King County Councilmembers present the Pride Month Proclamation to local LGBTQIA+ organizations
June is Pride Month, the LGBTQIA+ community’s celebration of their right to exist fully as themselves and our annual reminder to fight homophobia and transphobia everywhere and every time we see it. This Pride Month feels especially important given the ongoing assaults on the rights of our LGBTQIA+ neighbors.
There are numerous local Pride events to celebrate and support the LGBTQIA+ community, including:
- Bothell Pride at Moonlight on Main (10000 NE 186th St, Bothell), Friday, June 13, 7:00 PM
- Woodinville Pride (17301 131st Ave NE, Woodinville), Saturday, June 14, 12:00 PM-5:00 PM
- Pride at Kirkland Urban (425 Urban Plaza, Kirkland), Saturday, June 14, 4:00 PM- 6:00 PM
- Pride on the Corner, Community Artwork in the BelRed Arts District (1500 130th Ave NE, Bellevue), Saturday, June 28, 10:00 AM
Everybody deserves to be respected and supported for who they are. I am personally committed to standing up for and speaking out for my LGBTQIA+ family, friends, colleagues, and neighbors. As an elected official, it is my privilege and duty to protect and advocate for the rights of my LGBTQIA+ constituents.
June 19 marks the 160th anniversary since enslaved African Americans in Texas were informed by Major General Gordon Granger that they were free. They were the last enslaved people to learn of the end of chattel slavery, more than two months after the end of the Civil War. Since then, the African American community has celebrated June 19 as “Juneteenth” or Freedom Day.
With escalating attempts to erase the shameful history of slavery, Jim Crow, and racism in our nation, it’s imperative that we honor Juneteenth to celebrate the resilience and achievements of the African American community, to reflect on the ways the legacy of racism still affects our community, and recommit ourselves to the ongoing fight for freedom and equality.
This Saturday, June 14th from 12:00 PM-4:00 PM, join Eastside for All and your neighbors at Juanita High School (10601 NE 132nd Street, Kirkland) for Eastside Honoring Juneteenth, a celebration of freedom, resilience, and Black excellence, including live performances, inspiring speakers, Black-owned businesses, delicious food, and a special tribute to local Black graduates.
We welcomed Helena's husband, Alec, and daughter, Dominique, to accept the award on her behalf
Each year, each King County Councilmember has the opportunity to award the Martin Luther King, Jr. Medal of Distinguished Service to someone who has answered Dr. King’s question, “What are you doing for others?”. This year, I was honored to award the medal posthumously to Helena Stephens.
Helena was a longtime civil servant, starting her career at King County and then working at the City of Bellevue for 30 years. While she served in many capacities, I would describe what Helena did as “love” and “teach”. She shared her knowledge generously, taught a whole generation of Bellevue leaders about the ways young people of color were being excluded from opportunity, and saw and cultivated young people as leaders in their own right, helping them find their voices and their power to advocate for themselves and others.
To know Helena was to love and respect her and I was proud to stand with her husband, Alec Stephens, and one of her daughters, Dominique Stephens, to honor her lifetime of service with the MLK Medal of Distinguished Service.
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