Kearny, NJ – On Saturday, June 25, 2022, Mayor Alberto G. Santos, and Council Members Carol Jean Doyle, Marytrine De Castro, Richard Konopka, Peter Santana, Eileen Eckel, and Gerald Ficeto joined Kearny residents to help raise its rainbow pride flag for LGBTQ+ Pride Month and to promote and foster LGBTQ+ inclusivity and unity in the community.
The flag raising ceremony took place at American Revolution Bicentennial Park (Town Hall Park) in celebration of Kearny Pride and the LGBTQ+ community. In his remarks, Mayor Alberto G. Santos emphasized the importance of landmark decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court such as Griswold, Obergefell and Casey that brought to the fore “how personal autonomy and dignity underly liberty.” Mayor Santos added, “the principles at stake are much broader than any one community – it’s about the right to personal liberty every person should enjoy without fear of infringement by legislatures, councils, or mayors.” He concluded by noting that “the founders of our country provided us with the promise of liberty in the Constitution, and it’s the obligation of each generation to ensure that the promise is fulfilled and extended to the next generation.”
The program included a rendition of the National Anthem by Tatiana Lima and featured comments by Kearny resident Amy Capuano who organized the event. The Pride Flag, recognized globally, is an important symbol to further the movement towards equal rights and signifies to all LGBTQ+ residents that they are welcome in Kearny. The ceremony at Town Hall Park celebrated inclusion and demonstrated that all people are welcome and celebrated in the community of Kearny.
(Photos by Barbara Goldberg)
