Surrey Schools making first in-person appearance at Vancouver Pride Parade
2022 is a year of firsts, with this year marking the first time the district is participating in-person in the Vancouver Pride Parade, taking place in downtown Vancouver on Sunday, July 31.
While the district has previously participated in Vancouver Pride virtually, the 2022 edition is the first official year that the district is in the physical parade, following a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.
“We have about 20 staff members signed up who are both marching and hosting a booth,” said SOGI helping teacher Nicole Curtis. “We have treats and bracelets to hand out and they’ll be representing the district, letting people know that we’re here and we’re supportive.”
Photo by Vancouver Pride
L.A. Matheson Secondary teacher Annie Ohana (pictured at right), who leads her school’s Mustang Justice club and is a community activist with a background in organizing and anti-oppression work, is one of this year’s Grand Marshals of the Vancouver Pride Parade.
“It is such an honour to represent the incredible work of liberation done by our queer community,” said Ohana. “As an educator, it is as important as ever that we educate to empower identity, create safe spaces and end injustice. The joy and love of pride should be felt in our classrooms everyday.”
Ohana has received numerous awards for her social justice and antiracism activism, including the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence, the B.C. Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Award, the first-ever Surrey Mayor’s Award for Fostering Civic Responsibility, the Spice Radio Hands Against Racism award and the Shakti Award of Excellence for Academic Achievement.
The Vancouver Pride Parade takes place Sunday, July 31 from noon to 3 p.m. in Vancouver’s West End.
The parade route starts at the intersection of Robson Street and Jervis Street, heading northwest on Jervis before turning left onto Denman Street and following that to Jervis and Pacific Street. The parade can also be watched online via livestream at vancouverpride.ca/live
For more information, visit vancouverpride.ca
