More than 500 people gathered Tuesday evening as the Carolinas LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce celebrated the 10th anniversary of its Friends in Diversity Pride Soirée, an annual event that brings together business leaders, professionals and community members while highlighting partnerships across Charlotte’s diverse business community.
The event began in 2016 with one hundred people gathered at Legion Brewery. This year’s anniversary celebration welcomed back several of the original chamber leaders who helped launch the event a decade ago, recognizing how Friends in Diversity has grown into one of the Chamber’s signature Pride season gatherings.
Designed to highlight intersectionality within the business and professional community, Friends in Diversity is built around the Chamber’s ongoing collaboration with its diversity partners. Each year, the event brings together organizations representing a wide range of communities across the region, including the Latin American Chamber of Commerce of Charlotte, Charlotte Mecklenburg Black Chamber of Commerce, Carolinas Asian American Chamber of Commerce, Women’s Business Center of Charlotte, Charlotte Regional Business Alliance and many other partners.
“For more than a decade, the Carolinas LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce has remained committed to ensuring the voices of the businesses, professionals and communities we serve are heard, valued and celebrated,” said Chad Turner, president and CEO of the Carolinas LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce. “The growth of the Friends in Diversity Pride Soirée over the past 10 years reflects that commitment and the strong partnerships that have made it possible. We look forward to building on those collaborations for years to come.”
In addition to networking opportunities, the evening recognized five unsung heroes through the Chamber’s LGBT+ Icon Awards and featured performances celebrating the diversity of the Charlotte community.
Poet Zulynette delivered a spoken word performance that organizers said left the rooftop audience in silent awe as they listened. Additional entertainment included performances by the Aloha Island Hula Girls, Sayaw Pilipinas CLT and Haus of Mulan, with music provided throughout the evening by DJ Replay Scott.
While the event celebrated a decade of growth, Chamber leaders said its purpose has remained consistent: creating opportunities for meaningful, in-person connections at a time when professional networking has become increasingly digital.
“This is not networking for networking’s sake,” said Richard Stevens Jr., board chair of the Carolinas LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce. “A Chamber of Commerce is supposed to help create the rooms where business happens. Friends in Diversity is one of those rooms. It is where visibility can turn into relationships, and relationships can turn into opportunity.”
Stevens said the event has become even more relevant as remote work, hybrid schedules and digital communication have changed the way people build professional relationships.
“We have more ways to reach each other than ever,” Stevens said. “But that does not mean we have more chances to actually know each other. Friends in Diversity gives people a reason to leave the feed, get back in the room and build trust in person.”
According to organizers, Friends in Diversity continues to serve as a space where LGBTQ+ professionals, allies, entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders, corporate partners, creatives and community members can connect while celebrating the diversity that comes from supporting one another. As the event enters its second decade, that commitment to fostering relationships across communities remains at the heart of its mission.
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