Throughout June, Niagara College proudly celebrated Pride Month with a variety of events, initiatives and partnerships that highlighted the College’s ongoing commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging.
Progressive Pride Flag raising
The NC community gathers to raise the Progressive Pride Flag at the Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
The month’s celebrations officially began on May 29 with the annual Progressive Pride Flag raising held simultaneously at the Welland Campus and the Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake. As a longstanding tradition at NC, the flag raising served as a visible and meaningful symbol of inclusion, recognition and solidarity with 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.
Pride in motion
NC marked Pride Month with a new community partnership between the College’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) team and the Niagara Queer Run Crew. Together, they hosted Where Pride Meets Community: NQRC x NC on June 1, welcoming participants of all abilities to celebrate Pride while completing a two-kilometre loop around the Welland campus.
“It was wonderful to celebrate and collaborate with the Niagara Queer Run Crew to kick off Pride month, they are such an inspiring and impactful group who are intentionally making space for 2SLGBTQIA+ community members across Niagara to create connections through movement,” said Brooke Pasco, Workplace Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity Specialist.
Whit Ross, NC’s Associate Director of Educational Development, is a crew lead for NQRC and a collaborator for this initiative and witnessed its impact firsthand.
“It was powerful to hear from the run crew leads about the impact of finding rhythm with others who understand what it means to move through the world as queer and trans people,” said Ross. “They highlighted how with shared movement, there are opportunities to build connection, care, and community.”
The Niagara Queen Run Crew held a special run at Niagara College on June 1 in honour of Pride Month.
The Niagara Queer Run Crew is hosting an event in partnership with Niagara Queer Markets and Niagara Artists Centre on June 27, in celebration of Pride. See below for more info.
Niagara Pride and Joy – a mini Pride festival for all
- Saturday June 27 | 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Niagara Artists Centre, 354 St Paul St, St. Catharines
- Check out @niagaraqueerruncrew and @niagaraqueermarkets on Instagram for more information
Interested in joining an NQRC meet up? The crew meet at Mahtay Cafe every Sunday at 9:50 a.m., except on the third weekend of each month when they meet on Saturday at Little Red Coffee in Fort Erie at the same time. They also meet every other Thursday at Brass Monkey at 6:50 p.m. The routes are a relaxed 5K out-and-back and everyone is always invited to stick around to socialize and connect back at the cafe. There’s a place for everyone at NQRC no matter where you are on your journey of self-discovery and we’re always happy to welcome new members.
Community connections
NC’s Student Engagement team hosted two tie-dye t-shirt events, bringing employees and students together to express their creativity while celebrating Pride.
NC’s Indigenous Education department supported the Fort Erie Native Friendship Centre’s inaugural Queer Indigenous Pride event, which featured a performance by Jaylene Tyme, a Two-Spirit, transgender Indigenous artist and contestant from Canada’s Drag Race Season 5. Jaylene captivated attendees with two dynamic drag performances and provided an opportunity for community members to connect through a meet-and-greet session.
Advancing inclusion beyond Pride Month
In addition to hosting events and community partnerships, Pride Month also marked an important step forward in advancing inclusion across the College. The EDI team, in collaboration with Human Resources and Information Technology Services, introduced a new employee name change process designed to be more inclusive and affirming. The updated process makes it easier for employees to update their name across College systems, by providing them with three name change request options (preferred, lived and legal) to support a more respectful and welcoming workplace environment.
To learn more about the new process and/or request a name change, please visit the Employee Hub.
As Pride Month concludes, the College extends its gratitude to everyone who participated in, supported and contributed to this year’s celebrations, helping make NC a more inclusive and welcoming community.
