Recognizing Santa Cruz Pride Parade's 50th Anniversary

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. PANETTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the 50th anniversary of the Santa Cruz Pride Parade, one of the oldest Pride events in the Nation and the first of any small American city.

Since 1975, Santa Cruz Pride embodies the spirit of resistance and persistence. Even though it was California, back then, it was just a small gathering of a few brave and determined people standing in solidarity.

Today, as we saw this past weekend, Santa Cruz Pride is a multiday, community-wide event that brings together thousands for a celebration of Pride.

As we celebrate, we also appreciate and commemorate that we stand on the shoulders of those who got us here. It is with that realization that we are reinvigorated in our push for equal rights.

We in Santa Cruz and throughout the 19th Congressional District of California understand that Pride is more than just flags and parades. It is also about creating policies, putting in place protections, and the persistence of a community to achieve equality.

Yes, we are proud of the past 50 years of Santa Cruz Pride, but we are also determined now more than ever to continue our march forward.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source