Black Alphabet NFP

What began as a conversation about the lack of exposure of films that explore the Black LGBTQ experience birthed the Black Alphabet Film Festival (BAFF), Chicago’s first Black LGBTQ film festival. The Founding Board of BAFF was successful in fulfilling their original vision, "to empower Black LGBTQ communities from around the world to share their stories thus creating a legacy that honors our past, highlights our present, and nurtures our future."

Since its inception in 2013, BAFF has worked to encourage storytelling, cultivate new dialogues and educate communities about the cultural and social contributions that Black LGBTQ-identified people have made upon the world.

The founding mission, "to identify and present the stories that portray the variety of gender and sexual expressions of the Black Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer or Questioning (LGBTQ) community through the art of film," has sustained the organization for several years.

In 2019, the realization that there was a lack of visibility of other forms of creative artistic expression of the Black LGBT+ community, prompted the Current Board to develop a new vision, a new mission, a new brand, and a refined name.

Known simply as Black Alphabet, the organization now focuses on promoting social equity, which is a concept that speaks to the fair and equitable identification, provision, implementation, and impact of services, programs, and policies. Through the use of the creative arts and media, Black Alphabet creates programs and platforms to promote healthy and whole lifestyles within the Black LGBT+ community.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, and the social events in support of Black Lives Matter #BLM, Black Alphabet has continued to support our community by emphasizing that Black LGBTQ+ lives also matter, and creating a community-sourced film that speaks to the isolation experienced by Black LGBTQ+ people, and specifically how this isolation impacts Trans members of our community.

Please join us in support of the Black LGBTQ+ community as we share narratives through the arts.