WINDHAM – Windham DEI is hosting its fifth annual pride festival this Saturday, aiming to provide an inclusive environment in turbulent times.
The event will be celebrated at Windham High School from noon-4 p.m., featuring activities, drag performers and more.
Jackey Bennett, chair of the Windham Pride Festival and a founding member of Windham Citizens for DEI, said the event has received promising interest so far.
“We’ve gotten a really fantastic response this year so far, I’m thinking we’ll have over 1,000 people in attendance,” she said.
Chris Arsenault, member of Windham Citizens for DEI and the festival’s planning committee, said this display of pride felt especially important in light of the recent removal of DEI programs at the federal, academic and corporate level.
“This year has just meant so much more to me, just with everything changing in this world right now. These people really need us to step up and continue showing that we are here, and we’re not going to stop showing our pride,” Chris said.
Bennett said the environment at the event provides an inclusive, celebratory space for all.
“There is nothing like the vibe at Pride. It is just happy, joy, celebration all day long. You are going to have the best time there, you can’t not,” Arsenault said.
However, organizing the event still caused nerves for members of the organization.
“For a big chunk of the year, Windham DEI exists, but our name isn’t necessarily in the public, in the media. We are doing local community grassroots work, but once we start talking about pride and putting our name out there and the fact that we do host this event, it’s out there in the media. You’re going to get criticism,” Bennett said.
Regardless, Windham DEI members stood by their belief in the meaning and mission of their organization.
“DEI has really become this target word. We consciously decided to keep our name the same to defend the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion, because they are what make up our country, our local communities. They are incredibly important values we stand by,” Bennett said.
Despite everything, the festival’s organizers said they received overwhelming support from community members this year.
“I have gotten extra support this year just with current DEI issues throughout the country. I have reached out more this year knowing how important it is for us to let everyone know this is what keeps us together,” Arsenault said.
Now, as they prepare for 75 vendors and over 1,000 people to descend on the festival, Arsenault said all the hard work will have been worth it.
“Somedays as an organizer, you feel stressed going up to that day and you want everything to happen perfectly, and you want everyone to have a good time. But, as soon as people start showing up, all that weight is off your shoulders,” he said.