Wind and heat and a hundred women gather together at the Peg Egan Performing Arts Center.
Someone paints a rock at the entrance. More of us put up signs. Core values. Quotes. You don’t have to be Melinda Gates to be a philanthropist.
My mom hosts. My brother films. I manage the Q&A for the virtual attendees. If it’s one thing I know after the past two years, it’s how to run a webinar.
A local Girl Scout Troop attends as special guests. They sell cookies and sell out of cookies during registration. But I got there early and tuck my box into my backpack for safekeeping.
In the middle of putting on a big event, my mom also thinks to pack us fresh sandwiches in the cooler. No one can make a sandwich quite like my mom. No one can make anything quite like my mom. If I were not myself, I would have loved to have inherited that from her.
Open Door Pride presents first. The speaker wears a rainbow cape. I can tell not everyone gets it — how important it is to see that flag, to have that celebration, in our community. How signaling safety and inclusivity isn’t just a party in June, it’s lifesaving. It makes me tear up to see them on the stage. I know they won’t win but I vote for them anyway.
The clouds cover the sun, the wind blows on, and then we’re done. Taking pictures. Cleaning up. But people help, more than before. A team. A community. Progress.
I’m very proud to be a member of the organization, but as always I’m much more proud of my mom. I’m lucky to be her family.
With Love,
Natalie