“We all had our rainbow flags, and we had our Juneteenth flags… It was really a beautiful, beautiful day,” said Christina Brathwaite, executive director of Parents for Inclusion, a Montgomery County-based not-for-profit organization.
Until it wasn’t.
On June 29 Brathwaite, along with others from Parents for Inclusion, hosted Unity Day to celebrate Juneteenth, Pride Month, and to raise awareness about autism and women’s health equity at Isaac Smith Park in Green Lane. They planned, organized, and even obtained a permit for their event.
The event included soul food, belly dancing and even a doggy drag show.
“Drag is a form of self-expression. Dogs are already themselves, furry and wonderful. It’s people who need to express themselves and, in turn, love other people for being themselves,” Brathwaite said, noting the event was well attended.
There were some people who weren’t happy at all that the event was taking place.
Brathwaite noticed a group of men in the bushes taking pictures of the gathering at approximately 1 p.m. Those same men then approached organizers and announced the group was not welcome.
READ: As Anti-LGBTQ Backlash Grows, Advocates Say There Is ‘Hope’ In Action
“We don’t want you here,” and “we don’t want you in the town,” were phrases Brathwaite said were made repeatedly, and specific remarks made clear that they didn’t approve of the belly dancers.
The event also included tabling and an assortment of advocacy and social awareness groups on site.
“I happened to be at the first table, so I stood up to speak first,” said Corinne Landauer, director of the Pennsylvania Montgomery County Chapter Democratic Black Caucus. “That’s when I noticed five youngish-looking men that didn’t seem like they were part of our group walk into the pavilion area.”
According to event goers, the uninvited group of men confronted and accused people at the celebration of sexualizing children, and of not having a permit to host the gathering in the park.
Several attendees told the Beacon the men said they were okay with the “black stuff,” but did not approve of the support the group was extending to the LGBTQ+ community.
Brathwaite said the men overtook the swing set where children had been playing, but their intimidating demeanor caused kids to leave that area of the playground.
The police were called, the men left, but with them went some of the event’s lighthearted atmosphere.
“Parents for Inclusion is literally just a group to stand up for marginalized children, and by extent marginalized people, because we feel like the kids are getting bullied,” Brathwaite said. “They can’t focus on school so we hold the events to kind of demystify DEI.”
If you’re planning to organize an event that promotes diversity, equity and inclusion, do you have a plan to curb animosity and bigotry in the event of a confrontation?
“I am deeply concerned about what has happened at the Unity Day Celebration and this wave of hate groups intimidating peaceful gatherings in our communities,” said Laura Foster, a co-founder of RIDGE Network. “These instances are not isolated to distant neighborhoods but directly impact our own communities and students.”
READ: Libraries Are Cornerstones of Our Communities. We Need to Defend Them
“It is crucial that we all work together to address and combat these issues to create a safer, more inclusive environment for everyone,” she said.
There are proven techniques to help deescalate situations of this nature advised Danny Thomas, Executive Director of The Peace Center in Langhorne. “It’s important to ask a few basic questions. What do you want to say, and why do you want to say it,” he said.
“Do you want to engage in conversation or are you trying to confront and persuade or change, because the opening line when I’m talking to folks is it’s easier to persuade a friend than convince a stranger,” he said.
The Peace Center has worked to prevent violence, resolve conflicts peacefully and create safe, equitable communities locally and globally through multicultural, community-based programs since 1982.
Upon learning of the Green Lane Unity Day encounter, Thomas offered a few suggestions and provided some resources.
The American Friends Service Committee is filled with tips and techniques to handle confrontations, and the website offers access to their “Bystander Intervention and De-Escalation Training” webinar that walks viewers through an assortment of different scenarios to help viewers prepare for unexpected confrontations.
READ: America’s Far Right Is Fine-Tuning Hate Tactics, Report Says
Thomas also thinks it’s important to make local authorities aware of confrontational situations and recommends advising the local borough or township where the incident took place, along with agencies at the county level if available, and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.
Some workers encounter hostility on a regular basis. Election workers must always be prepared to deal with situations requiring deescalation.
The Elections Group, a not-for-profit, nonpartisan organization, provides posters about de-escalation techniques that may be downloaded for you or for a group. While technically geared to help those whose work involves elections, the website has many tools that may be used in other settings.
Many people feel overwhelmed when confronted so it’s important to review some of the ways to remain calm and be prepared to capture what is transpiring. Video and audio provide the best documentation.
