Community Corner

Parade, Festivals, Summit, Book Club, Crafts Celebrate Pride Month In Prince George's

An array of activities across Prince George's will celebrate Pride Month including a parade, festivals, a summit, book club readings & more.

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Kristin Danley-Greiner, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — Pride Month started Thursday and continues through June with several ways in Bowie and across Prince George's County to participate in the celebration of LGBTQ culture, rights and identity.

Greenbelt Pride Fest, Pride March

Greenbelt Pride Fest returns this year and offers the first Pride March in Greenbelt. The event will take place Saturday at the mother and child statue in Roosevelt Center. Meet special guest and honorary grand marshal delegate Ashanti Martinez, enjoy music by The Greenbelt Honk Situation, drag performances, information tables and more.

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The line assembly for the Saturday Pride March begins at 10:20 a.m. at the playground by Spellman Overpass on Gardenway. The Pride March will begin at 11 a.m. and will end at the Roosevelt Center where Pride Fest will begin and run until 3 p.m.

Pride Celebration in Hyattsville

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The Prince George’s County Memorial Library System, the Prince George’s County Department of Family Services, M-NCPPC Parks & Recreation, and Heart to Hand, Inc., present In the Life: LGBTQ+ Pride Celebration on Saturday from 12 to 4 p.m. at the Hyattsville Branch Library. The event features a panel discussion, interactive vogue and runway workshops, free HIV testing and an outdoor reception.

Featured guests include Hollywood (CEO, KUSH Models Entertainment), Titan Miyake-Mugler (model, entrepreneur), Dream, Inc., Sunset Blvd, Inc., Deontre Hancock (CEO, Hoodlvm Streetwear), Liz Merrill (clinical social work/therapist), Tylik McMillan (advocate), and Toree Weaver (M-NCPPC).

Rainbow Festival in Bowie

The library will host its second annual Rainbow Festival on June 24 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Bowie Branch Library. This family-friendly event includes performances, opportunities to connect with community service providers, story time, crafts and a live DJ set. DC cultural icon Rayceen Pendarvis serves as master of ceremonies.

The PGCMLS staff community and special guests also will represent Prince George’s County in the Annapolis Pride Parade and Festival Saturday and the Capital Pride Parade June 10.

Summit on Hate Crimes

The Prince George’s County Office of Human Rights and PGCMLS will host a summit on hate crimes June 7 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Largo-Kettering Branch Library. The discussion will address the impacts of the recent rise in hate crimes in Maryland, which have included targeting of the Jewish, LGBTQ+, Black and immigrant communities, among others.

Local and federal officials are working with community members to discuss effective strategies to prevent and respond to hate crimes and incidents. Co-presented by the U.S. Attorney's Office for Maryland, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Prince George's County Office of Human Rights, Prince George's County State's Attorney's Office, PGCMLS and Prince George’s County Police Department.

Author Book Signing

Washington, D.C.-based debut author Jeffrey Dale Lofton will visit the Laurel Branch Library for an author talk and book signing June 6 at 6:30 p.m. Lofton’s novel, “Red Clay Suzie,” has been described as "An intimate exploration of people, place and identity…[that] opens up the idea of the South into one that is more inclusive and real” (W. Ralph Eubanks).

This semi-autobiographical work of contemporary literary fiction tells the coming of age story of Philbet, a young gay man who finds his way in the world with the love of his granddaddy and a series of adventures in his hometown in rural Georgia.

Rock Banned Book Club

As part of ongoing efforts to promote the right to read as a fundamental component of democracy, PGCMLS and the Prince George’s County Office of Human Rights will launch the Rock Banned Book Club this Pride Month with a discussion of “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe on June 14 at 6:30 p.m. at the Hyattsville Branch Library.

From June 2023 to June 2024, the library and Prince George’s County Office of Human Rights will host a monthly discussion of one of the top 13 banned books of 2022. Taking place at branch libraries throughout Prince George’s County on the second Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m., these discussions will provide book lovers opportunities to deepen their understanding of both contemporary and classic literary works by authors like Toni Morrison, George M. Johnson, and Maia Kobabe. The books are all available for borrowing through PGCMLS’ collections.

Rock Banned Book Club Schedule:

Pride Month Schedule at PGCMLS
(Adults)

(Adults & Teens)

(Teens)

(Children & Families)

Pride Month occurs during June in deference to the Stonewall Uprising, a tipping point in the struggle for equality among people who identify as LGBTQ. New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar, in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969. Such raids were common, but patrons fought back, resulting in days of violent clashes across Greenwich village.

The observance started as Gay Pride Day on the last Sunday in June, but soon grew to the point that June calendars are packed with pride parades, parties, workshops, symposiums and concerts across the nation and around the world.

“LGBTQ people are under fire, unlike possibly ever before and across virtually every aspect of our lives,” Logan S. Casey, a senior researcher at Movement Advancement Project, told The Washington Post in April. “This is part of a very clear and identifiable national effort in state legislatures that is and has been going on for years — and it’s really culminating this year.”

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