The Lac La Ronge Regional Pride Committee is organizing a motorcade parade in support of the LGBTQ+ community as well as the Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) communities.
Participants are meeting at 10:30 on Saturday in the parking lot of the Jonas Roberts Memorial Community Centre. Then the parade will start at 11 am, weaving through the tri-communities.
Committee member Colin Ratushniak said the committee wanted to be part of the major movement happening now pushing against police brutality and systemic racism by standing in solidarity with the BIPOC communities.
“I think sometimes Canadians can sort of feel like that’s not happening in our country and that’s just not true,” Ratushniak said. “I think that we have to, ever so more in this day and age, rise up and support Black, Indigenous and People of Colour.”
He said the LGBTQ+ community understands how it feels to face oppression and so they wanted to support the other communities who face similar inequalities.
“We’re no stranger to being oppressed, just like that group is as well, and I think that it’s a great opportunity for us to collaborate and to really march in solidarity for social justice and equality.”
The committee decided to invite the La Ronge RCMP detachment to join the parade. Ratushniak says this invitation was out of courtesy. He says he understands that he hasn’t had the same experiences with police that BIPOC people have because of his privilege as a white person.
Participants are asked to remain in their vehicles throughout the entire parade due to the physical distancing requirement due the COVID-19 pandemic.
(Photo courtesy of the Lac La Ronge Regional Pride’s Facebook page.)