride Houston 365. This year’s theme is “We Ain’t Going Nowhere.” The all-Black, queer music and culture festival marks NAI’s five-year anniversary, and it takes place on June 27 at The Hall at Ironworks from 2-9 p.m.
This year’s co-headliners include Grammy-winning R&B artist Durand Bernarr, chart-topping Texas rapper Erica Banks and rising R&B artist and actress Amari Noelle.There will also be performances by S.O.U.L.A.S.P.H.E.R.E., Tanya Nolan and Tré Ward, a drag showcase, The Strut, a live rap cypher, the interactive “Black Like Legacy Banner Project” presented by Legacy, and the first annual Black Like That Awards.
Dallas Voice had the chance to find out more about the festival from Ian L. Haddock, founder and executive director of The Normal Anomaly Initiative.
Dallas Voice: Tell us what Normal Anomaly is. Ian Haddock: It is an organization that creates barrier-reducing, narrative-changing resources for marginalized people through research, direct services and the creation of brave spaces.
We have been in existence for 10 years, and a nonprofit organization for five years, and have interacted with more 10,000 people as well as appearing on The Jennifer Hudson Show, for which we received a GLAAD Media Award; appearing on Lil Nas X’s Baby Registry and celebrating National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day virtually with Sheryl Lee Ralph.
Share a snapshot of its history. I started this organization to save myself. I was an isolated loner with a passion for storytelling. So, I started a blog in 2016 that was reaching hundreds of thousands of readers. Telling stories wasn’t enough, though. So, with the community we created, we formed a team of nontraditional advocates to change narratives.
Over the years, it has blossomed into an organization for the community and by the community. The team, our consultants and volunteers represent the spectrum of diversity and are committed to a margin-to-center approach that is impacting the lives of Southern queer people.
What is Black Like That? We were in one of our LUMINATE advocacy cohorts, funded by a grant from Gilead Sciences, designed to empower communities to take the lead in creating solutions for communities impacted by HIV. The focus population was our Community Advisory Council, and their project was to develop the future of community spaces. They decided to reimagine our festival. The problem was, the name didn’t feel thoughtful and inclusive enough for the ideas they were floating.
We started to write down the names of people we thought of in connection to Black power in the South. TS Madison was at the top for many reasons, but one in particular was her now-famous rant featured on “Cozy” by Beyoncé, where she says, “I’m Black Like That!” The advisory council felt that the name really resonated with the community.
Black Like That is for those who sit at the margins of Blackness, who feel left out, not good enough or not visible enough to be included in celebrations that center Pride Month or Black History Month. It is also a space for allies who understand the difficulties at these intersections that support us wholeheartedly. It is a space where joy, love, and hope will reside even amid a sociopolitical climate that seeks to erase intersections like ours.
How did the Black Like That Community Festival come to be? It started as Black Queer Advancement Festival in 2021, a byproduct of one of our entrepreneurship programs, Project Liberate, a program designed to teach the basics of developing a business or nonprofit organization for those who lack access to courses or materials and/or don’t feel comfortable seeking them out in non-affirming spaces.
Their project was to launch their businesses to the community, and we started the festival to allow them optimal space to engage with the community.It has continued to grow and evolve into a staple event celebrating and platforming queer artists, advocates, drag performers, creatives, businesses and community. In our fifth year, our community expressed that it was the perfect time for a rebrand, and we are excited to implement their vision alongside them.
How did you land on this year’s theme? “We ain’t going nowhere,” is not just a theme to exclaim, it is a theme of faith. Just this month in Houston, we have had to mourn the loss of two Black transgender women. This year, people experiencing greater financial strain and becoming increasingly impoverished due to current economic conditions.
Organizations are having to close, depriving communities that have counted on them of necessary resources. Black men across the queer spectrum are not seeing a decline in HIV, while new STIs are being found. The political system is becoming increasingly radicalized against those at the margins. It’s tough. So, the theme is both a fact and an affirmation. It is both a testament and a testimony. It is both an act of courage and an act of solidarity — a collective and a personal statement.
Sometimes, all we have is hope. But for many that we serve, that’s all they need. Hope keeps you believing in a future when there has been little proof that it’s possible. Hope makes you lean into “what could be” even when “what is” feels like hell.
So this celebration seeks to create a space where we dance, move, sing, watch, connect and remember that even though we might feel like we are all we have, having that is more than enough to keep moving. We ain’t going nowhere!
Who is the event intended for? When people see Black Like That, I am sure it creates an image of who the event is for and what it is about. It does center Black LGBTQ+ people, but it will be an incredibly inclusive space. Our work is intended not to exclude anyone but to be most thoughtful about those at the margins, because if they feel comfortable being brave in a space, it should make us all feel comfortable being brave in a space. Often, this is not the case within Pride celebrations.
In short, the event is intended for anyone who wants to experience, share and receive some joy, hope and love.
What might surprise people about both Normal Anomaly and Black Like That? The Normal Anomaly Initiative is grounded in science and research, and that often gets lost in how we do our community work. It is by design that we focus on marginalized communities, because we know that resources, access and environment are direct contributors to health wealth, and social outcomes. Everything we do centers on creating more possibilities for better solutions.
instance, the date of the Black Like That Community Festival also marks National HIV Testing Day, [stressing the] importance of knowing your status and being connected to prevention and treatment options. We are partnering with Avenue 360 Health and Wellness to provide the opportunity to update your status for free entry. We are also working on a partnership for women at AIDS Healthcare Foundation.
Legacy Community Health will provide on-site testing for incentives to be announced soon, and Allies in Hope will provide access to same-day on-site PrEP. We will also have holistic health options including chiropractic wellness, alternative medicine and mPox, sickle cell, anal and cervical cancer information. `
This ensures this is a space of party and purpose.