Southwest shines at Memphis Pride Parade
In This Issue...
- Message from President
- Southwest shines at Memphis Pride Parade
- Welcome aboard
- News Roundup
- Southwest announces launch of Funeral Service Education program
- Beat the holiday blues
- Southwest teams up with TCAT-Memphis and the MMBC Continuum to launch construction apprenticeship program
- Southwest to host inaugural TCCAA, District 7 Soccer Tournament Oct. 25-26
- 2018-2019 Southwest Basketball Schedule Released
- Farewell: Retiree Pamela Powell passes after bout with pneumonia
- From the Office of Human Resources: “Give a little…Change a Lot” with the TBR Employee Charitable Giving Campaign
- High Impact Practices and Innovation seeks assistant dean
- Employee of the Month
- Area colleges present intercollegiate celebration of playwright Lynn Nottage
- Important Dates
- Beware of vehicles damaged in Hurricane Florence
Southwest shines at Memphis Pride Parade
By Melissa N. Reyna
On a sunny Saturday in downtown Memphis, the Southwest Pride student organization marched for the first time in the Memphis Pride Parade at Tom Lee Park Sept. 29. Southwest Pride members and friends joined more than 20,000 Memphians to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. This year’s Pride Parade marked a 15th anniversary milestone of recognizing the impact and progress the LGBTQ+ community has made locally and historically.
The Southwest assembly included 20 students, 10 faculty and three staff members. They marched and hosted an information booth where visitors were welcomed with a “Happy Pride” greeting and heart-shaped stickers covered in rainbows. Labels were offered to participants who wished to write down their preferred pronouns and wear throughout the day. It was a joyous occasion to celebrate together and an opportunity to introduce visitors to Southwest Pride and the programs offered at Southwest.
Dustin Williams, faculty sponsor for Southwest Pride, considered the event a success for both the college and the student organization. “What impressed me most was that we had a great turnout of Southwest students to participate in our booth and the parade,” said Williams. “Many people thanked us for being there and showing them that Southwest is a diverse and accepting place.”
Southwest Pride is a richly diverse group of students, faculty and staff formed to support the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community at Southwest. Southwest Pride promotes an inclusive agenda and serves as a forum for LGBT individuals to express themselves without fear of judgment. All students, faculty and staff are welcome to participate in the group's activities.
For more information about Southwest Pride and its activities for the 2018-2019 school year, contact Dustin Williams at dwilliams67@southwest.tn.edu.
