603 HAPPENINGS
Events
THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE To submit multicultural or changemaker events for the next issue, send them to editors@603diversity.com.
CELEBRATING PRIDE MONTH IN UNLIKELY PLACES
42 603Diversity.com | May 2022
READY TO CELEBRATE PRIDE? Events are taking place all over New Hampshire in June!
NASHUA The Gate City will resume its in-person celebration on Saturday, June 25 at the Nashua Public Library. There’s also a parade taking place on Main Street. nashuanh.gov/1217/ Nashua-Pride-Festival
MANCHESTER Queen City Pride Parade will take place on Saturday, June 18th at 10am. It starts on South Commercial St. It will be followed by the festival at 12pm on Arms Park. queencitypridenh.org
Courtesy photos
In this small, affluent New Hampshire town, families are the common denominator. Parents are heavenly involved in the school system and they are not shy to voice their opinions when it comes to topics like academics and sports. Windham, a southern town of less than 16,000 residents, has not been much different from other places in the state. Conversations in the area traditionally revolve around jobs, politics, the next vacation destination, but… social issues? Well, mostly in a conservative manner. The social environment is changing now though. Windham is slowly becoming a reflection of the rest of the U.S. prompting a group of concerned parents, teachers, and residents in general, to ensure its population does not become numb to the realities of our times. The Windham Citizens for DEI, a volunteer-led organization, has a mission of supporting and uplifting the most vulnerable. The group is developing initiatives seeking to bring “uncomfortable” conversations to town with the purpose of spreading education and generating much needed empathy. “Pride events, Black Lives Matter rallies, any and all opportunities to support marginalized groups are just as important in smaller communities as in big cities. Diverse populations exist everywhere, so creating a safe, inclusive and affirming environment is the goal of organizations like ours,” explained Jackey Bennett, Co-Chair of Windham DEI, also leading the 2022 Pride event. This will be the second year Windham hosts a celebration bringing families and the local LGBTQ+ community together. “We were all pleasantly surprised with last year’s attendance and support from the local community and beyond. We had considered that we might face backlash, but that wasn’t the case at all,” says Bennett. Games, food trucks, performances and family-friendly activities will all be present on Sunday, June 26th from124pm at Windham High School. “The response from the community was truly amazing and showed that even in a town of varying political ideology, respect and support of the diversity of residents exists”, she concluded. — Carolina Valenti
