HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!!!

June 1, 2022 - June 30, 2022

June is recognized as LGBTQ+ Pride Month in the U.S. and several other countries to commemorate the Stonewall riots, which commenced in June 1969. Many pride events are held during June to acknowledge the impact LGBTQ+ individuals have had worldwide.

The Stonewall Uprising

The Stonewall Uprising began on June 28, 1969, when police officers raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Manhattan, NY. As cops began arresting individuals, those who had escaped began protesting from outside the bar leading to a riot between the police and the LGBTQ+ community. Ultimately, the raid spurred six days of protesting outside of the inn and has been hailed as the event that launched the gay rights movement. Marsha P. Johnson, a Black self-identified drag queen and activist, was a prominent protestor during the Stonewall Uprising.

Pride Month History

On June 28, 1970, the first Pride March was held on the anniversary of Stonewall, and ten years later on Oct. 13, 1979, the first National March for Lesbian and Gay Rights was held in D.C. This years' NYC Pride March will commemorate the 53rd anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. In 1999, President Bill Clinton first declared June as Gay and Lesbian Pride month, which was expanded to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month by President Barack Obama in 2009.

Famous Black LGTBQIA+ Individuals

Angela Davis, Ph.D.

(1944 – present) 

Angela Davis is a radical Black educator, author, and civil rights activist who advocates for LGBTQ+ rights, gender equity, prison abolition, and anti-racism. She is most known for being charged with aiding the escape attempt of Black radical George Jackson for which she served 18 months in jail prior to her acquittal in 1972.

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Bayard Rustin

(1912 – 1987) 

Bayard Rustin, referred to as "Mr. March-on-Washington," was a leader and advocate for socialism, nonviolence, and gay rights during the Civil Rights Movement. As a close advisor to Martin Luther King Jr., Rustin aided in initiating a 1947 Freedom Ride to challenge racial segregation.

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bell hooks, Ph.D.

(1952 – 2021) 

bell hooks, a Black feminist, cultural critic, prolific writer, distinguished professor, and speaker, was best known for her work on gender, race, and class. Her first book, Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism, examines racism and sexism from a Black woman's perspective.

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Additional Resources

Photo Credits:

Header rainbow painting: Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash
London Pride parade - 2016: Photo by Ian Taylor on Unsplash 
A rainbow flag in Cologne, Germany: Photo by Tim Bieler on Unsplash
Picture of Angela Davis: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C
Pictures of Bayard Rustin and bell hooks: Wikimedia

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