PHOTO ESSAY BY DONNA ACETO | On Sunday, June 11, one day after Washington, DC, observed its own local Pride celebration, tens of thousands of grassroots activists took to the streets of the capital in an Equality March for Unity & Pride.
Organizers acknowledged the progress of recent years but also pointed with alarm to “increased hostile rhetoric, discriminatory policies, and violence perpetrated against the most vulnerable in our communities.”
The event organizers, in a manifesto of sorts for the Trump era, rallied support for the march in order “to give voice to our concerns, and to support, uplift, and bring attention to those in our communities who are targeted due to immigration status, ethnicity, religion, skin color, gender, and disability. We affirm and celebrate that we are a mix of diverse communities. Lack of unity has caused many of our needs to be neglected or ignored. But now, for 2017 and beyond, we are working to learn from our prior mistakes and come together through common belief in inalienable human rights and dignity for all.”
