Marshall has Pride!

The month of June marks pride month and communities all over the world are taking part in pride. Marshall, Minnesota is no different. They're hosting their first ever marshal pride. Isatu Shirek, student correspondent from Southwest Minnesota State University, was there to capture the highlight from some of the attendees at Marshall's Pride.

Watch: Marshall has Pride!

Julie Walker is the director of the LGBTQ+ center at Southwest Minnesota State University. "My pronouns are she/her mix and I'm one of the organizers for Pride this year." 

"Pride for me has always been some place where I just get to feel like myself," Walker said. "The first time I went to Pride, I balled like a little baby because for the first time I didn't have to think about how to behave. I could just be me."

Sharon Kebs was one of the attendees of Marhsall's first Pride festival. "Many of the people that I'm associated with that are retired, have not had any experience very limited experience with diversity of any type," she said. "So activities like this help people to understand and become more accepting and that's what I think is important about it."

Victoria Renee Strange was the volunteer photos for the event. "This event has been a huge for me. I am so shocked that there's so many people here. I wasn't expecting almost anyone I volunteered to be the photographer for the event as well as set up the table for Wells Fargo. And I'm just over the moon with how many people came and my friends who are part of the community seeing how many members are allies here And it's just been amazing to see that," she said.

Walker said that people can start planning for next year's Pride event in Marhsall. "We are very excited to already announce that Pride will be an annual thing in Marshall now. The second weekend in June is when people can put on your calendars. We're so excited!"

Robert Byrnes, the mayor of Marhall, also was in attendance. "Marshall really recently adopted our city brand which is cultivating the best in all of us. And that does mean all of us. That means being inclusive, being welcoming because as a community if we're going to be successful in the community that means that we truly do need to celebrate all people and be welcoming to all of them," he said.

Walker concluded: "I want everybody to know that no matter what they have family here in Marshall. And whether that's family that you're born with or family that you find, there's family and there's love here and there's acceptance. And I want everybody to feel like they are safe to be who they are. This is who Marshall is.

This story was edited by Isatu Shirek, a student from SMSU in Marshall.