By Master “Daddy” Zulu
For those who don’t know me, I’m known in the Leather culture as Master “Daddy” Zulu. I’ve been navigating in and around this culture since the early ’90s, and fully embraced Leather in the mid-’90s. I am grateful to NCSF for the opportunity to share my views about Juneteenth Freedom Day 2025.
This September, Goddess willing, I’ll begin my sixth decade on this Earth. This gives me a unique opportunity to express my experiences with all of you. My journey in kink has been good, bad, and at times ugly but for the most part exciting. I’m a proud African American with roots tracing to Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Central West Africa, and Mali on my father’s side; and to the U.S. Indigenous Cherokee, Senegal, Benin and Togo, Cameroon, Germanic Europe, Ireland, European Roma, and Scotland on my mother’s side. Even though I was raised abroad as a U.S. Air Force brat, I have always known and understood that I am a black man. Because of this it has always been important to my parents that I learned about the history of the black people who made a difference in my country, especially those who walked the path of social justice and human rights. In elementary school I was given Black History flashcards, numerous annual green books and felt pretty confident that I was well versed in Black History.
One thing I didn’t learn about while growing up was Freedom Day, also known as Juneteenth. As a youth through today, every two years or so, I attend family reunions in Pittsburgh, Eufaula, Alabama and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I’ve learned pockets of history about my family but not until much later in life, Juneteenth wasn’t discussed.
I first remember hearing about Juneteenth in June of 1999—at 34 years old.
Real talk, how many of you, especially my black siblings reading this of a certain age who were not raised in or didn’t have ties to Texas, Louisiana or maybe Mississippi heard of Juneteenth prior to the past 15 to 20 years?
It was a friend in California, who grew up in Louisiana and spent a lot of time in the Dallas, Texas area who introduced me to the traditions of the Juneteenth holiday. I was embarrassed that I knew nothing about it. I knew more about the Folsom Street Fair and Leather Culture History than I did about a celebration that is for my people, my race.
When I heard about it, I immediately called my parents and asked about it. My mother said she had heard about it from friends from Texas but she didn’t know much except that people had a large BBQ as part of the celebration. A few years later, while visiting Pittsburgh and introducing my new daughter to my relatives I was asked to DJ an event that was billed as a Juneteenth celebration. That was 2003 and prior to that point, I never heard a word about Juneteenth in Pittsburgh and I visited there practically every other summer my entire life!
Part of me feels unworthy to be writing this blog as a Black Man who identifies as a social justice participant discussing a day of joy and celebration for African Americans that didn’t learn about Juneeth until I was almost in my mid 30s. The “imposter syndrome” is a real thing!
As I reflect on my journey as a Black man in Leather Culture, I recognize that struggles still remain. This culture has given me so much joy through kink, camaraderie, traditions, dirty filthy sex and events. Yet there are still issues when it comes to BIPOC folx. Seats at the tables in some places are still a challenge, Performative activism has reached an all-time high—especially following the senseless murder of George Floyd five years ago. I was at a Leather conference this past weekend that had a documentary screening of a kinky BIPOC folx. It was highly advertised and should have been standing room only. It wasn’t. That same weekend, I hosted a Leather walk and invited attendees to join me in honoring BIPOC and marginalized voices within our culture. Though many expressed interest, fewer than 20 showed up.
I grew up as a US Air Force Brat in the Philippines, and Japan with a brief time in New York. I was insulated and protected from many of the issues that black people were dealing with in our country. While my teachers taught me how to be free thinking, I learned early on how to navigate in the world because I had a luxury that many other people of color didn’t have. Interracial relationships of black, white, Asian and Latine were normal to me.
Around 22 years ago, my interest in social justice increased. People in the kink and LGBTQ community in Northern California started requesting my services to MC and DJ and I became more aware of things going on around me. There was systemic racism all around me, even in California with people in positions of power especially in the Leather Culture. I found my voice back then and started to call in and if needed, call out. The more I found my voice, the more I became involved in social justice awareness and activism. I started looking into my culture directly and I started seeing a look the other way attitude and so called friends, and I was not good with that.
Juneteenth has been recognized as a federal holiday in 2021, when the 117th U.S. Congress enacted and President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law. It is the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was adopted in 1983. While this is a historic and beautiful thing, it is one of many actions needed to make this country be the country that it is supposed to be. Our country often moves on to the next issue without addressing what’s right in front of us.
Leather culture mirrors this behavior—and because of this persistent inaction, I’ve stopped referring to it as a “community.” Until there is real, sustained commitment to justice—not just performance—I’ll call it what it is: a culture. Until there is profound committed action instead of the performative action that I see in the culture, I refuse to call what we do “community.”
Some of you have forgotten what is going on before our very eyes or chose to look the other way, even after seeing what happened after the most recent election in the United States. The Black Lives Matter posters, signs and t-shirts have been taken to the local Goodwill. Many of you have ignored the struggles of our trans siblings, ICE is destroying families, the Middle East is on the verge of war, and the economy is deteriorating.
Project 2025 is here! If our culture had paid attention and followed Jill Carter’s important rally cry from 1996 “Each One, Teach One.” I believe that actions would have been taken inside this culture and to our local communities to make sure that we elevate the voices and create safety and social justice for everyone! Those who ignore this reality yet post “Happy Juneteenth” without reflection are part of the problem. Please—don’t let Juneteenth become another performative holiday. Reflect deeply on how we can grow into a greater nation, and how our culture can once again become a community.
With that, I sincerely wish you all a meaningful Juneteenth.