On Sunday, the SUNY community gathered in Manhattan to march in the 46th Annual New York Pride March for the first time ever. With over three hundred SUNY students, faculty, and alumni in attendance, SUNY made a lasting impression.
Leading SUNY’s delegation to the parade was Student Assembly President & Trustee Marc Cohen, a student in UAlbany’s Master of Public Administration program. “In the wake of Orlando and the continued struggle of those in the LGBT+ community, it is critical that we stand up, speak out, and celebrate our dedication to equity and inclusion across our system,” said Cohen. “We are marching in solidarity as one system, one community, and one Student Assembly.”
Cohen was joined by many students and student leaders from across the SUNY system, including Stony Brook’s Undergraduate Student Government President, Cole Lee. Reflecting on the event, Cole said that it was both “an honor and a privilege to be able to march alongside SUNY in an historic effort to stand with [SUNY’s] LGBT community.” Cole was accompanied by the Stony Brook Marching Band, who came out in full force to support SUNY’s diversity efforts and join in the festivities of the parade.
So honored and glad to be here with my friends and fellow students from @sunysa! #NYCPride #sunypride pic.twitter.com/Ualwpqm52e
— USG President Cole (@USGPresident) June 26, 2016
“SUNY’s participation in this important event is a mark not only of our complete commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion but also of our promise to all New Yorkers that SUNY is a place where they are welcome to live, to work, and to learn,” said SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher. “We are deeply proud to bring the SUNY family together for the NYC Pride March and to celebrate the LGBTQ community in a way that we have not done before.”
Others that joined in leading the delegation included Dr. David Heath, the president of the SUNY College of Optometry, Dr. Deborah Stanley, the President at SUNY Oswego, and her family, along with SUNY Cobleskill President Dr. Marion Terenzio, who was joined by her wife. Terenzio said that marching “is not only an empowering experience for me, it is a symbolic gesture to add my voice to the empowering of pride in others”.
Honored to be joined by @SUNYCobleskill Pres. Terenzio and her wife at #SUNYPride today! Send us your #SUNYPride ? pic.twitter.com/6a566b5Yi5
— SUNY (@SUNY) June 26, 2016
