Dear Friends,
As the dawn of the new year fast approaches, most people find themselves reflecting on the previous year while rushing around trying to ready ourselves for the next. I’m no different and I can’t help but think back on what a whirlwind this year has been. As I began my tenure at Charlotte Pride, it felt like the world had started waking up. The COVID-19 pandemic eased, and the marathon of community events began. We were coming off a historic year at Charlotte Pride with record-breaking participation in events like the festival and parade weekend, which meant that expectations for 2023 were incredibly high.
This past year also marked a shift in leadership, with Riley Murray taking on the role of our board president, supported by me and my colleague Meredith Thompson. Under Riley’s leadership, we hit the ground running to plan the year ahead along with our board of directors and volunteer leaders. We are so grateful for the countless hours they gave to helping us bring our events to life.
In February, we hosted a job fair at Central Piedmont Community College’s Parr Center and facilitated connections between over a hundred attendees and regional employers. Our local community partners Carolinas CARE Partnership, Transcend Charlotte, CLT Geek, and the Carolinas LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce collaborated with us to offer free career advancement opportunities and we can’t wait to bring the event back in 2024.
Throughout the spring, while supporting various community events, we launched our expanded Charlotte Pride Scholarship & Internship Program, Generously Supported by Principal® Foundation in April. In May, we celebrated the 15th anniversary of Reel Out Charlotte, the Queen City’s Annual LGBTQ+ Film Festival, hosting for the very first time at The Independent Picture House.
June marked the official start of Pride events and we were thrilled to announce festival headliners Big Freedia and Greyson Chance. We participated in Pride Night with Charlotte FC at Bank of America Stadium and joined in the festivities with our friends at Charlotte Black Pride at their Expo. We also got to be a part of Charlotte is Creative’s third installment of “The Drop” series as artists Dyair and LaTroy Hampton unveiled a Pride mural for Series 3: Pride Fusion.
Charlotte Pride Week kicked off beautifully in August with an interfaith service at Caldwell Presbyterian Church, but our community faced a devastating blow when the North Carolina General Assembly passed several anti-LGBTQ+ bills just days before the festival and parade weekend. Despite these legislative challenges, the Charlotte Pride Festival and Parade weekend went off without a hitch, with advocacy touchpoints across stages and platforms, a record-breaking 44 hours of entertainment, the most vendors and parade participants on record, and 260,000 attendees over the course of the weekend.
As I sit in the quiet of the Charlotte Pride offices before we close for our holiday break, I can’t help but feel anticipation for what the next year will bring. A new staff member will soon join our team, along with a new group of volunteers eager to help bring our next round of programs to life. It’s these folks, this community that keeps me centered in times of stress and frustration. Together, our community has faced so many challenges, but also celebrated so many wins. We’re resilient and I’m so grateful to be a part of this community.
As we close out the year, it is my hope that you will consider making a financial contribution to become a Friend of Pride this holiday season. If 2023 proved anything, it’s that we can do great things together and, with your support, we can create exciting new opportunities and much needed community connection for our LGBTQ friends, family, and neighbors.
Interested in becoming a Friend of Pride by making a financial donation to Charlotte Pride? Visit https://charlottepride.org/friends/ to learn more.