Pride: A Celebration of Inclusion

It’s been 51 years since the Stonewall Uprising sparked a movement in New York City’s West Village. The year following this event, Brenda Howard, known as the Mother of Pride, organized the first LGBTQ Pride March across the U.S. Since then, Pride has spread like a smile across the globe with a single message: Encourage people to speak up proudly. Pride is about promoting equality and visibility of LGBTQIA+ people by creating a safe space for people to be who they are. 

We won’t get there until everyone can be whoever they want to be and that everyone can love whoever they love. We have a long way to go. 

As I reflect on Pride and the basic human right to feel you belong, I think about the safe spaces we all yearn for within our families, our communities and in our workplaces. A safe space where you are accepted and included because of who you are. Creating inclusive and engaged spaces truly is the responsibility of everyone. It begins with self-checking our biases and learning about one another in new and meaningful ways – and it grows to become the norm when all are treated equally and with respect.

So often we see ourselves as passive participants of the spaces we live and work in, as though they were inherited or handed down to us. In reality, we all co-create these spaces. It’s on each of us to foster the positive change needed to build equality and inclusivity.  

Let’s start with the spaces we live and work in. Let’s work together to make them a space where bias can be interrupted and countered without penalty or worry. A space where everyone feels they belong, and that they can bring their true self to every day. Once bias is understood, addressed, and interrupted, inclusion can naturally seep into that safe space. It starts with you.

Clarity’s values very much match the values of Pride. We are Global, Fearless and Positive and we are committed to fostering and driving forward equity and inclusion within our own teams and the greater community. We stand in support of the Global Pride community and will do our part in working to create safe spaces where everyone feels they can truly truly belong, all year round.  

Photo by Cecilie Johnsen on Unsplash

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