In honour of June being Pride Month, the NC community – staff, faculty and students – are invited to join as we raise the Progress Pride flag on Thursday, June 1 at 8:30 a.m. at both the Welland Campus and Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake. A free, rainbow pancake breakfast* outside The Core and The Armoury will follow in celebration of Pride Month, and a chance for the whole NC community to come together and show their support.
Members of the College’s Executive Team, Niagara College Student Administrative Council, and Rainbow Knights student club will be in attendance.
The College will raise the Progress Pride flag, an important symbol of recognition and inclusion for 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.
Please join us at the flagpoles at 8:30 a.m. located just outside the main entrances of each campus near the transit stop.
*Please note that pancakes will be available on a first-come, first-served basis until 9:45 a.m. outside of the entrances to The Core (WC) and The Armoury (NOTL).
About the Progress Pride Flag
In 2018, American artist and designer Daniel Quasar added a five-coloured chevron and black and brown stripes to the original Rainbow Flag to better emphasize inclusion and to represent marginalized members of the community. The black and brown stripes represent those lost to HIV/AIDS, and those currently living with AIDS. The inclusion of pink, light blue and white pay homage to the Transgender Pride flag.
June is also Indigenous History Month. The 2S at the start of the 2SLGBTQIA+ acronym specifically highlights the identity of two-spirit Indigenous people. Across the Niagara region, it is placed at the start of the acronym to remind us all that two-spirit people, like all Indigenous peoples, continue to live and work here and were on this land first.
Learn more about the Progress Pride Flag: publicservicepride.ca/flag
Pride month events
This June, the NC community is invited to take part in other Pride Month activities.
ncLibraries will host a Living Library event on June 7 in honour of Pride Month.
June 7 – Living Library: “A Journey Taken Together” with Alison Ryder and her mom, Ellen Schmidt
Join ncLibraries for its seventh Living Library, a virtual talk with NC’s Alison Ryder on June 7 from 1 to 3 p.m. titled, “A Journey Taken Together,” featuring NC Outreach and Education Coordinator Alison Ryder and her mom, Ellen Schmidt.
A strong advocate for equity, diversity and inclusion at Niagara College, Ryder has a reputation of going above and beyond for NC students and has worked tirelessly to promote a safe and inclusive school environment for all students. In 2022, she wrote an article for a local newspaper which chronicled her own experience of coming out and the unwavering support she received from her mother – a story that mother and daughter will share during the Living Library event.
Register for the free virtual event here.
June 22 (*New date) – NCSAC hosts Coffee for a Cause for Pride Niagara
Mark your calendars for June 22 and stop by The Shack (Welland Campus) or The Undergrounds (NOTL Campus) for a hot beverage. NCSAC will donate one hundred per cent of hot beverage sales to Pride Niagara.
Community events
The NC Recruitment Team will be in and around the community this month at various Pride events:
May 27: Pride Haldimand Norfolk
91 Haddington Street, Caledonia
June 3: Pride Niagara
Montebello Park, 64 Ontario Street, St Catharines
June 24: Fort Erie Pride
350 Bertie Street, Fort Erie
