Pride Flag Raising at City Hall Speech by Jesse Harsanyi, Chair on June 22, 2020
Oki. Hello. My name is Jesse Harsanyi and I am the Chair of Lethbridge Pride Fest for 2020. I would like to introduce this years board, starting with our executives: Levi Cox, Tyler Gschaid, Katherine Culley, Elizabeth Hegerat, David Fritz, Lane Sterr, Cassaundra Fayant, Adam Saley, Baz Skinner and Dave Mabel.
Lethbridge Pride Fest acknowledges that we are gathered on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot people which includes the Piikuni, Kainai, Siksika, Tsuut’ina, and Stoney Nakoda First Nations. Also known as the Treaty 7 region. This area is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region III. We pay our respect to the Blackfoot and Metis people, past, present, and future, while recognizing and respecting their cultural heritage, beliefs, and relationship to the land. Lethbridge Pride Fest encourages each of us to commit to better relationships and reconciliation.
This year, we have been met with many challenges and upsets to the way we live our day to day lives. For some, it has been been a time to pause and re assess, while for others, it has been a time of uncertainty and isolation. Plus, every experience in between. For us, as a board, it has been a time to reflect and challenge our way of thinking and doing for our vast community and it’s rainbow of members. We are the LGBTQQIP2SAA+ community. A collection of letters that continues to encompass everyone who has a diverse sexuality or gender identity, as well as those who support us as allies.
This rainbow umbrella also includes individuals who live as visible minorities, have diverse cultures and traditions and have histories of horrific injustices. We, as the Lethbridge Pride Festival Society stand with our Black and Indigenous members, and have an important duty to listen and to provide allyship. I say this, recognizing that this year, we are a white dominant group of people. One lesson that we have reflected on through the COVID-19 pandemic, is the importance of community, and how easy it is to take it for granted when you feel you have it. That being said, We want to congratulate those who had the courage to come out this year, in a time when there is no assurance of this community feeling, in the way we have been used to having it. We see you, we welcome you, and We are here with you.
Lethbridge Pride has helped build a community that has grown exponentially over the years, and will continue to grow. And there is room for everyone, but we have to see past our comforts and let those in who are on the fringes. We need to see these people, we need to advocate for them, we need to act in the way that we would want others to act, for us.
We need to act. A community starts with 2 people. Seeing each other, hearing each other and making a choice to walk hand in hand. Community is an action. Not a coincidence. We are proud to bring you voices today, from members of our community that are also part of Black and Indigenous communities and experiences.
We are honoured to have Javice Campbell and Marshall Vielle speak and raise our flag this year, as a symbol of our expectation to live and exist in society without fear. And as you hear them, decide how you will act. Decide what you need from the people around you, that you may have been afraid to ask for. Let’s work together to lift one another up, and even in our frail world, decide to expect more from each other. Expect more from ourselves. We can succeed in gaining progress , but we have to do it together.
Finally, we want to say,
Happy Pride Lethbridge, we wish you all
PRIDE- in choosing to embrace others
PRIDE- in accepting the things in your life that you can change!
PRIDE- in asking for help when you need it
PRIDE- in getting uncomfortable to help someone else experience comfort.
And PRIDE- in who you are.
Thank you.