RESOLUTION FOR BOARD MEETING OF JUNE 18, 2020
Title
RESOLUTION sponsored by the Board of Commissioners recognizing the month of June as Pride Month
Body
WHEREAS, on June 28,1969, the police raided the Stonewall Inn, a tavern located in New York City’s Greenwich Village which had been a place of celebration and community for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people for many years; and
WHEREAS, the patrons of the Stonewall Inn, as well as bystanders, responded to the raid with spontaneous acts of civil disobedience that transformed into a larger demonstration of resistance; and
WHEREAS, the uprising at the Stonewall Inn became the catalyst for a developing LGBT rights movement; and
WHEREAS, the first Pride celebrations began a year after the Stonewall uprising, as activists marched to commemorate the anniversary of the raid. June would later be selected as Pride Month as a way to pay homage to the incident at Stonewall; and
WHEREAS, Chicago was one of the many cities that began celebrating Pride and the LGBT community in 1970, a tradition that has been followed every year since; and
WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Commissioners and staff have participated in Chicago’s Pride celebrations since 2009; and
WHEREAS, the coronavirus pandemic has caused the cancellation of this year’s Chicago Pride Parade and forced many of the Pride events to become virtual celebrations; and
WHEREAS, the LGBT community in Chicago and Cook County have made wide-ranging contributions in numerous fields, including but not limited to, business, manufacturing, real estate, education, the arts, media, not-for-profit organizations, politics, and government; and
WHEREAS, in June of 2019, the District raised the Pride flag outside of its Main Office Building for the first time in its history, in honor and recognition of June as Pride Month; and
WHEREAS, in June of 2020, in the midst of a global pandemic, as well as civil rights protests and riots, the District again raised the Pride flag; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago recognizes the month of June as Pride Month; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Resolution be spread upon the permanent Record of Proceedings of the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago and that a copy of same, suitably engrossed, be presented.
Dated: June 18, 2020