Over the last month, millions of Americans have raised their voices in support of social justice and against prejudice and hate.In June, Pride Month is celebrated in tribute to those involved in the Stonewall Riots. Gay pride, or LGBT pride, is the promotion of the dignity, equality and increased visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people as a social group.

On a hot summer’s night in New York on June 28, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club in Greenwich Village and began hauling customers outside. Tensions quickly escalated as patrons resisted arrest and a growing crowd of bystanders threw bottles and coins at the officers. This resulted in bar patrons, staff, and neighborhood residents rioting on Christopher Street. The protests continued over the next six days.

Pride Month is largely credited as being started by bisexual activist, Brenda Howard. Known as “The Mother of Pride,” a year after the Stonewall Riots, Brenda organized Gay Pride Week and the Christopher Street Liberation Day Parade. This eventually morphed into what we now know as the New York City Pride March and from where parades and marches across the world have evolved.

Bill Clinton was the first US President to officially recognize Pride Month in 1999 and 2000. Then, from 2009 to 2016, Barack Obama declared June LGBT Pride Month. In May 2019, President Donald Trump recognized Pride Month with a tweet. In 2016 the area around the Stonewall Inn, still a popular nightspot today, was designated a national monument.

Pride events are geared toward anyone who feels like their sexual identity falls outside the mainstream. LGBT is an acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. The term sometimes is extended to LGBTQ. The Q can stand for “questioning” —as in still in exploring one’s sexuality–or “queer,” or sometimes both. Once considered a demeaning slur for being gay, “queer” is being reclaimed by some as a self-affirming umbrella term, especially among those who consider other labels restrictive.

On May 28, 2010 President Barack Obama signed Proclamation 8529 which included these words, “I call upon all Americans to observe this month by fighting prejudice and discrimination in their own lives and everywhere it exists.” These are words by which we should all strive to live.

** The Voorhees Township Committee is proud to honor the Class of 2020 with a graduation mural located on the wall adjacent to the square in front of Town Hall. This beautiful piece of art was created by the Voorhees Arts Council and funded through private donations to the Voorhees Citizens Event Foundation. We are inviting graduates of all levels of school to visit the mural and take pictures to help memorialize this special time in their lives. Please respect social distancing guidelines as you celebrate with your graduate. Congratulations to the Class of 2020!

** Due to Covid-19, kindergarten registration for the 2020-2021 school year will not be in person and will take place on-line. Any child who will turn five years of age on or before October 1, 2020 is eligible for kindergarten admission in September 2020. You must complete the pre-registration application at https://genesis.voorhees.k12.us/genesis/openReg. A staff member will contact you for additional information after the pre-registration is complete. For more information, visit https://www.voorhees.k12.nj.us.

** The American Red Cross is holding a blood drive on Thursday, July 9 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. in the Voorhees Town Center in the court below Town Hall. Donations are by appointment only. To schedule, visit www.redcrossblood.org or call 800-733-2767. Be a hero and donate.