Queer Black Broadway Walking Tour

About Queer Black Broadway Walking Tour

Off the Mall Tours and the Rainbow History Project are partnering to offer an intersectional look at the queer history of Black Broadway.

In honor of DC Black Pride week, Off the Mall Tours is partnering with the Rainbow History Project to bring you the Queer Black Broadway walking tour. The U Street Corridor was known as "Black Broadway" in its heyday of the early 20th Century. From the Prohibition Era to the Civil Rights Movement, it was also the center for social justice and fringe movements that fought to bring more opportunity for marginalized groups, including a secretive but active Queer community that was associated with the Harlem Renaissance, the Pansy Craze, and the Civil Rights Movement. This 2 hour walking tour begins at Howard Theater and ends at Thurst Lounge, 2204 14th Street, which is DC's only queer black-owned bar! A portion of proceeds go to benefit the Rainbow History Project.

The Rainbow History Project’s mission is to collect, preserve, and promote an active knowledge of the history, arts, and culture of metropolitan Washington DC’s diverse LGBTQ+ communities.