Shann Fulton Leads Charlotte Black Pride to New Heights

Born in Savannah and raised in a small town in South Carolina’s Lowcountry, Charlotte Black Pride (CBP) Chair Shann Fulton (they/he) was far from any open conversations about sexual orientation and gender expression. 

Even if they suspected family members or friends to be “part of the lifestyle,” it was simply never talked about. But, as Fulton was raised on the saying “A closed mouth don’t get fed,” they eventually became more comfortable with the idea that it was time to start talking.

Fulton was born intersex, an umbrella term for people born with genitals, chromosomes or reproductive organs that fall outside the male/female binary.

The doctor gave their parents some time to decide what gender to assign Shann. As his parents already had two boys and one girl, they decided Fulton would be a girl.

The designation didn’t mean Fulton fell into the stereotypical gender roles for girls. They knew early on in their childhood that something was different about them. As early as kindergarten, for example, Fulton remembers being attracted to girls.

In 5th grade, Fulton even wrote one girl a letter confessing their feelings.

“My teacher read it to the class, and everybody was kind of laughing about it,” they said. “Well, me, I was happy. I was happy he read it and he and everybody else got to know how I felt about her.”

Then and now, Fulton has believed in educating others, especially their family members, to counteract ignorance and misinformation.

When Fulton was 16, they came out to their mom as gay — nobody said “lesbian” back then. Fulton’s mom chalked it up to a tomboy phase that he would grow out of. Having grown up in the Bible Belt, there is still a hesitation for Fulton’s family members to talk about lifestyles that are considered non-traditional.

“How I was born, it doesn’t fit any category,” they said. “And I’ve never been somebody to feel like I needed to fit in a category.”

Although the topic of Fulton’s intersex identity and gender assignment is still an uncomfortable conversation for his mom — and one Fulton’s siblings still don’t know about — his family has come around to embrace who he is today.

Early beginnings

Despite his traditional upbringing, Fulton was raised to follow the Golden Rule and stand up for what they believe in, hence the popularity of the saying “A closed mouth don’t get fed” in the household. 

Fulton said they were the most outspoken of their siblings.

“I would say even though my lifestyle wasn’t something that was talked about, the core values of a human being, I would still say, were things that were still embedded in me,” they said. “And I took that with me when I went to college.”

First attending Morris College in Sumter, South Carolina on an athletic scholarship, playing basketball, volleyball and softball, Fulton later transferred to South Carolina State University in Orangeburg. He volunteered at homeless shelters and food banks while mobilizing students across both campuses to donate items to people in need.

Soon after he graduated college in 2002 and moved to Columbia, South Carolina, Fulton joined a social service organization branded as a “fraternity for studs.”

“Back then, you was either gay … femme or a stud,” they said. “That’s the organization that I found solace in, found other people that were like me, like-minded people.”

The fraternity, a city-based organization rather than college-based, recruited more than 200 new members from across the country during the time that Fulton served as president. One of the core values of the organization was community service and activism, setting Fulton up for a career in those very fields.

Joining Charlotte’s LGBTQ+ community

After relocating to Charlotte, Fulton quickly became aware of Charlotte Black Pride and began volunteering in 2013.

“I wanted to do my thing, I’m always gonna give back to the community wherever I am,” they said. “In looking for an organization, I found Charlotte Black Pride… [and it encompassed] everything that I am. I’m in Charlotte, I’m Black, I’m proud.”

Founded in 2005 by Jermaine Nakia Lee, Damon Blackman, Monica Simpson and Korey Handy, Charlotte Black Pride was meant to provide space for members of Charlotte’s Black LGBTQ+ community who hadn’t felt represented in the early years of Charlotte Pride festivities. 

Though now a sister organization working alongside Charlotte Pride in some matters, CBP has remained a separate entity that has seen encouraging growth over its nearly two decades in existence. 

Shortly after Fulton began volunteering with the organization, the volunteer coordinator asked them if they were interested in taking an assistant position.

“I love volunteering, I love getting other people excited about volunteering as well, so I said sure.”

At the time, Fulton didn’t know the coordinator’s plan, but the very next year she stepped down and Fulton became the volunteer coordinator.

A similar series of events led Fulton to take the chair position, as Fulton was asked to be co-chair of CBP’s board until, after one year in the position, the chair moved out of Charlotte in 2018 and Fulton was left to fill the role.

Lee told Queen City Nerve that, thanks to Fulton’s efforts, Charlotte Black Pride now has its most diverse board in the organization’s history.

Lee said that, through Fulton’s leadership, CBP has made an intentional effort to ensure youth and young adults, trans and nonbinary identified individuals, people in the faith community and senior citizens are represented on the board.

“We serve a very diverse group of people,” Fulton said. “So I believe in order to get the maximum awareness for what the people in our community needs, we should have someone that covers each sect of the community.”

Fulton believes representation is more important than ever in leadership roles, pointing out that many nonprofit organizations that advocate for Black people have no actual Black people on their board.

Fulton’s appointment as chair was remarkable in the sense that they are the first trans-masculine board member that organization has seen.

“Shann is a very … decisive and discerning leader,” Lee said. “And probably, in my opinion, one of the best chairs that we’ve had in the life of the organization.”

Leading despite health struggles

What many people may not know, Fulton said, is that he’s been carrying out these responsibilities while dealing with cancer treatments and major surgeries.

Fulton has had cancer three times in the past five years as well as a surgery to remove one of their kidneys.

“There are certain things … in life that are just part of your heart and soul. And for me, Charlotte Black Pride is one of those things,” he said. “Whether or not I’m going through chemotherapy or whatever it is I’m going through, I think about the need of the people as well.”

Although Fulton couldn’t make it to every in-person board meeting during recovery, they were always present via Zoom. Lee said Fulton has even led board meetings while actively undergoing chemotherapy treatments. 

Such treatments last about three hours, with only around an hour of clear-headedness before the “cocktail” of therapeutic agents sets in. Fulton would get on a board meeting at the top of the hour and wrap things up before the cocktail kicked.

“Shann put his life and well-being on the line for our community to make sure that … African-American and LGBTQ [people] in Charlotte felt affirmed and safe,” Lee said.  

“It wasn’t easy, but because of the love and passion I have for it, it wasn’t hard, either,” Fulton said.

He even believes the work helped them through the recovery process. Knowing that he was providing events and programming for the community they represent helped him push through.

Their dedication to the work is not going unnoticed by those he serves. Fulton was selected as one of two grand marshals for the upcoming Charlotte Pride Parade, scheduled for Aug. 18, representing the best of LGBTQ leadership, service and community, according to Charlotte Pride’s website.

Along with co-marshal Jim Yarbrough of QnotesCarolinas, Fulton will be an honorary lead at the head of the parade, riding behind the honor guard and among the first recognized by the parade emcees.

Fulton said the award couldn’t have come at a better time. In the nonprofit sector, you continuously do the work, not for recognition or praise — Fulton is the first to admit they prefer to remain in the background pushing others to the forefront — but it’s not guaranteed to be noticed.

As Charlotte Black Pride heads into its 20th year, Fulton was questioning whether they had done enough. 

“[The award] kind of confirmed it for me, like, ‘Your work is being seen,’” they said. “It just pushes me to want to continue to do a lot more.”

The future of Charlotte Black Pride

Almost eight years as chair and leading up to CBP’s 20th anniversary, Fulton said the organization has become their baby.

The chair position is a three-year term that is not easy to leave, emotionally or logistically. Many of the folks eligible for chair are not able to take the position.

Charlotte Black Pride is a completely volunteer-based organization, relying on the time of those who may not be able to commit to a leadership role amid full-time jobs.

“Charlotte Black Pride is needed in this community,” Fulton said. “It’s not one of those things where we can take it or we can leave it.”

That is why Fulton wants to leave it in good hands. Moving forward, Fulton hopes to lead the organization in hiring its first staff member. CBP has already made strides by acquiring its first brick-and-mortar office at the hygge coworking space in north Charlotte’s Belmont neighborhood, where they hold community and board meetings.

Fulton hopes following the growth and development the organization has seen through the years, a qualified individual that holds the community they represent at the forefront will step forward for Fulton to pass the position on to with a clear mind. 

If the timing isn’t right, Fulton will resume his position until the next election.

 For now, they are doing whatever they can to continue providing their community with the support it needs. 

Regardless of whether they step down or continue to serve in the years to come, Fulton’s own support system, his fiance of nearly two years, will be by their side through it all to provide, as is another one of Fulton’s favorite sayings, “peace to your day.”