Mayor Durkan, As you know, June 1st marked the beginning of Pride month, a time to recognize the Stonewall uprising against police brutality and harassment that launched our modern LGBTQ movement. The actions at Stonewall, led by Black and brown trans people like Marsha P Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, are the reason we can stand
Dear Mayor Durkan, We are angry and appalled at the actions of your office and the Seattle Police Department during the protests that have taken place downtown, in Capitol Hill, and across the city this past week. These protests are calling out the brutality of both our local police and police departments across the country
We are so grateful to everyone that was planning to attend our Virtual Scholarship Celebration this Thursday. I’m writing today to share that we have decided to postpone this virtual event. I also wanted to share why we decided to postpone this event. As uprisings against the brutal violence of the police against Black people
Artwork (left to right): Breonna Taylor – @shirien.creates; Ahmaud Arbery – @shirien.creates; Nina Pop – @colorofchange; George Floyd – @shirien.creates; Tony McDade – @vientoxsol Tomorrow is the first day of Pride month and today I’m holding, honoring, and celebrating the truth that what we commemorate every June was an uprising—days of passionate resistance to the brutal violence of the police against
Today, I’m so excited to announce some much-needed good news: we’ve awarded our 2020 Pride Foundation Scholarships! This year, we are awarding $546,550 to 127 LGBTQ+ and allied student leaders—leaders whose stories, ambition, and resilience unequivocally show that our community is changing the world. But don’t take my word for it. Hear it from a
After a long hiatus from volunteering and realizing that I missed the joy of community service, I decided to volunteer with the Pride Foundation as a scholarship reviewer for 2020. This realization happened during a dinner conversation over homemade lasagna and sparkling wine where I was talking to Chance Wilcox, the Alaska Regional Officer for
In a time where we crave human connection and sink deeper into quarantine, some organizations have been able to bring people together in spectacular ways. Story Works, a Pride Foundation Community Grant recipient in Alaska, continuously works to bring youth together, build human connections, and unleash the storyteller in everyone. More than ever, connection is
Ham. Rice. Oil. Sugar. Laundry soap. These are some of the groceries I shopped for and delivered this week to a family of five, whose parents had both recently lost their jobs due to layoffs. The mutual aid group I volunteer with connected us because Gloria and her family live just five minutes away from
In 2008, just weeks after relocating to Portland from the Midwest, I was hired into my dream job at the time as co-director of a nonprofit feminist community center. But less than three months into my new role, a number of factors coalesced at once—on top of the devastating impact of the 2008 recession—and it
Growing up and living with Type 1 Diabetes, I have felt my resilience and resolve tested more times than I care to remember. However, one of the greatest moments of fear I have felt as a person living with an immunocompromised condition, was the moment I learned of the first confirmed cases of COVID-19 in