Rainbow pride flag for Pride Month
Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut MediaKeeping the momentum going — That’s one of the reasons Darien resident Kate Dempsey said she’s organizing another Black Lives Matter event in town.
There will be a Black Lives Matter Pride Protest and Open Mic on Sunday, June 28 at 2 p.m. It will begin at the Goodwives Shopping Center, 25 Old Kings Hwy North, and end at the Darien Police Department.
This is the fourth Black Lives Matter event in town in the past few weeks.
To recognize June as Pride Month, participants are encouraged to wear rainbow colored and Pride clothing. Stories, poems and songs are also encouraged at the event. Masks are required.
Dempsey helped organize the Black Lives Matter vigil on June 19 at Tilley Pond Park, which drew hundreds.
However, Sunday’s march will also recognize June as Pride Month, since it will be held on Stonewall Day.
“These are two communities that face a lot of discrimination, and have, of course, a lot of overlap,” said Dempsey, who is organizing the event with Tammy Nguyen, Max Johns, and Tatianna Concannon.
Dempsey said she and the other organizers are planning to launch a Custom Ink website to sell T-shirts, stickers, car magnets, and other items, with designs. All proceeds will go to BLM/Pride organizations. More information on this to follow as it becomes available.
“We hope to celebrate diversity and different identities on this day with the open mic, while still protesting alongside the BLM movement,” Dempsey said. “We, as activists, are continuing to push for Darien to keep thinking about and addressing these lack of diversity and inclusion issues.”
sfox@darientimes.com