YAKIMA, Wash. – Yakima Pride hosted its sixth annual Pride Parade, inviting community members to celebrate in downtown Yakima, rain or shine. The event filled the streets with colorful expressions of unity and self-acceptance.
Joshua Hastings, president of Yakima Pride, emphasized the importance of the event.
“This is our moment, this is our parade. But everyone is welcome. All allies, all community members,” he said
Yakima Avenue was closed Saturday morning as hundreds gathered to let their voices be heard. Hastings highlighted that the event is more than just a parade; it’s a passion project for the community.
“We’re very passionate because we all have our stories how we connect to our community here in Yakima. So this is not just an event, it’s a passion project for all of us,” he said.
Several local organizations joined the parade alongside Yakima Pride. Hastings acknowledged that not everyone in the community approves of their celebration but stressed the importance of being unapologetically themselves.
“Some community members don’t want you to have a pride celebration, but we are unapologetically ourselves…and that’s our strength,” he stated.
Hastings shared his personal experiences and the difficulty of finding a supportive community. He said Yakima Pride aims to provide a family-like support system for those in need.
“What’s so important to us is that we create that family and that unity because a lot of people don’t have, you know, families that are accepting,” Hastings explained.
The parade served as a call to action and unity, encouraging the community to combine their voices and support one another.
“We’re doing our best to make sure that we survive during this political climate but also create a call of action and unity with our community because now is the time to combine those voices,” Hastings said.
