Pride Month honors the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan. This uprising was a tipping point for the gay liberation movement in the U.S, as police raided a gay bar in New York City and its patrons fought back.
At this point in history, “homosexual acts” were illegal across the country (except for Illinois), and these raids on LGBTQ-inclusive spaces were not uncommon, according to History.com. However, this June night in 1969 — and the weeks following — LGBTQ+ activists (primarily trans women of color) mobilized into action.
The Stonewall riots were not a single-night event, and for the coming weeks, LGTBQ+ community members were subject to tear gas, homophobic and transphobic slurs, and ongoing violence.
This action in New York prompted further organizing across the country, and LGBTQ+ folks mobilized in major cities, convening to create organizations like the Gay Liberation Front and Gay Activists.
A year later on June 28, 1970, the first Pride parade started at the Stonewall Inn, as LGBTQ+ activists organized the Christopher Street Liberation March. As hundreds began marching, supporters from the crowd joined them, and thousands marched across 15 city blocks.
Although LGBTQ+ folks still seek further equity under the law, the Stonewall riots were the first major turning point in gay liberation, leading to today’s celebrations, which include parades, parties, concerts, educational opportunities, memorials, and more.
Juneteenth, official name of federal holiday Juneteenth National Independence Day, also called Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Black Independence Day, and Juneteenth Independence Day, holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the US, observed annually on June 19.
In 1863, during the American Civil War, Pres. Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared more than three million slaves living in the Confederate states to be free. More than two years would pass, however, before the news reached African Americans living in Texas. It was not until Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, that the state’s residents finally learned that slavery had been abolished. The former slaves immediately began to celebrate with prayer, feasting, song, and dance.
The following year, on June 19, the first official Juneteenth celebrations took place in Texas. The original observances included prayer meetings and the singing of spirituals, and celebrants wore new clothes as a way of representing their newfound freedom. Within a few years, African Americans in other states were celebrating the day as well, making it an annual tradition. Celebrations have continued across the United States into the 21st century and typically include prayer and religious services, speeches, educational events, family gatherings and picnics, and festivals with music, food, and dancing.
The DEI Team is planning to schedule a field a trip to the National Afro American Museum and Cultural Center located in Wilberforce Ohio, in June. Look for more details soon.
Other June Observances:
World Environment Day (5th), Father’s Day (18th), and National Indigenous People Day (21st)
