Pride Houston 365 to explore faith and music this Black History Month

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A joyful noise will rise in the Heights this weekend, as rich and diverse as Houston itself.

Pride Houston 365 will welcome visitors to Resurrection Metropolitan Community Church Saturday, for an evening of soulful music to commemorate Black History Month.

"Continuing the Journey to Hallelujah!" will get underway at 5 p.m., featuring performers from RMCC's Gospel Ensemble and The Collective at St. Peter United.

RELATED: Pride Houston 365 unveils plans for 2024 LGBTQ+ parade and festival

Kendra Walker, who leads Pride Houston 365, said faith plays an important role to both the Black and LGBTQ+ communities alike.

"Me personally, I am a preacher's daughter - Southern Baptist," Walker said. "Church was such a big part of my upbringing. I could not imagine not having an LGBTQ+ affirming home."

She said supporting the concert was an easy decision, opening doors for conversations around intersectionality in the Black LGBTQ+ community.

"Faith even goes back to our ancestors in Africa, you know?" Walker said. "Religion or spirituality has always been a part of our culture, so (it was) important to embrace that."

There's plenty of evidence of this, said Deacon Kedric Brown, who serves as RMCC's Gospel Ensemble director: just follow the music.

"Much of my singing that I learned was in the church, learning three-part harmony and things like that. You can go out and hear some of these R&B '90s groups - SWV, Boys II Men, Jodeci - to see a lot of those people came from church," he said. "It's very much a part of our lives, and has been for centuries."

In addition to helping promote the event, Pride Houston 365 also hopes to use the concert to attract new volunteers to the organization.

You can learn more at PrideHouston365.org.

Resurrection MCC is located at 2025 W. 11th St., in Houston. You can also stream the concert live online at ResurrectionMCC.org.