Alhambra Teachers Association and Monterey Park Will Host 2nd Annual Pride Parade and Festival

INSIDE OUR SCHOOLS

Over the past six years the Alhambra Teachers Association (ATA) has worked to build their Equity and Human Rights Committee into one that not only supports the unit members in the association, but one that has welcomed students, parents, and community members at meetings.

By Tammy Scorcia

After listening to students, it became very clear to ATA that there was a need for the LGBTQ+ students to feel more safe, valued, and accepted in our schools. As educators, this is always our number one priority, so we got to planning right away.

After listening and planning, the ATA Equity and Human Rights Committee was set to host the first ever LGBTQ+ Town Hall in March of 2020, but the pandemic hit and everything was shut down. Throughout the lockdown, ATA continued to host equity meetings and trainings with all stakeholders.

As we approached the 2021 new year, students shared stories of struggles with being isolated at home, and our LGBTQ+ students shared how much they wished there was a way to participate in a pride event locally.

With that, ATA jumped into action and in less than two months connected with the City of Monterey Park to join in hosting a pride event on June 5, 2021 that started with a parade at Mark Keppel High School and ended up with a festival at Barnes Park. Monterey Park was extremely supportive, and this event hosted around 350 guests.

After such a fantastic first event, ATA and the City of Monterey Park were excited about making the 2022 pride event bigger and better. On June 4, 2022, the Alhambra Teachers Association and the City of Monterey Park will host the 2^nd Annual Pride Parade and Festival. We will have over twenty vendors, a DJ, student performances, and a sea of rainbow full of inclusion and pride.

Tammy Scorcia is the President of the Alhambra Teachers Association.