From North Jersey Pride:
5th Annual North Jersey Pride Festival Announces 2015 Headliners
Hudson Taylor of Athlete Ally to receive the “2015 Outstanding Ally Award”
Festival to be finale of a powerful Pride Week
Maplewood, N.J. – North Jersey Pride, the nonprofit dedicated to promoting equality, acceptance, and respect for LGBTQ youth and families in the upper Garden State, returns to Memorial Park in Maplewood on Sunday, June 14th with an outstanding lineup of local and national talent, featuring singer/songwriter and star of TV One’s R&B Divas Monifah; and finalist and runner-up on NBC’s The Voice and former lead singer for Ella Riot, Michelle Chamuel. Scott Nevins, host of Bravo TV’s The People’s Couch will emcee the day.
The afternoon will also feature up-and-coming artists including fresh new musical talent RANGE, the a cappella group that most recently performed at the 2015 Oscars on E! Live from the Red Carpet; pop/R&B artist and two-time Apollo winner Queen Ella; acoustic folk-pop duo Hannah & Maggie; the award-winning Paper Mill Show Choir; the much-loved Front & Center Showtime Choir performing a medley from the musical Hair; and much more!
“Since we began, North Jersey Pride has been welcomed so warmly by the Township of Maplewood and our progressive North Jersey communities,” says executive director C.J. Prince, who notes attendance at the Festival has grown 400% year-over-year. “We are so excited to continue our tradition of bringing LGBTQ and straight ally attendees together in support of equality, acceptance and respect, particularly for LGBTQ youth, who so desperately need us to stand up for them.”
In keeping with its “Pride with a Purpose” mission, North Jersey Pride will also present several awards at this year’s Festival. The Outstanding Ally Award will be presented by 2014 recipients, Jane and Joe Clementi of the Tyler ClementiFoundation, to Hudson Taylor, CEO and founder of Athlete Ally, an organization activating athletes to support LGBT inclusion and equality. North Jersey Pride will also give out its first Youth Upstander Award and scholarship to Russell Pinzino, a senior at Columbia High School who has volunteered with North Jersey Pride and been a featured speaker/panelist at NJP’s Stand UP Speak OUT school assemblies. “By recognizing those who have made a difference in our community, we hope to inspire many more to get active on behalf of LGBTQ youth and families in New Jersey,” said Prince.
The Festival will follow a full week of events that include the North Jersey Pride Run 5K on June 7; an interfaith panel and discussion on June 8; a panel of children of LGBTQ parents on June 10; a screening of “Blackbird” on June 11; a Teen Dance, cosponsored with Bergen PFLAG; the annual Dance for Equality on June 13; plus several more events culminate in the day-long Pride Festival, on Sunday, June 14 at the Memorial Park Amphitheater in Maplewood. “We are very excited about our diverse Pride Week lineup this year. The events offer a point of entry for individuals of all ages and backgrounds to join the discussion about respect and equality,” Prince said.
No comments:
Post a Comment