The history of the YMCA like the history of the United States is a story of incremental progress toward greater inclusion and equity for all.
PRIDE MONTH
LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer including Intersex, Questioning, and Allies) Pride Month is celebrated annually in June across the U.S. to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots. The purpose of PRIDE Month is to work toward equal justice and equal opportunity for LGBTQ+ individuals. In June of 1969, patrons of the Stonewall Inn in New York City staged an uprising to resist police harassment and persecution. This uprising marks the beginning of a movement to outlaw discriminatory laws and practices against LGBTQ+ individuals.
Today, celebrations include PRIDE parades, picnics, parties, workshops, and other social gatherings. Collectively, PRIDE Month events attract millions of participants around the world. Memorials are held during this month for those members of the community who have been lost to hate crimes or HIV/AIDS. The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that LGBTQ+ individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally.
VISIT
Visit the Library Of Commerce Digital Files related to PRIDE month.
PARTICIPATE
Find ways to get out and about and explore Pride Month Locally HERE
READ
Visit the Seymour Library and discover lots of reading content related to Pride Month.
Visit our Y files to learn more Here
EXPLORE
Visit the CNY Pride Festival 2022
JUNETEENTH
Juneteenth (short for “June Nineteenth”) marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed. The troops’ arrival came a full two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Juneteenth honors the end of slavery in the United States.
On June 17, 2021, it officially became a federal holiday.
Confederate General Robert E. Lee had surrendered at Appomattox Court House two months earlier in Virginia, but slavery had remained relatively unaffected in Texas—until U.S. General Gordon Granger stood on Texas soil and read General Orders No. 3: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.”
Nix, E. (2021, January 6). WHAT Is JUNETEENTH? History Channel. Retrieved July 6, 2022, from https://www.history.com/news/what-is-juneteenth
VISIT
Visit Juneteenth.com for a collection of historical facts and trivia.
PARTICIPATE
In Local Celebrations on June 18th
READ
Check out the Smithsonian Museums Juneteenth Reading List
Or the National Public Library's reading list for all ages.
EXPLORE
Visit Syracuse Juneteenth for more events happening locally.
