'Happy PRIDE' people proclaim these days. It truly is exciting to see the momentum the movement has had in 51 years.
We need to take a moment to provide (or refresh) you with some history about the beginnings of PRIDE
The first 'PRIDE' was a riot against police brutality. The Stonewall Inn was targeted for being a gathering place for the most marginalized of society. Patrons were sexually assaulted and beaten by the NYPD. Stonewall wasn't the first bar that this had happened in. However, it was the first time that the people fought back. It is now, finally, widely known that this was started by those in the black, brown and trans communities. THANK YOU Marsha P. Blackburn, Sylvia Rivera and so many others. If you'd like to educate yourself more about Stonewall and how the movement began, you can read more about Stonewall here
The time for PRIDE to evolve is now. We can't celebrate equality until we are all truly equal. The fight for equal rights is far from over, and we must do more for black and brown Americans.
To be clear: BLACK LIVES MATTER.
We will use our platform as small business owners and community leaders to continue to educate ourselves and our community. Over the coming months you'll hear more from us on what we're doing to support this fight for equality. In the meantime, if you'd like to get involved, here are some ways:
- Help us support black owned businesses in the Hudson Valley. Click Here: https://www.chronogram.com/hudsonvalley/black-owned-businesses-hudson-valley/Content?oid=10693926
- If you can, please donate to the ACLU. Click Here
- Register to VOTE: https://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/download/voting/voteregform-eng-fillable.pdf
- Protect the right to VOTE: Support FAIR FIGHT 2020 https://fairfight.com/fair-fight-2020/
If you'd like to pre order your 2020 PRIDE T shirt and help us support our local LGBTQ community, they would appreciate the support. You can get yours here: https://hamiltonandadams.com/products/hudson-valley-pride-t
