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Affinity groups celebrate diversity at Addepar and champion our employees. They are a core part of our shared commitment to a culture where every person is equally entitled to decency and respect in our daily work together. AddePride’s mission is to provide an inclusive environment that encourages Addepeeps to bring their true authentic selves to work and to foster an accepting environment at Addepar, in our communities, and with our clients.
During this Pride month, AddePride wishes to extend our greetings to our members, allies, and friends for their continued support. We also want to acknowledge that this year, Pride is different. COVID-19 changed the landscape of how we would celebrate our Pride this year. We are also focused on standing in solidarity with the Black community against systemic racism and joining the fight for justice and equality and, ultimately, reform.
We want to take action on this front. AddePride will be completing a fundraiser to benefit the Marsha P. Johnson Institute this year, which protects and defends the human rights of Black transgender people, and will continue to support causes that directly benefit both the LGBTQ+ and Black communities.
We also want to take a moment to acknowledge the history of the contemporary Pride Movement and what it means to us and our communities. In 1969, LGBTQ+ activists, namely Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, initiated the Pride Movement with the Stonewall riots against police brutality and oppression. This uprising helped pave the way for the rights the LGBTQ+ community has today.
The first official ‘Pride’ march occurred in 1970 to commemorate the bravery and action by black, brown, transgender & other members of the LGBTQ+ community. Each June around the world, we celebrate Pride to remember those who fought for our rights and to continue to raise awareness of the work that still needs to be done today.
The work for equality and justice for all groups remains a commitment to AddePride. This work is never easy and it takes time.
Earlier this month we celebrated ‘Loving Day’, which marked the day, just 53 years ago, that laws barring interracial marriage in the U.S. were struck down by the Supreme Court. Marriage Equality was only legalized across the United States 5 years ago. And just this month, with a landmark rule by the Supreme Court, LGBTQ+ workers are finally able to work openly under federal anti-discrimination law without the fear of being punished or fired. These, among others, were long, hard fights, but they are not the end of our community's desire to make sure everyone has the right to be treated fairly in the workplace and in the criminal justice system.
We also wanted to let you know what events we have planned to honor Pride differently this year. AddePride currently has a fundraiser with AIDS Walk NYC. The primary beneficiary of AIDS Walk NYC is the Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC), the nation's leading provider of HIV/AIDS care, prevention services, and advocacy, serving nearly 13,000 people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS in New York City, the epidemic's largest U.S. epicenter.
We encourage active allyship, and it starts with education on the oppression of LGBTQ+ people and the Black community of past and present. Here are some of the AddePride resources that we refer to in an effort to educate our community and our allies:
NY Times: First New York Pride March Was An Act of ‘Desperate Courage’
American Experience: Milestones in the American Gay Rights Movement
If you are interested in learning more about inclusive equal workplace opportunities at Addepar, check out our career page.