JUNE PRIDE MONTH, 2019
CHICAGO 50th ANNUAL PRIDE PARADE: SUNDAY JUNE 30 at 12 NOON
THEME: Stonewall 50: "Millions of Moments of Pride"
MULTIPLE Grand Marshals this year
The Chicago 50th Annual Pride Parade, scheduled for Sunday June 30 at 12 noon is the culmination of a full month of events coordinated by various community organizations and individuals known as June Pride Month in Chicago.
Pride Parades are staged in over 200 cities worldwide in more than 100 cities in the United States with at least 12 taking place on the last weekend in June every year. In recent years, many are staged in small towns across the country and recently in various suburbs of Chicago.
The Chicago Pride Parade, starting at 12 Noon, will take the traditional route starting at the corner of Broadway & Montrose and ending at Diversey & Cannon Drive. The parade will feature floats, decorated vehicles, marching bands, and walking contingents with several new entries and surprises to be announced soon !
Historically, Pride Parades commemorate the Stonewall rebellion that took place on June 28,1969, when patrons of a New York City gay bar, the Stonewall Inn, fought back during a raid by police. At that time, gay bars were frequently raided across the country. That night, patrons fought back and street demonstrations continued for several days. During that week, gay liberation groups were formed, thus giving birth to the modern day LGBTQ+ rights movement.
GRAND MARSHALS -
For this year's Chicago’s 50th Annual Pride Parade there will be several Grand Marshals. There will be an Honorary Grand Marshal (to be announced); a Youth Grand Marshal; several“ Legacy" Grand Marshals (three community members continually active in LGBTQ+ organizations and/or business since before Stonewall for 50 years +) and an Organizational Grand Marshal.
HONORARY GRAND MARSHAL -
Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot
(Lori Lightfoot - Photo by Vern Hester for Windy City Times)
Mayor-Elect Lightfoot's bio is well known to the public who in record numbers voted for her in the mayoral election. Her background in both federal positions and local positions with previous administrations is also part of the public record. Mayoral-elect Lightfoot will be marching near the front of the parade (directly behind the front banner and color guard carried by the Scout troops) as her predecessors Mayor Daley and Mayor Emanuel did as well). She is the first open lesbian mayor in the city's history.
YOUTH GRAND MARSHAL -
Molly Pinta
Youth Grand Marshal is a 12 year old middle school student who lobbied to have a Pride Parade in her home town Buffalo Grove and came out as a lesbian to her parents, friends, teachers and world-at-large. Molly is the result and a shining example of the hard work and sacrifices made by those generations of activists who for 50 years have toiled before, and leading up to Stonewall. Molly attended last year's Aurora Pride Parade and decided to plan for a parade in her hometown Buffalo Grove. She and her family have long been advocates for social justice in her town. Molly is also a longtime actor, singer and dancer. She has aspirations to be a teacher like her parents, and continue running their new non profit, The Pinta Pride Project to keep Pride coming to Buffalo Grove every year and support other young people in bringing their own events.
LEGACY GRAND MARSHALS – Three community members continually active in LGBTQ+ organizations and/or businesses for 50 years starting before Stonewall.
They include: Joel Hall, community activist and founder of the Joel Hall Dance Company; and Jim Flint, community activist and owner of the Baton Show Loungel and Marge Summit, longtime community activist and owner of the His 'n Hers bar that brought LGBTQ+ women and men and our Allies together for entertainment, good food and comaraderie.
Joel Hall
(Joel Hall - Photo by Hal Baim)
Community activist was founder of the Joel Hall Dancers in 1974. He has been a composer, teacher, adviser and so many other things in his life. His community involvement, list of accomplishments, creations and awards over the past 40+ years are are so long and inspiring that we refer readers to joelhall.org to see the life's work of this accomplished individual who more than deserves to be called a Legacy Grand Marshal. For more information: www.GLHallofFame.org and the more updated: www.joelhall.org
Jim Flint
(Jim Flint - Photo by Hal Baim for Windy City Times)
Community activist, best known as the owner of the Baton Show Lounge. Jim's involvement in local Democratic Party politics; on fundraising during the AIDS crisis in the 1980's; his involvement in the sports community (he was a founding member of the Windy City Athletic Association) and his many other awards and accomplishments are best spelled out in the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame web site:
www.GLHallofFame.org
Marge Summit
(Marge Summit - Photo by Tracy Baim for Windy City Times)
Community activist, best known as the owner of the former His 'n Hers bar. Marge's has contributed time, energy and resources to numerous community organizations over the years including pre-Stonewall's Mattachine Midwest, PFLAG, produced and appeared in several educational LGBTQ+ video projects,and initiated the "Gay$" project that pointed out the spending power of the LGBTQ+ communities. But she is best known as owner of the the former His 'n Hers bar that brought LGBTQ+ womwn and men and our Allies together for entertainment, good food and comaraderie. For more information: www.GLHallofFame.org
ORGANIZATIONAL GRAND MARSHAL - The "Indivisible" group, the Aurora Pride organizers who coordinated the first Chicago area suburban Pride Parade in history last year, and worked hard, with community help and support, to secure their second parade this year after they initially had to cancel it due to an increase in their city fees. The second annual Aurora Pride Parade is scheduled for June 9. For more information: www.aurorapride.org
PRIDEChicago's web site, www.ChicagoPrideCalendar.org will be updated continually from now through June Pride Month with updated parade information, more listings of June Pride Month events, etc.
For more information: Web: www.ChicagoPrideCalendar.org E-mail: PrideChgo@aol.com Phone: 773-348-8243 (Richard Pfeiffer, parade coordinator).