Springfield’s rainbow-colored Pride flag hung in the air in front of City Hall, illuminating an otherwise cloudy Wednesday afternoon.
Massachusetts Rep. Jacob Oliveira joined Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, Pride parade organizers, community members and Springfield International Charter School students in hoisting the city’s Pride flag, in celebration of the first day of Pride month.
Prior to the flag-raising, Mayor Sarno, Rep. Oliveira and other city officials spoke to Springfield community members and students who gathered in front of city hall in support of the LGBTQ community.
“I call upon every Springfield resident to work together to promote equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity,” Sarno said in front of an energetic crowd. “These issues not only affect the LGBTQ community but our entire city, state and nation. As a longtime member of the Mayor’s Against LGBTQ Discrimination, I am proud to stand in solidarity with our LGBTQ community to remind all that each of us deserves the same level of equality and respect.”
Sarno quickly directed the audience’s attention towards Taurean Bethea, head organizer of the Springfield Pride parade.
“The city of Springfield is proud to host another first in the city’s history, the inaugural Springfield Pride parade this Saturday,” the mayor said.
The parade will start at the Springfield Technical Community College campus at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Attendees, volunteers and organizers will march all the way down to state street, city hall and Central Square.
Springfield is the only major Massachusetts city hosting a pride parade in June. Northampton’s parade was canceled again this year, as was Boston’s, due to COVID concerns. Bethea, expects there to be upwards of 15,000 people in attendance at Saturday’s parade.
The parade will feature live music, games, floats, food from local vendors and giveaways. New York-based artist Kenneth Kyrell will also DJ a block party in front of city hall.
Bethea’s organization has done more than just organize the city’s first Pride parade. The Pride parade commission has been working with multiple Gay-Straight Alliance clubs in schools across Springfield.
Members of the Springfield International Charter School GSA were invited to spectate the Pride flag-raising ceremony on Wednesday.
“The city’s support for Pride shows students that they’re not alone,” Junior SICS student, Kalani Ruiz said. “It shows they have support and people love them for who they are.”
Bethea used his time at the podium to make a major announcement for the upcoming Pride parade.
The Springfield local spoke about the support systems that helped him with the behind-the-scenes planning and logistical processes in setting up the city’s first Pride parade.
“What’s funny about support and having a strong support system is it’s going to they’re going to push you past to your limits,” Bethea said with tears forming in his eyes. “They’re going to push you to do things that you didn’t think you could do. And that’s why they’re there.”
Bethea called up who he considered one of the most important people behind the planning for Springfield’s Pride parade, Angela Mack CEO of Axiom Blue Marketing. Bethea surprised Mack with a bouquet of flowers and told her that he’ll be appointing her as the Grand Marshall of the Pride parade.
Mack took the podium and said she was honored to lead the parade on Saturday. The Springfield woman went on to speak to the members of her community.
“It is up to us as allies, whether you are gay or sis, hetero, it is up to all of us to protect everyone that is marginalized in this community,” Mach said. “And that means if you are gay, you are gay man, a gay white man with privilege of gay lesbian or lesbian, white woman with privilege, you need to recognize that the most marginalized among us are black, transgender women, they are still being murdered at disproportionate rates.”
Along with the upcoming Pride parade, Springfield’s Diversity and Inclusion office as well as the Department of Health and Human Services are collaborating with the Springfield Pride Parde in an effort to provide a safe space for the city’s LGBTQ+ community.
“Whether it’s hate crimes, domestic disputes, things of that nature, we’re beginning to develop more plans and more resources to offer to the community,” said Bethea.
In February, the Springfield Pride Parade launched the Safe Space initiative, a commitment from local businesses to disavow hate speech, hateful actions or aggressions that target the LGBTQ+ community in their establishments.
Bethea said 12 Springfield businesses, including MassLive, are part of the Safe Space initiative. Safe space Springfield businesses have a public-facing decal that affirms that their business is a safe space.
Springfield’s inaugural Pride parade kicks off Saturday at 10 a.m. The Parade will start at the Springfield Technical Community College campus and travel across State Street.
Related Content:
- Mayor Domenic Sarno and other city officials announce Springfield’s first-ever LGBTQ+ Pride Parade, to be held downtown on June 4
- Springfield Pride Month celebration hailed as historic, special
- Taurean Bethea, organizer for Springfield’s first Pride parade, says city is more welcoming for LGBTQ+ population
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