Mary Paradise: The desire for Mary Paradise to see women as leaders in the LGBTQ community drove her to assume a leadership role herself. She joined the board of directors of Capital Pride as vice president because she wanted Pride “to look like the community it served.” Initially, she was one of only two women on the board. Today, there are four, and she continues to reach out to women to represent this part of the community. Paradise commits herself to Pride because she wants to help people find volunteer opportunities that match their character, skills, and desires. Of her life-long activism, she asserts, “For me, it’s been a privilege and an honor that doors have opened so I could do this work.” She lives openly, with pride, because she cherishes the opportunity to be a positive role model for younger people within the LGBTQ community.
Lauren Morris: Lauren Morris, a leader in multiple capacities, is a Sunday school teacher and a project leader for City Year. She has also directed a production of The Vagina Monologues. This is her first year on the board of directors of D.C. Black Pride (DCBP), where she serves on the Entertainment Committee. Lauren volunteered with DCBP and Capital Pride as an undergraduate at Howard University. She also participated in the campus LGBTQIA organization, Cascade, where she was elected secretary as a sophomore. Later, she became a mentor for her campus queer group. Morris explains that leadership roles within her campus LGBTQIA groups helped direct her to the positions that she holds in the community today. Pride was one of Morris’s first experiences being “out” in public. “It’s one thing to have pride within your family, but it’s another thing to have pride in your community, and that’s what I needed at the time,” asserts Morris.
Michelle Mobley: As project manager for the official Capital Pride Guide, Michelle Mobley collaborates with the editor to produce the annual guide, which outlines the events of Pride. Of the guide, Mobley states, “It has even further opened my eyes to the issues at hand, as we discuss the editorial significance of each piece in the book.” Mobley started volunteering with Capital Pride last year, when she helped to organize the parade and festival. “Pride has helped me become a better friend and a better professional,” shares Mobley, who believes that Pride is important because it allows her “to outwardly express [her] support of some of [her] closest friends.” She also volunteers with the Pride 365 series, which aims to continue the celebration of Pride year-round.
