By Luke McCrory — Correspondent
Mia Kelly expected Concord’s first Pride flag raising and festival to be joyful. When she saw the rainbow banner rise over Monument Square last Saturday, her feelings went even deeper.
“I felt myself feeling more emotional, more truly welcomed and proud of Concord as a whole,” said Kelly, 24. “It made me feel like people were really there to celebrate our community.”
Between 100 and 200 people gathered to celebrate Concord’s inaugural Pride festival, a celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community and its allies that featured a colorful parade and rally.
A formal banner-raising in the Monument Square roundabout — approved earlier that week by the Select Board after two weeks of deliberation — kicked off the day.
“By raising the Pride flag, we declare that Concord is a place where everyone is welcome no matter who they love or how they identify,” said DEI Commission Co-Chair Andrea Foncerrada.
‘We’ve always been here’
Kelly said the banner signals to residents and their families that the town stands with them. “The fight for LGBTQ+ justice is now,” she told The Concord Bridge. With the flag raising, “Our town is choosing to stand at the forefront of this fight.”
Seeing the flag go up “was a very positive and affirming experience,” agreed Mia Kelly’s sister, Claire, 22. “It gives me a lot of hope that our community can continue to advocate for LGBTQ rights.”
Claire and Mia’s mom, Jennifer Kelly, appealed to the Select Board last Monday to grant permission to fly the Pride flag.
“I am not just a proud mother. I’m not just a proud ally,” she said Saturday. “I am also a proud Concordian.”
‘We’ve always been here’
Pride-goer Rebecca Loprete is a CCHS special education teacher and faculty advisor to the Spectrum Club, which promotes safe spaces for and inclusion of LGBTQ+ students.
“We’ve always been here. We’re just proud to be acknowledged,” Loprete said as people danced and mingled on the library lawn.
“It was a little disheartening that there was a kerfuffle over flag-raising, but at the end of the day, the town did the right thing.”
Good timing
An opening rally at First Parish featured remarks by Minister Paul Langston-Daley, DEI Commission Co-Chair Joe Palumbo, and James St. Vincent of The Robbins House.
Then, to the tunes of an eight-person band, the parade and its police escort marched down Main Street to the Concord Free Public Library, which hosted an arts and crafts station, face painting, and a photo booth.
Amid the flag-waving, music, and dancing, recent Concord-Carlisle High School graduate Alex Nugent said the town’s first Pride observance was well-timed. “There’s so much happening in 2024 with the election and all the anti-LGBTQ+ laws getting passed nationwide,” Nugent said.
That kind of legislation is “not necessarily a Concord problem, but I think it’s still an everywhere problem… It’s just really nice to have that visibility and show of support. It shows that the Concord community is with us.”
Steve Bermundo, who designed the Concord Pride logo, said he initially felt unsure about how the town would receive the festivities and called it “a relief” once he arrived at the parade.
He said the number of younger festival-goers particularly struck him.
“That age is where a lot of their opinions and thoughts are formed,” Bermundo said. “Seeing the age range of those who were waiting for this day made me very happy.”
Afterward, although rain scuttled an afternoon concert scheduled at Rideout Park, Concordian Leanne Bateman called the Pride event “a blast.” She said she was moved to tears when she saw the rainbow flags lining the center of town.
“That’s where my eyes filled up — and they’re filling up right now,” Bateman said. “Here it was, for the first time, and it matters so much.”
