LifeBridge Health Joins in the Return of Baltimore's Pride Parade
Saturday, June 25 marked the return of Baltimore's Pride Parade, and the event's theme, "#TogetherAgain," proved emblematic of the mood throughout the day. LifeBridge Health was proud to join in Baltimore's celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community once again.
The temperature was hot, but spirits were nonetheless high as members of LifeBridge Health's LGBTQIA+ employee resource group, as well as other community members and allies from within the organization, gathered near the Baltimore Museum of Art to prepare for the festivities.
"I was amazed by how quickly everyone jumped into action," says PJ Dominiski, co-chair of the LGBTQIA+ employee resource group, adding that "No one needed to be asked to help. Everyone quickly got to work prepping for the parade, from distributing t-shirts to team members as they arrived, to stuffing boxes with giveaway items, it was a unified effort from start to finish."
This willingness to lend a hand without hesitation is representative of this tightknit community's broader outlook - that they are all working together to make the organization as safe and inclusive as it can be for LGBTQIA+ individuals. Bolstering these efforts is the steadfast support of the organization at large, including CEO Neil Meltzer, who happily marched alongside proud LifeBridge Health team members and their loved ones during the parade. Participants from many different corners of the organization were present, relishing this joyful experience together and sharing in the camaraderie of a common purpose: to represent LifeBridge Health's proud contingent of LGBTQIA+ community members and allies.
As the parade proceeded, LifeBridge Health's vibrant float - and team members - drew the attention and cheers of the crowd all along the route. The float was outfitted with a colorful LifeBridge Health banner, which echoed this year's "#TogetherAgain" hashtag. Several team members joined the DJ aboard the float and danced gleefully while tossing out giveaway items to the crowd. This year's featured giveaways, tumblers and beach balls, proved to be popular among the parade-goers, who eagerly threw up their arms for a chance to catch one of the items. LifeBridge Health team members all donned shirts and tank tops emblazoned with the LifeBridge Health logo and the Pride flag, further contributing to the general mood of unity and celebration which abounded throughout the day.
The LifeBridge Health LGBTQIA+ employee resource group, which meets monthly to share experiences, advocate for change, organize educational events and much more, worked as a team to plan and execute every aspect of LifeBridge Health's presence at this momentous event, and group members were enthusiastically happy with the results of their hard work. Several of the LifeBridge Health parade participants were not yet members of the resource group, so the event provided an excellent opportunity to bring new voices into the fold, helping to strengthen its overall efforts and broaden its impact within the organization. For Dominiski, the event was a success by all measures - not the least of which being team members' mutual celebrations of their authentic identities. For a community that has historically struggled against rampant discrimination, such moments of unbridled joy are passionately savored.
"Every participant, myself included, was smiling ear to ear for the duration of the parade. The atmosphere was one of pure love, absent the fear and conflict that so many of us have had to endure in our lives as LGBTQIA+ people. And that, for me, is what makes all the hard work worthwhile."
To learn more about the LGBTQIA+ group, and other employee resource groups at LifeBridge Health, click here.