06/02/2020
Happy PRIDE! Despite everything happening around us, it's important to take the time to stand proud, to remember our struggle to get here, to recognize where we are, and to envision where we want to go. To celebrate pride as a Wilkes Community, the Wilkes Year of the Vote program would like to compile a video podcast featuring the talents of our LGBTQ+ students, alumnx, faculty, and staff. We invite you to submit brief video or audio recordings (under 5 minutes) that showcase your talent and share your message of Pride. You can read a poem, perform music, read a short story, tell a personal story, or send us a video clip about what Pride means to you. The video blog will be shared with the Wilkes community and publicly as part of the Wilkes Year of the Vote* programming, so keep that in mind! Here are a few guidelines for the videos:--submissions accepted through June 15th
--please keep videos under 5 minutes so that we can include more wonderful submissions
--please send the highest quality audio recording possible. In most cases, smartphones make better audio recordings than on-board laptop mics, so your phone is often the best option.
-- we would love for you to send a video of your performance, but if you are uncomfortable appearing on camera, feel free to send along high-quality audio anyway. (we can feature LQBTQ+ artwork during your audio performance).
--should you choose to send video, please be sure that you again check your lighting and shot setup. Higher angles tend to work best, and try to avoid shooting directly into a window or lightsource. Ideally, your lightsource should be coming from behind the camera. Also, please check your shot carefully, as an incidental inappropriate content will result in an audio-only version of your performance.
--email submissions to: [email protected], and include your name and Wilkes affiliation (class/graduation year for students/alumnx or position for faculty and staff)
We will include as many submissions as possible, but we will need to limit the overall length to a reasonable podcast episode. If we have more than we can fit on this video podcast, we may do this as a series. I can't wait to see your brilliance!
Although many of us are not feeling celebratory at the moment, I remember that the Pride celebrations have always been about embracing our identities and experiences in the midst of struggle. We celebrate Pride in June to commemorate the Stonewall riots, a protest led by trans women of color against police violence. On the 51st year after Stonewall and the 50th anniversary of the first official pride celebration, we are surrounded by demonstrations across our country to protest police violence and systemic inequities. This reminds us that the call to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride is not a passive call. It is a call to be visible and to celebrate who we are despite the challenges we face. It is also a call to shed light on those challenges, to identify the inequities we continue to face, to understand the intersectional layering of privilege and oppression that impact the realities in which we live. For this Pride, it is particularly important to acknowledge the disproportionate prejudice experienced by LGBTQ+ black folx, and for us as a community to commit to protecting and supporting people of color in our country. Most importantly, we commit to making Wilkes a safe, inclusive, supportive community. Please let me know if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions.
