Small in size, but big on pride: Collingswood, New Jersey, marks five years of Pride
On a busy corner in Downtown Collingswood volunteers are putting the finishing touches on a symbol that's become a point of pride for the community.
"Today we are repainting the Collingswood Pride crosswalk. It had been worn out a little bit, and so we're giving it a fresh coat ahead of our Pride event," said Kevin King, co-chair of Collingswood Pride.
The fresh paint comes just in time for the fifth Annual Collingswood Pride.
A celebration that organizers say has grown alongside the community it serves.
"The goal of the event is to bring people together, of course, and celebrate and be proud and feel comfortable and also just be acknowledged for how far we've come," said Amy Telfair, Collingswood Pride sponsor.
On Saturday, June 13 Collingswood's Pocket Park will fill with drag performances, local vendors, community speakers and live music.
Laura Cheadle + The Girls will be taking the stage, "I'm actually a South Jersey Native... and the small town Prides are actually the most important Prides... we actually just performed in Kentucky and that's where people are still in the closet or can't be themselves... so you can't rule out these smaller Prides."
While Collingswood may be a smaller Pride, the impact is big.
"We have a reputation that we're really accepting and welcoming and have a lot of queer residents," King said.
"Our kid in kindergarten, when we came to school the first day, there was 20 kids and four couples were gay and there was a trans kid and no one even batted an eye," said Telfair.
As Pride celebrations continue across the region organizers hope events like this help send a clear message to anyone looking for a community.
"Having a pride festival here, or having a rainbow crosswalk here, helps to signal that for folks that might not be familiar with these smaller suburbs," King said.
Five years in, Collingswood Pride is celebrating how far it's come and looking ahead to what's next.
We were so impressed with Collingswood we made it the home base for our Pride special, "Small Town Pride."