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Over the last decade, Pride month has become synonymous with family-friendly parades and businesses vying for the ever expanding queer dollar. However, Pride originated not as a month of celebration, but as a protest -- one that fundamentally changed LGBTQ activism. It’s that origin that should inspire us today to join in activism for Black Lives Matter, police reform, and racial justice.
The original protest in 1969 was against discriminatory law enforcement practices and th...e criminalization of LGBTQ identities. Now known as the Stonewall Riots, they ushered in a new era of unapologetic visibility, advocacy, and nationwide organizing that achieved much of the social acceptance the LGBTQ community now enjoys.
And this movement owes so much to the Black pioneers that laid the foundation for our social and legal recognition.
https://www.fosters.com/…/guest-view-while-celebrating-prid…
We believe that Black lives matter. Full stop.
New Hampshire is not immune to racism. We must go beyond the lip service of just welcoming diversity and address the reality of implicit bias and structural and systemic racism in our own communities. We must lean into the discomfort many are feeling and do the hard work of unpacking these complicated systems of oppression. And this begins by truly listening to, and not talking over, the voices of Black people.
It has never been ...more clear that not even the best police officer can fix a broken system. And they shouldn’t have to, because the challenges our community members face every day — especially our neighbors who are Black, Indigenous and People of Color — go far beyond law enforcement.
Now is the time to join longstanding efforts in re-imagining what new models of public safety could look like — models which better address the needs of our cities. Now is the time to have conversations around the often-blurred lines of community health, public safety, and law enforcement. Now is the time to learn from those who have been leading these conversations for a long time, and ask: How can we show up for you now, and continue this work in our own communities?
Challenging these long standing institutions will certainly be difficult, as will imagining new futures for our communities, but we will not exempt ourselves from the hard work that Black people do not get to opt out of.
All lives can only truly matter if Black lives matter, and we’re here. Listening. We’ll see you at the Rochester Common today.
Palana Belken, Rochester City Councilor
Matt Gerding, Somersworth City Councilor
Jeremy Hutchinson, Rochester City Councilor
Doug Lachance, Rochester City Councilor
Michelle Lipinski, Dover City Councilor
Crystal Paradis, Somersworth City Councilor
Lindsey Williams, Dover City Councilor
The Rally to Support Diversity & Equality takes place this Sunday on the Rochester Common at 4pm. Masks will be available to anyone who needs one and social distancing is recommended. The event will feature a speaking program including Jamie Perkins, Ronelle Tshiela, Sophie O’Brian, Joel Christian Gill, Joanna Kelley, and Eliza Tweedy, as well as performances from Yamica Peterson-Cain, MC Gill, and Sharon Jones.
https://www.fosters.com/…/letter-tri-city-elected-officials…
