Latest news with #LovingDay
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Under the baobab: State College Pride a celebration of community and inclusion
Happy Pride Month. Happy Loving Day. Happy Juneteenth. It is a busy and blessed time. State College's fifth year of celebrating community and inclusion began with a parade and ended with a festival in Sidney Friedman Park, sponsored by State College Borough, Happy Valley Adventure Bureau, Downtown State College Improvement District and Centre LGBT+. Trixy Valentine (Jacob Kelley) was this year's parade Grand Marshal. The State College police helped to facilitate safety and efficiency. Mayor Ezra Nanes joined the 50 or so decorated cars and floats. Downtown was filled with over a thousand joyously celebrating spectators who continued the party in the park. Guest speakers included Lt. Governor Austin Davis, Mayor Nanes and state Rep. Paul Takac. Entertainment included drag performances by State Queens, hoop artist Jamie Lee, knife juggling by Capvara, poet Jay Orlando and indigenous performer and educator Patrick Littlefoot Brooks and Family. On June 28, 1969, early morning, we were sitting in a bar on the Lower East Side of Manhattan when a friend came in and told us that 'the f---' were rioting in the West Village Club called The Stonewall. None of us believed it. 'Out' homosexuals were a docile group and The Stonewall, a popular dance venue, was a mafia-run dive. We decided to go see for ourselves. The liberal Republican mayor, John Lindsay, had begun his 1969 law and order campaign raiding gay clubs and harassing the marginalized gay community. In those days it was illegal to be or act gay. When the police attacked The Stonewall, that night people fought back, singing civil rights songs and shouting antiwar slogans. Later some implied that SDS and the Black Panthers were behind the rebellion. They weren't. It was a spontaneous reaction of people who had been persecuted too badly for too long. The Stonewall Uprising is considered by many to be the beginning of the American gay pride movement, which changed our world for the better. It is no longer a crime to be gay and gay marriage is legal. Our State College police protect our Pride parade in which our mayor rides. Prior to the parade, a resident set fire to a gay pride flag hanging outside the Faith United Church of Christ. Pastor Jes Kast responded in a human and loving way. She continued the celebration of their planned Strawberry Festival. The church basement was packed with neighbors tasting the sweetness of the fruit of our community. My beloved wife and I were married just a few years after the Supreme Court decision in Loving vs. Virginia in 1967, which allowed interracial marriages to be legal. However, practice delayed by habit and ignorance often trails the law. When we drove through Southern states she would sit in the back and I, in the front, pretending to be her chauffeur lest we be harassed by the police or worst. Elsewhere around town This year marks the sixth year that Juneteenth will be celebrated in State College with the theme: 'Juneteenth: Our Freedom, Our Fight, Our Future.' The celebration weekend will take place on June 13-14. A Block Party in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza and 100 Block of Fraser Street will be held on Saturday, June 14, from noon to 6 p.m. Penn State presents the premiere production of the musical 'True Crime Frankenstein or the Modern, Modern Prometheus,' June 12-15 in the Penn State Downtown Theatre, directed by John Simpkins with book by Matt Cox and music and lyrics by Eli Bolin. The show was a co-production of Penn State Centre Stage, Concord Theatricals and Penn State Musical Theatre. Sisters and brothers, you are seen; you are loved; you are not alone. Ubuntu Charles Dumas is a lifetime political activist, a professor emeritus from Penn State, and was the Democratic Party's nominee for U.S. Congress in 2012. He lives with his partner and wife of 50 years in State College.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Loving Day celebration happening in Grand Rapids
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — An event in Grand Rapids on Saturday will celebrate the legalization of interracial marriage in the United States. Loving Day takes place each year on June 12, marking the anniversary of the 1967 Supreme Court decision Loving v. Virginia. The case centered around Mildred and Richard Loving, an interracial couple who were fighting to strike down the illegality of their marriage. Faces of Family is happening Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to celebrate the anniversary. The event is hosted by Ebony Road Players, a Grand Rapids-based theater company. Rainbow road along Sheldon Avenue will be open to the public with family-friendly fun that includes live music, face painting, planting seeds and acts from the Grand Rapids Circus Project. Organizers say the day is all about being able to unite in what sets us apart. 'The things that make us different in community are the things that make us community,' Quianna Babb, a program facilitator with the Ebony Road Players, said. 'At a time where it feels like we're so divided, being able to celebrate our differences and come together and show how beautiful we are as a collective, that's what we're here for.' The celebration will take place just outside the Grand Rapids Children's Museum. Stop in during regular Saturday hours, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., for more fun that's a part of Faces of Family. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Loving Day' Selected for 2025 American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at Cannes
[Source] NextShark Projects is proud to announce that the short film 'Loving Day', executive produced by Benny Luo, has been officially selected for the 2025 American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at the Cannes Film Festival, presented in partnership with Gold House. Directed by Daeil Kim and co-written by Daeil Kim and Melanie Sudyn, Loving Day explores a powerful and unsettling vision of an alternate America where the landmark Loving v. Virginia decision legalizing interracial marriage has been overturned. The story follows an interracial couple whose wedding plans are suddenly disrupted, forcing them to grapple with the future of their family and child. ADVERTISEMENT The film stars Sidney Flanigan, best known for her award-winning performance in Never Rarely Sometimes Always, which earned a Special Jury Award at Sundance, alongside Ian Oh (Beef), Raphael Sbarge (Once Upon a Time), and Willie C. Carpenter. Trending on NextShark: 'Loving Day' Selected for 2025 American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at Cannes Now in its 28th year, the Emerging Filmmaker Showcase is a prestigious platform at Cannes for spotlighting bold new voices in independent film. Past alumni of the American Pavilion program include Ryan Coogler and Jeff Nichols, while this year's lineup is supported by industry names such as Rainn Wilson and Jason Reitman. Loving Day will screen on May 21, 2025, with a live Q&A to follow. This selection marks a major milestone for NextShark Projects, the original content and storytelling division of NextShark. With a growing slate of film, digital, and experiential projects, the division is focused on championing culturally resonant narratives and empowering emerging multicultural voices in media. For media inquiries or press materials, please contact: 📧 projects@ ADVERTISEMENT Trending on NextShark: DOGE member Ethan Shaotran admits Harvard alma mater 'hates me' Download the NextShark App: Want to keep up to date on Asian American News? Download the NextShark App today!
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Loving Day' Selected for 2025 American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at Cannes
[Source] NextShark Projects is proud to announce that the short film 'Loving Day', executive produced by Benny Luo, has been officially selected for the 2025 American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at the Cannes Film Festival, presented in partnership with Gold House. Directed by Daeil Kim and co-written by Daeil Kim and Melanie Sudyn, Loving Day explores a powerful and unsettling vision of an alternate America where the landmark Loving v. Virginia decision legalizing interracial marriage has been overturned. The story follows an interracial couple whose wedding plans are suddenly disrupted, forcing them to grapple with the future of their family and child. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement The film stars Sidney Flanigan, best known for her award-winning performance in Never Rarely Sometimes Always, which earned a Special Jury Award at Sundance, alongside Ian Oh (Beef), Raphael Sbarge (Once Upon a Time), and Willie C. Carpenter. Trending on NextShark: 'Loving Day' Selected for 2025 American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at Cannes Now in its 28th year, the Emerging Filmmaker Showcase is a prestigious platform at Cannes for spotlighting bold new voices in independent film. Past alumni of the American Pavilion program include Ryan Coogler and Jeff Nichols, while this year's lineup is supported by industry names such as Rainn Wilson and Jason Reitman. Loving Day will screen on May 21, 2025, with a live Q&A to follow. This selection marks a major milestone for NextShark Projects, the original content and storytelling division of NextShark. With a growing slate of film, digital, and experiential projects, the division is focused on championing culturally resonant narratives and empowering emerging multicultural voices in media. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement For media inquiries or press materials, please contact: 📧 projects@ Trending on NextShark: DOGE member Ethan Shaotran admits Harvard alma mater 'hates me' Download the NextShark App: Want to keep up to date on Asian American News? Download the NextShark App today!
