This is a historic moment for all of us, LGBTQIA+ or otherwise.

President Obama, who has been arguably the strongest president yet in supporting and advocating for the rights of queer people, is designating a new Stonewall National Monument at the historic Stonewall Inn site in New York City. This is the same place that, in June 1969, erupted in violence when queer folx rebelled against police who were raiding the Stonewall Inn, a hangout and safe space for LGBTQIA+ people.

According to a press release from the White House,

“The new ‘Stonewall National Monument’ will protect the area where, on June 28, 1969, a community’s uprising in response to a police raid sparked the modern LGBT civil rights movement in the United States.”

Specifically, President Obama has said this of the national monument,

“I’m designating the Stonewall National Monument as the newest addition to America’s National Park System. Stonewall will be our first national monument to tell the story of the struggle for LGBT rights. I believe our national parks should reflect the full story of our country, the richness and diversity and uniquely American spirit that has always defined us. That we are stronger together. That out of many, we are one.”

Watch a video below describing the importance of this event:

Photo: Wiki Commons

Author

  • Jenn M. Jackson was born and raised in East Oakland, California, a fact which motivates her writing and academic ambitions. She is a scholar, educator, and writer whose writing addresses Black Politics and civil and public life for young Black people with a focus on policing and surveillance. She is also the Editor-in-Chief of Water Cooler Convos, a culture platform for Black millennials. Her writing has been featured in Washington Post, BITCH Magazine, Marie Claire, EBONY, The Root, Daily Dot, The Independent, and many others. Jackson is a doctoral candidate at the University of Chicago studying American Politics with a focus on political participation and engagement, public opinion and social movements. For more about her, tweet her at @JennMJack or visit her website at jennmjackson.com.