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Office of Institutional Safety & Equity (OISE)
June 2021
Did you know that in the original 8 colors of the rainbow flag hot pink was added to represent art?

Did you know that each color on the flag has its own meaning? Representing inclusivity, in the "reboot" of the Pride flag - The Progress Flag -- created by Daniel Quasar, red is symbolic of life, orange is symbolic of spirit, yellow is sunshine, green is nature, blue represents harmony, purple is spirit, black was added as a way to stand in solidarity with the Movement for Black Lives and to represent diversity, brown represents inclusivity and the colors of the trans pride flag - light blue, pink, and white, represent boys, girls and intersex or those who are transitioning or have a neutral of undefined gender identity. The Progress Flag includes the original LGBT flag, trans flag, asexual flag and black and brown stripes.
Drs. Anna Marley, Brittany Webb, and Jodi Throckmorton provided an important overview of the impact of queer women artists to the history of art and contemporary artistry in their Women in Art course this past Spring semester.

Yesterday we celebrated Memorial Day, a day to honor and remember the sacrifice of all soldiers who died in the performance of their military duties. Originally known as Decoration Day, this annual tradition began in the years following the Civil War and became a national holiday in 1971. Many enslaved persons fought in the war as a way to secure their own civil
liberties, significantly shifting the focus of the Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 but in reality, it did not instantly free all enslaved people, only some of them. (The 13th Amendment was passed in December 1865.) This is why Juneteenth is so important. Juneteenth, or June 19, 1965 is the official nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. It was the day the news that the war had ended, the Emancipation Proclamation had been passed, and the enslaved were now free reached Galveston, Texas.

The 2021 Caribbean American Heritage Month theme, Shared Histories, Shared Futures, serves as a reminder that our greatest strength lies in our diversity. Throughout the month of June we hope that you find opportunities to spread these messages of pride and freedom and raise awareness of our shared histories. Happy June!

-- Dr. Ronke Oke
Director of DEIB and Deputy Title IX Coordinator
PAFA Celebrates Pride Month
Pride month commemorates the June 1969 Stonewall Rebellion and the series of marches and parades organized by grassroots activists and community organizers. One of the earliest gay rights demonstrations in the United States took place 4 years before the Stonewall Rebellion when 39 members of gay rights organizations planned a rally to remind the public that basic rights of citizenship were being denied to the LGBTQIA+ community. Known as Annual Reminders, these demonstrations took place every year on July 4th at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. To date, only two presidents have declared June Pride Month: President Bill Clinton and President Barack Obama. Since its inception gay pride events and parades have taken place in major cities around the world.
Hope Olaidé Wilson on Pride & the Art of Building Community

Image: Hope Olaidé Wilson, Photo Credit: Dujonna Gift-Simms (2021) Black queer and trans artists have long been at the forefront of social movements and creative innovation, all while remaining underrecognized for these massive cultural...

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www.nyfa.org
"Pride is an extension of agency in terms of my capacity to find freedom within and despite societal constraints." 

-- Hope Olaidé Wilson
Gay Pride Parade Turns 51!
Source: Mike Lien/The New York Times/Redux
The first gay pride parade took place in NYC on June 28, 1970 to commemorate the first anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion (1969). The Stonewall Rebellion was considered to be the beginning of the LGBT civil rights movement. 2019 would have marked the 50th anniversary but due to COVID-19 restriction were unable to celebrate the Pride parade's golden jubilee.

This year's parade has been postponed until Labor Day weekend and will take place on Saturday September 4, 2021. Instead of a parade, Philly Pride will include a mini-festival at Penn’s Landing. 
(Zoom details to follow)
Join Us for PAFA Pride
QUEER CULTURE CONVERSATION
Monday, June 7th, 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Join Matt Herzog, artist and Manager of Visitor Services, for a look at Queer Art and culture at PAFA.

Together we will unpack identity and representation in PAFA's collections, looking at the work of Kehinde Wiley, General Idea, and the Gilbert Lewis Only Tony exhibition. 
Source: Black Trans Lives Matter Film by Google
Black Trans Visibility
"In 2019, the American Medical Association classified violence against the transgender community in the U.S. as an epidemic. 2020 is already on pace to be the deadliest year on record for the transgender community, especially for Black trans women. Many deaths also go unreported, and victims are often misgendered."

Explore Your City
Source: AP File Photo
Giovanni's Room
One of the oldest surviving LGBT bookstores in the nation, Giovanni's Room, opened in the early 1970s and became a space where people could learn both about gay and lesbian culture and learn about themselves. The bookstore provided a support network and during the AIDS epidemic provided information about how to care for people with the disease. The bookstore re-opened and is now a part of Philly AIDS Thrift. | 345 S. 12 Street
We The Youth
Mural Arts has restored We the Youth, a mural created by iconic pop artist Keith Haring. Originally created in 1987, it is the only Keith Haring collaborative public mural remaining intact and on its original site. After months of wall repair and painstaking restoration, We the Youth has been returned to Haring’s original intent. | 22nd & Ellsworth Street
Source: Photo by Steve Weinik (Mural Arts)
Source: Photo by Jack Ramsdale (Mural Arts)
William Way Center
The William Way Center offers a variety of programs, support services, events and meeting spaces for the LGBTQ community — many of which are now available virtually during COVID-19. On the block-long western exterior wall of the building, artist Ann Northrup’s mural Pride & Progress depicts a tribute to Philadelphia’s LGBTQ history and culture. | 1315 Spruce Street
Caribbean American Heritage Month
Caribbean American Heritage Month was formally recognized in 1999 with a petition to President Bill Clinton. But celebration of Caribbean American Heritage Month did not start until the Institute of Caribbean Studies began holding festivals in Washington DC in 2000.
Juneteenth: Freedom Day
"In 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation had declared all enslaved people in the rebelling states free. Because Union forces did not control Texas at that time, the Proclamation had no practical effect in that state until Union General Gordon Granger landed at Galveston on June 19, 1865, and read the order. In Texas, June 19 came to be known as Juneteenth, on which day African Americans celebrated their freedom." -- Juneteenth.com

In collaboration with MICA and MassArt, PAFA will host a conversation series on the meaning of Freedom.

More information to follow.
From Our Collection
Only Tony
Portraits by Gilbert Lewis


PAFA's exhibition, Only Tony, highlights this important artist's work and focuses on his experience painting one special model, Tony. Lewis painted Tony numerous times in the 1980s and early 1990s, documenting the fashion and culture of gay men at the time.