Advocacy in Westerville: Events Amplify Communities

Westerville Pride Celebration

Saturday, June 10 • 2 - 8 p.m. Westerville City Hall Courtyard | 21 S. State St.

The LGBTQIA+ rights movement traces its origins to June 28, 1969, at a small bar called the Stonewall Inn in New York City’s Greenwich Villages. This date marks a major turning point against discrimination toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ+) Americans.

During those early morning hours, a group of more than 200 people, including transgender and Black, Indigenous and People of Color from the community experienced one of many bar raids. Violence erupted during one of the raids because the establishment was serving alcohol without a liquor permit, resulting in six non-consecutive days of protests.

The Stonewall raids inspired the first Pride Festivals, which began 50 years ago across cities in the United States on the anniversary of the protests. Since then, Pride Festivals have been a way to connect allies and raise awareness on issues affecting the LGBTQIA+ community. In 1999, June was officially recognized as Pride Month by President Bill Clinton.

This June, the Westerville Queer Collective (WQC) will host its third annual Pride Festival in Uptown Westerville.

“This community event holds importance because of the rich history that Pride Festivals represent - this year, we hope that the Westerville Pride will honor that history and offer our communities a place to come together and celebrate our diversity and identities,” said Denise Harrison, Board President for the Westerville Queer Collective.

WQC was formed as a non-profit organization to focus on raising awareness of LGBTQIA+ issues and bringing people together to advocate for equal rights and community building. They are volunteer-run with a Board of Directors that manage daily operations, plan and execute community programming and connect with members and other resource organizations.

Harrison says the Westerville Pride Festival will be expanded, with additional entertainment, a showcase of vendors and ally organizations, food and activities.

“We hope to bring much-needed visibility to our Westerville LGBTQIA+ community, connecting community members that might feel isolated, especially our members with intersecting identities,” said Harrison. “We also want to raise awareness on important issues like transgender rights and visibility.”

Harrison is excited for the future of Westerville Pride and the organization as a whole. WQC invites the public to subscribe to its monthly newsletter for information about upcoming events and volunteer opportunities at www.thewqc.org

Juneteenth Celebration

Saturday, June 24 • 12 - 4 p.m. Alum Creek Park North Amphitheater | 221 W. Main St.

WeRise for Greater Westerville will celebrate its annual Juneteenth Celebration on Saturday, June 24, at Alum Creek Park North, 221 W Main St. from 12-4 p.m.

Juneteenth (a combination of the words “June” and “nineteenth”) commemorates June 19, 1865, the day enslaved people in Galveston, Texas learned of their freedom–nearly two and half years after the Emancipation Proclamation. At the time, the country was still deeply entrenched in the Civil War, and Southern secessionist states did not recognize Abraham Lincoln’s executive order.

Founded in 2021, WeRise for Greater Westerville seeks to spread racial awareness and community building. The entire community is invited to the late-June celebration which is in its second year.

James Prysock, Board President for WeRise, says that this year’s event will focus on creating a space for celebration and brave conversation while spotlighting the importance of this significant holiday.

“Not all holidays we celebrate have actually included us. Juneteenth is an event that does. That’s why it’s so special,” said Prysock.

WeRise will be highlighting and honoring Black-owned businesses and artists as well as Black-led community organizations. The event will also serve as a platform for Black expression. You can expect to see people of all ages present poetry, song, dance and art.

“This event recognizes the significance of Juneteenth and gives us a space to honor it. Historically, Westerville has made inclusive decisions that support black and brown communities and this celebration is a continuation of that,” said Prysock.

Prysock believes that we all have a responsibility to pass on information that helps improve relationships in the community. Growing up as a bi-racial person, Prysock often felt left out of a piece of his own history. He wants to change that for others by elevating information that isn’t always a part of typical learning environments.

“We can make lasting changes through legacy building,” said Prysock. “If we know better, we can do better and then we can teach better.”

Join the mailing list or sign up to volunteer www.werisewesterville.org/advocacy