Hed: Celebrating an Active Advocate: Task Force President Kierra Johnson Honored at
BET’s Black + Iconic Soirée
By: Amber D. Dodd
To celebrate her excellence in leadership, advocacy, and impact, National LGBTQ Task
Force President Kierra Johnson will be honored at BET’s Black + Iconic Soirée on Saturday,
May 24.
“Words cannot express the honor and appreciation I feel accepting the Active Advocate
award – this a recognition I share with my colleagues at the LGBTQ National Task Force,
who are working every day to move us closer to liberation,” Johnson said.
The event takes place during the city’s Black Pride weekend, the first Black gay pride
celebration established in May 1991 as an HIV/AIDS awareness fundraising event at
Banneker Park. With BET Networks founded in the nation’s capital in 1980, the
powerhouse channel returns to Chocolate City to honors Black trailblazers in the fight for
queer rights and freedom. The event underscores the importance of the intersectional fight
for LGBTQ rights and the Black leaders at the helm of the battle.
BET’s showcase of Black gay rights advocates comes at a critical time on the attack of
trans and queer communities. This year, crimes against Black trans people continue to
occur, including the torture and death of Sam Nordquist in February 2025.
Along with speeches by each honoree, special performances by surprise guests will also
take place during the ceremony, promising a star-studded experience that energizes
viewers a week ahead of Pride month.
“BET’s Black + Iconic Soirée honors the importance of community both on-the-ground and
in our day to day lives – and recognizes how our multiple identities intersect and drive my
work as an advocate and our work at Task Force. I hope this celebration encourages
changemakers and motivates everyone in these challenging times,” said Johnson.
“As we continue to champion Black culture and celebrate those at the forefront of change,
the BET Black + Iconic Soirée serves as a powerful platform to recognize the remarkable
contributions of Black LGBTQ+ leaders and allies,” said Tiyale Hayes, co-lead of the BET
Media Group’s social impact and executive vice president of insights and multiplatform
analytics.
During the BET Black + Iconic Soirée celebrating Johnson, journalist Scott Johnson will host
the event as Black superstars from all sectors of entertainment congregate to celebrate
excellence at the intersection of Black and queerness. Along with Johnson, other honorees
include Bob the Drag Queen as this year’s Cultural Trailblazer awardee, Ashlee Marie
Preston as Creative Visionary, Hope Giselle highlighted as the Emerging Leader accolade,
and Ashlee Davis presented with the Executive Realness Honoree. Giselle has her personal
ties with the Task Force, attending this year’s Creators’ Stage and participating in panels
about trans visibility and authenticity in Las Vegas.
“This gathering is a testament to the strength, creativity, and influence of this community,
and we are honored to provide a space to amplify their voices and achievements,” Hayes
said.
At the intersection of Black queer excellence stands Johnson, who is regarded as an expert
in queer, reproductive, and gender rights with leadership experiences with Women’s
Information Network (WIN), United for Reproductive & Gender Equity (URGE), and as a
board member for organizations such as the Center for Community Change.
Since 2017, Johnson has been a leader at the Task Force, entering the organization as an
deputy executive director then taking on the role of president in 2021. She also served as a
Task Force board member from 2010 to 2015.
Johnson has testified in front of the U.S. House Financial Services Committee, celebrated
the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, and continues to fight against the
unprecedented, ongoing attacks on LGBTQ rights through the current Administration’s
anti-trans legislation.
During the State of the Union address, her statements also include an op-ed piece in The
Advocate criticizing President Trump’s brazen federal anti-trans legislation on his first 50
days in office.
“We knew Trump and his administration were coming for us, but the speed and ferocity are
jarring,” Johnson wrote. “Even with some of his actions being blocked in the courts, the
damage is extensive and impacts countless lives.”
Her advocacy work has shined through the Task Force’s flagship events: the Creating
Change Conference, which welcomed a gathering of nearly 3,000 attendees in Las Vegas,
mere days after the inauguration of the current President, and the organization’s annual
fundraiser Winter Party Festival in Miami Beach.
“I know we are afraid, and I know it’s hard to know what to do, but the worst thing is to
numb out and not pay attention to what’s happening in the news. We cannot ask a
question of what’s required of us and be ignorant,” Johnson said at the Festival’s VIP
Cocktail Reception.
We owe it to ourselves, to our communities, to our movements, to our country, to our
ancestors, to every freedom fighter in the world. It’s been hard already and it’s going to get
harder. The question is, what are you willing to do for freedom?”
The BET Black + Iconic Soiree will air on BET and be live streamed on its streaming
platform, BET+.