Rhode Island Pride Street Jubilee
Celebrating LGBTQIA+ History Month
Saturday, October 30, 2021
October Rhode Island Pride Events set to Commemorate and Celebrate Key Milestones of RI’s LGBTQIA+ History
45th Anniversary of the very first Pride March and 20th Anniversary of the first Illuminated Night Pride Parade among a few of these moments
For decades the month of October has been recognized here in the United States as LGBTQIA+ History Month. In 1994, Rodney Wilson, a high school teacher from Missouri wanted to use the entire month to teach about our community’s history and to celebrate individuals who have made an impact in our world. Today not only the United States, but many other countries including Australia, Brazil, Hungary, Ireland, and the United Kingdom have established a month-long dedication to our important history.
October 11th likewise has special significance. In 1988, in commemoration of the March on Washington (for LGBTQ+ rights) the year before, activists Robert Eichberg and Jean O’Leary established National Coming Out Day to raise awareness and visibility to our community in the areas of civil rights just as the tidal wave called the AIDS pandemic took aim at our community.
2021 is significant for us in Rhode Island. Forty-five years ago, the first Pride march took place in Providence in June of 1976. This was not an easy task, as they were denied the permits to create their events and had to sue the City and the 1976 Bicentennial Committee to be able to march. Under the stewardship of community members, Stephen Fortunato and the ACLU, we sued and won. Today we are the proud beneficiaries of their bravery and dedication to advancing the cause of equality, equity, and justice. This fight did not end there, as the fight for civil rights continued for many years with our first victory in 1995 and then in 2021 – 20-years ago – securing civil rights protections to include gender identity and expression. To cap all of this off, this year is also the 20th Anniversary of the Illuminated Night Pride Parade.
So Rhode Island Pride is excited to announce that we are organizing a new event for this October to celebrate all of these milestones, as well as opportunities for all of us to come out and celebrate our place in this important history. It takes almost a year to produce our annual PrideFest, but we still wanted to create an event that would be safe, recognizing the current stage of the COVID pandemic while balancing out the community’s desire to come together for the following programs and events on October 30, 2021:
Saturday, October 30, 2021
LGBTQIA+ Resource/Vendor Fair @ 11:00 AM
We invite you to participate in this family-friendly community resource/vendor fair in Biltmore Park across from The Graduate Hotel in Providence. The fair will bring together local LGBTQIA+ friendly organizations for outreach, community building and service linkage. This event will take place during the day from 11AM – 3 PM. Groups and organizations interested in participating in this event should register – https://prideri.org/fairjubilee/
Pride Halloween Jubilee Procession @ 6:30 PM
Traditionally, this weekend is often referred to as a high holiday in the LGBTQIA+ community. We thought – what a perfect time to do something new and unique! We will end the day with a special Pride Halloween Street Jubilee to celebrate, march, dance and commemorate the many accomplishments we have made as a community and to be recommitted to continue this work. Marching groups will gather at 5:00 PM and the procession will start at 6:30 pm.
This is different from our traditional parade, we are calling all street performers, bands, dance groups and all of you to join in the celebration in the streets. Halloween costumes are highly encouraged! Pride will not be charging a fee for groups to participate, however groups/organizations will need to register in advance. Vehicles being used for sound or to help transport members who are unable to participate by foot are welcomed, but will also need to register. https://prideri.org/fairjubilee/
Pride Jubilee Closing Ceremonies @ 7:30 PM
Following the procession we will host the closing ceremonies with entertainment, speakers and performances at the BankNewport City Center located at 2 Kennedy Plaza, Providence, RI.
RI Pride will adhere to all safety guidelines and COVID protocols recommended by the CDC and the RI Department of Health. We encourage folks to do the same and recommend the use of face mask coverings at these events. If you are feeling unwell, please stay home and get tested as soon as possible. Visit RIDOH at covid.ri.gov for additional information.
45th Anniversary of the very first Pride March and 20th Anniversary of the first Illuminated Night Pride Parade among a few of these moments
For decades the month of October has been recognized here in the United States as LGBTQIA+ History Month. In 1994, Rodney Wilson, a high school teacher from Missouri wanted to use the entire month to teach about our community’s history and to celebrate individuals who have made an impact in our world. Today not only the United States, but many other countries including Australia, Brazil, Hungary, Ireland, and the United Kingdom have established a month-long dedication to our important history.
October 11th likewise has special significance. In 1988, in commemoration of the March on Washington (for LGBTQ+ rights) the year before, activists Robert Eichberg and Jean O’Leary established National Coming Out Day to raise awareness and visibility to our community in the areas of civil rights just as the tidal wave called the AIDS pandemic took aim at our community.
2021 is significant for us in Rhode Island. Forty-five years ago, the first Pride march took place in Providence in June of 1976. This was not an easy task, as they were denied the permits to create their events and had to sue the City and the 1976 Bicentennial Committee to be able to march. Under the stewardship of community members, Stephen Fortunato and the ACLU, we sued and won. Today we are the proud beneficiaries of their bravery and dedication to advancing the cause of equality, equity, and justice. This fight did not end there, as the fight for civil rights continued for many years with our first victory in 1995 and then in 2021 – 20-years ago – securing civil rights protections to include gender identity and expression. To cap all of this off, this year is also the 20th Anniversary of the Illuminated Night Pride Parade.
So Rhode Island Pride is excited to announce that we are organizing a new event for this October to celebrate all of these milestones, as well as opportunities for all of us to come out and celebrate our place in this important history. It takes almost a year to produce our annual PrideFest, but we still wanted to create an event that would be safe, recognizing the current stage of the COVID pandemic while balancing out the community’s desire to come together for the following programs and events on October 30, 2021:
Saturday, October 30, 2021
LGBTQIA+ Resource/Vendor Fair @ 11:00 AM
We invite you to participate in this family-friendly community resource/vendor fair in Biltmore Park across from The Graduate Hotel in Providence. The fair will bring together local LGBTQIA+ friendly organizations for outreach, community building and service linkage. This event will take place during the day from 11AM – 3 PM. Groups and organizations interested in participating in this event should register – https://prideri.org/fairjubilee/
Pride Halloween Jubilee Procession @ 6:30 PM
Traditionally, this weekend is often referred to as a high holiday in the LGBTQIA+ community. We thought – what a perfect time to do something new and unique! We will end the day with a special Pride Halloween Street Jubilee to celebrate, march, dance and commemorate the many accomplishments we have made as a community and to be recommitted to continue this work. Marching groups will gather at 5:00 PM and the procession will start at 6:30 pm.
This is different from our traditional parade, we are calling all street performers, bands, dance groups and all of you to join in the celebration in the streets. Halloween costumes are highly encouraged! Pride will not be charging a fee for groups to participate, however groups/organizations will need to register in advance. Vehicles being used for sound or to help transport members who are unable to participate by foot are welcomed, but will also need to register. https://prideri.org/fairjubilee/
Pride Jubilee Closing Ceremonies @ 7:30 PM
Following the procession we will host the closing ceremonies with entertainment, speakers and performances at the BankNewport City Center located at 2 Kennedy Plaza, Providence, RI.
RI Pride will adhere to all safety guidelines and COVID protocols recommended by the CDC and the RI Department of Health. We encourage folks to do the same and recommend the use of face mask coverings at these events. If you are feeling unwell, please stay home and get tested as soon as possible. Visit RIDOH at covid.ri.gov for additional information.