Wenatchee Pride/BLM March Held Sunday

By Kyle Lamb on 560 KPQ

A group of about 300 people met in Memorial Park in Wenatchee Sunday afternoon for Wenatchee Pride’s Black Lives Matter March.

Wenatchee Pride and the North Central Washington Black Lives Matter Action Council teamed up to host the event.

Demonstrators listened to speakers on the eastern steps of the Chelan County Courthouse before beginning the march. The march moved through downtown Wenatchee before returning to Memorial Park.

Dusty Mahoney with Wenatchee Pride said that turnout was good, considering a Facebook glitch showed the event as canceled the morning of.

Mahoney said, “So June is Pride Month. It’s the month that we celebrate the Stonewall Riots and gay rights really gathering ground. But in light of the recent events of George Floyd’s murder and all of the black/trans lives that we’ve lost, it felt really important this year for Pride to honor that.”

Just like similar marches held in Wenatchee this year, the demonstration was completely peaceful. Mask usage also appeared to be well above 90%.

The event included decolonization and anti-racist conversation circles after the march.

Wenatchee Pride, NCW BLM Holding March Sunday

By Kyle Lamb on 560 KPQ

Wenatchee Pride is teaming up with North Central Washington Black Lives Matter Action Council to host Pride’s Black Lives Matter March this Sunday at 12:00 pm beginning and ending in Memorial Park.

The event will begin with speakers Luz Esbeidy Monserrat Estrada Gonzalez, Khalil Dashay English, and Dusti Mahoney.

The march’s route will be disclosed at the event.

There will be decolonization and anti-racist conversation circles to join after the march.

Those attending the event are asked to socially distance and wear a mask. A small amount of masks will be on hand for those that don’t have one.

Voter registration will be available at the event.

Pride leaders adapt to support LGBTQ community during Covid-19

BY RUFUS WOODS in the Art of Community

hysical distancing is necessary during the coronavirus pandemic, but maintaining social connections while being physically distant is absolutely essential. We, humans, are social animals, and isolation is not healthy, after all.

Fortunately, we are finding different ways to connect. We can interact with each other on various online platforms while social gatherings have been discouraged. Social disconnection is a problem for all of us, but its impact is especially serious for marginalized people. Our neighbors who are part of the LGBTQ community find it challenging to be accepted for who they are in the broader community. In some cases, youngsters find that they cannot be their authentic selves at home.

Recently, I spoke with several members of the Wenatchee Pride board of directors, including Tan Gleason, Jillian Danley, Micah Vacatio, Ashley Olson, and Luz Estrada, about moving the annual Pride Day to an ongoing Pride series of events. With the coronavirus shutdown, the group has chosen instead to launch a series of virtual events beginning in May and lasting through the summer. On May 8, for example, an online meditation class has been scheduled, you can obtain tickets to this free event using this link,https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wenatchee-pride-guided-meditation-for-youth-and-families-tickets-103616700340?utm_source=eventbrite&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=post_publish&utm_content=EBLinkEvent&utm_term=fullLink, and the group plans to have a series of other events, including art and yoga events.

“The (LGBTQ) community is already socially isolated,” noted Olson. With the shelter at home recommendations in place, the virtual events will allow members to connect on an ongoing basis.