Newspapers / The Front Page (Raleigh, … / June 23, 2000, edition 1 / Page 17
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Letters I hank you back to you and everyone who was part of NC Pride 2000 from the very beginning and through the actual weekend itself. And what a wonderful time it was. 1 only got to participate on Saturday, June 10th. But it was great and so well organized. 1 got to see many dear friends 1 haven’t seen in years — even many of the very peo ple who made our very first Pride (1986) happen. And, I got to meet many new friends. It was incredible to see all the folks who came this year. So many were on the wall and/or in the street’s. 1 was sharing memo ries with folks about what it was like in 1986 to walk down 9th Street. What it was like in 1986 period. Mab Segrest getting tnen Mayor wib uulley to sign a proclama tion support Pride ‘86. The backlash of the radical right calling for a recall of Wib. How one of their black minister supporters said that Durham wasn’t getting any rain because of all the immoral gays and les bians. How many of us went down to City Hall on the day that the radical right had to turn in their signatures to declare if they had enough for a recall — they didn’t!!! It made national news. How folks like Carol Anderson and other straight allies formed FOLGER (Friends of Lesbians and Gays for Equal Rights) and marched in ‘86. So many wonderful memo ries. I know there is talk of whether NC Pride will continue on beyond this year. Will wait to see what the NC Pride Board, Inc. will be doing/thinking. My take is that NC Pride (in whatever form it takes) is absolutely critical. When the conversation happens about “what next” I would like to be included. And speaking of the NC Pride Board, I want to thank them too for making the $500 loan in the very beginning that allowed us to set up NC Pride 2000. Thanks so much again! Mandy Carter Tampa, FL To everyone in the community: Thank you for helping make NC Pride 2000 a huge success. As some of you may know, this is the Pride that almost wasn’t. When it appeared that Pride might not hap pen this year, a committee of a few people, most of whom have lived in the Triangle area for less than 2 years, took on the chal lenge of coordinating a community-wide event. We did it because people expected, wanted and needed a Pride event, but we could never have done it were people not also willing to support it. Whether you vol unteered your time and energy, contributed financially, helped spread the word, orga nized an event for Pride weekend, or attend ed the Pride festivities (in person or in spir it), your assistance was invaluable. With this year’s event over, we encourage everyone in the community to think about what Pride means, and what Pride should look like in the future. Can Pride be a cata lyst for coordinating our diverse interests and constituencies to mobilize for funda mental political and social change? Or will its primary purpose be to celebrate our vic tories and bring various communities together for only one day? We, the members of the NC Pride 2000 Coordinating Committee, believe that while celebration and acknowledgment of victo ries, large and small, is important, it is also critical that we figure out ways to work in coalition with one another. If we hope to one day realize some of the issues we’ve been fighting for in the past 25-30 years, We must stand together each and every day of the year. To this end, we hope that those interested in coordinating next year’s event step up now to begin the process of organizing for Pride 2001. We offer our support and encouragement for next year’s committee and urge everyone to figure out how we can all, in some way, work toward having pride, supporting Pride and ultimately, eradicating the need for Pride. Thanks again for your support! In Pride, Consuella Brown Shelley Golden Beth Kivel Norman Mustafa Kerry Poynter John Short On behalf of the NCPride2000 March Committee, 1 would like to thank each and every person who chose to march in our annual NC Pride March. For each of you marching, there are hundreds who are still afraid. Every step you took in that one and a half mile march brings us closer to the day, when everyone in the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgendered community will have no fear to openly walk down a street where they live. I would like to personally thank our com munity leaders, Jim Baxter of The Front Page, Mayor Mike Nelson, activist Mandy Carter, School Board Member Gloria Faley, NC Judge Ray Warren, poet Jeffrey Beam, and of course our long time hero Joe Herzenberg. From our straight community of friends, more than thanks must be expressed to Police Chief Clarence Birkhead, Rev. Jimmy Creech, Senator Ellie Kinnaird, NC House Representative Verla Insko and the Old West . Durham Neighborhood Association and their President John Schelp. For encouragement and support a warm i thank you to Vice President A1 Gore, Mayor Nick Tennyson, the Fire Department of Durham and the President of Duke j University Nan Keohane. I encourage us all to remember the mer- ] chants of Ninth Street who made us feel at j home and The Front Page without whose support there could have been no march. Renaissance Antiques for the wonderful First Aid station. Francesca’s, the Cafe Trio and the Escape for free meeting space with refreshments. AlphaGraphics for the use of their flag pole so that a 6 x 10 foot rainbow flag could fly over Ninth Street and Boxers for that flag. Kinko’s of Ninth street, Broad Street Diner, Elmo’s for their financial sup port. Adventure Graphics, Inc. for T shirt design and for the Pride Flag emblems. The Hotel Seina, Lyle Bradshaw, the Catering Company of Chapel Hill for food and Always Flowers of Fayetteville for the rib bons along Ninth Street. And last but not least, Legends, Flex and the Capital Corral of Raleigh who always manage to make our march special and fun. In closing, I want to remember those per sons on the NC Pride March Committee, whose dedication and commitment know no boundaries. John Short NCPride2000 March Committee Chairman Durham, NC Your weekend is all in order @ Voted Best Dance Club in Western North Carolina by both the Asheville Citizen's Times and the Mountain Xpress. Open 10pm-3am Friday & Saturday 11 Grove St. Asheville NC (828) 252-2838 www.scandals-club.com
The Front Page (Raleigh, N.C.)
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June 23, 2000, edition 1
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