Dear SFC Community,

During Pride Month, our Franciscan community recognizes and celebrates LGBTQ+ individuals at St. Francis College and across the nation for their resilience and myriad achievements and contributions to society.

The History
First recognized by President Bill Clinton in 1999, Pride Month commemorates the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, a series of protests that began in the early hours of June 28, 1969, in response to a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Manhattan’s West Village. The protests proved galvanizing, giving rise to LGBTQ+ movements internationally.

Present Day
Pride Month also serves to raise awareness of the issues LGBTQ+ Americans face in their ongoing struggle to live open, authentic lives and achieve equal opportunity, rights and protection under the law. Members of the LGBTQ+ community continue to endure discrimination and are on the receiving end of hateful rhetoric and worse, simply because of who they are and whom they love. This is unacceptable.

Our Community
At SFC, we are fortunate to study and work at a place that values and embraces individual differences. In celebration of Pride Month, the Office of Multicultural Affairs will be hosting a tabling event on Tuesday, June 13, from 12 to 1:30 p.m. in the SFC Dining Hall. All students and staff are welcome to stop by. In addition, they will be launching a Pride Month social media campaign on June 12; follow @sfcmulticultural on Instagram.

We take this opportunity to affirm our obligation, underscored by our Franciscan tradition and values, to uphold the dignity of all people and dedicate ourselves to continue in our firm commitment to make SFC an ever more welcoming and inclusive campus.

Happy Pride Month, St. Francis College!

Tim Cecere
Acting President

Maliek Sterrett
Director of Multicultural Student Affairs