Shalom Park Foundation in Charlotte will be kicking off LGBTQ+ Pride Month on June 2 with its annual Splash Into Pride luncheon. The event, which is hosted by the foundation’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee, is free to attend and will run from 10 a.m. to noon at Lerner Hall.
Splash Into Pride will focus on educating allies on how to be a strong supporter of the queer community. Participants will:
- Expand their understanding of LGBTQ+ history, language and terminology, as well as examine and implement strategies to support LGBTQ+ people
- Engage with one another and program facilitators to expand understanding of LGBTQ+ identities
- Learn about community organizations and resources that support LGBTQ+ people.
Shalom Park’s 52-acre campus is home to numerous Charlotte-based Jewish organizations, and according to the foundation’s DEI statement, they operate under the mindset that all people are “created in the image of God.”
“Jewish text and tradition teach that all people are created ‘B’Tzelem Elohim,’ in the image of God … [and] As such, we strive to recognize and tend to that divine image in our encounters with each person,” the statement reads. “We are also commanded ‘v’ahavta l’reiacha kamocha’ — love your fellow human as yourself — from which we understand that it is up to each of us to care for each other. As such, the Foundation of Shalom Park exists to create a safe and healthy
environment for all.”
June 2’s Splash Into Pride event will have multiple speakers, including Mollie Burkholder, the Educational Programs Manager for PFLAG Charlotte, and O’Neale Atkinson, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 15 years of experience.
“We recognize that in society at large , barriers to success and well-being exist for everyone, who enters Shalom Park regardless of race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, family status or disability,” the DEI Committee’s mission states. “Our organization is committed to acting as a catalyst to remove these obstacles for the benefit of everyone who works at and visits Shalom Park.
“Shalom Park was founded and continues to operate on the principle of respect for and embracing the diversity of Jewish religious belief and practice. Building on that ideal, our organization is committed to cultivating a harmonious workplace and community throughout all areas of the campus that is: inclusive of employees, members, visitors and vendors of different backgrounds and beliefs; recognizes and embraces the value and benefits of cultural diversity; promotes respect and fair and equitable treatment for all individuals associated with
Shalom Park including (but not limited to) staff, guests, members, congregants and
Vendors.”
For more information on how to sign up for Splash Into Pride, contact Douglas Greene at
704.944.6858 or by email at https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/3p76ncg/lp/c3ad0f54-fded-468c-8cee-8dcbbc53314.