Several times a year the Penn's Village Inclusiveness and Diversity Committee recommends several resources to help our members and friends to be more aware of the racial biases in each of us and in our society, and the resulting inequities, past and present. It is the committee’s hope that this information may even inspire us to make corrective changes. These resources assembled by Penn’s Village members represent different mediums, different perspectives and experiences, and diverse authors.
Penn’s Village welcomes and actively encourages an inclusive and diverse community of members, staff, Board of Directors and volunteers. Inclusiveness and diversity mean welcoming all and excluding no one because of age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, physical abilities, religious beliefs or political beliefs.
At the very bottom of this page, blog readers have the opportunity to comment. The Inclusiveness and Diversity Committee welcomes your opinions about any of our suggested resources and any suggestions about their mission.
The History of Pride Month (Adapted from an article by Contra-Tiempo, an arts organization in Los Angeles, CA)
The evening of June 27th, 1969, people gathered at the Stonewall Inn, a known gay bar, to fellowship and dance. That night of fun and freedom quickly turned barbaric and horrifying when the NYPD raided the Stonewall Inn. They dragged people out to the street and arrested folks for not subscribing to the “normal” gender rules of what clothes to wear. The events of that night sparked six days of protests and civil unrest as newspapers spouted homophobic slurs and police continued to act violently towards gay and trans people. One year later, on June 28th, 1970, the first Pride parade was held in New York City to commemorate the events of the year prior. Every year following, pride marches and celebrations were hosted in cities around the world, and in 2000, June was officially recognized as Pride Month.
June is now globally recognized as Pride Month, a time of celebration, commemoration, and activism for the LGBTQ+ community. It’s not only a vibrant celebration of diversity and self-affirmation but also a potent reminder of the need to promote equity, acceptance and respect for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
The History of the Advance of LGBTQ Rights in America
To read about the progress of LGBTQ rights from Stonewall to the Supreme Court click here.
If you prefer you may listen to a podcast on this same topic from the National Constitution Center by clicking here.
Ways Philadelphia Is Observing Pride Month, June, 2024
The local official celebration begins on Friday, May 31, with the annual flag raising event at City Hall. The month’s events include: The Pride Promenade at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on June 1; Be You Pride March on June 2; Philly Queer History Walking Tour on June 5; Pride Choral Evensong at Church of St. Martin in the Field on June 9; and Pride Night at the Phillies on June 17. For the details of these events and many more click here.
To discover how the Philadelphia Film Society is observing Pride Month click here.
JUNE 19th HOLIDAY: It’s Origins and Philadelphia Celebrations in 2024
“Juneteenth Independence Day”, “Freedom Day” or Emancipation Day” has been celebrated since the late 1860s and today all 50 states and the District of Columbia recognize the day in some form.
On June 19, 1865, after the April surrender of Confederate general Robert E. Lee at Appomattox, Virginia, Union general Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas. His mission was two-fold: announce the end of the Civil War and inform enslaved African Americans of their freedom by putting the Emancipation Proclamation into effective law. The very same Proclamation that had been issued nearly two and a half years earlier, on January 1, 1863, by President Abraham Lincoln.
Early celebrations of this day involved prayer and family gatherings and included annual pilgrimages to Galveston by former enslaved people and their families. In 1980, Texas became the first state to officially designate Juneteenth as a holiday. America’s interest in the day was renewed during summer of 2020 and the nationwide protests following the police killings of Black Americans, including George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. In 2021 President Biden signed legislation that made Juneteenth a federal holiday.
While some celebrations still take place among families in backyards where food is an integral element, many cities, including Philadelphia, will hold large public events. Philadelphia’s celebrations begin on Saturday, June 8th with a Miss Juneteenth Pageant. Later in the month there will be a parade, a Juneteenth Marketplace and Art in the Park, a music festival, and more. To learn all the details click here.