As Mr. Glass was stricken with the flu, pictures by me, Jenna Nand.
Our Edmonds Community College Queer Coalition and Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transsexual Assocation (GLBTA) was one of the few student groups to go to this year’s Pride Parade. They went and proved unequivocally just how awesome they are! 
I haven’t had this much fun in a long time! It is difficult to explain just how much revelry the 2007 Pride Parade offered. When I went down to meet Luke and the others, I was looking forward to seeing all of the beautiful costumes (and yes, my first drag queen in the flesh), but I wasn’t expecting to become so involved in the experience. Luke, Thomas, Michelle, William, Shirley, everyone from Edmonds Community College (and many people who weren’t) were so thoroughly welcoming and accepting. It was a beautiful atmosphere, full of joy, discovery, merrymaking, and—of course—indomitable pride.
Since I was in the parade, I cannot testify to how the parade looked for without. But within it was a whirlwind. I thought, when I graduated last week, that I had had the last great experience that Edmonds Community College had to offer me. I was so mistaken. Luke put me into a purple Edmonds GLBTA t-shirt and made me one of the gang. We laughed, cracked jokes about all of the “gay” music invading our ears, pleaded with the fitful sky together, and just entertained each other while waiting for our little segment of the parade to begin moving.
The sights were amazing. Stilt-walkers, martial artists, stagecoaches and horses, showgirls, dragqueens, “dykes on bikes”,…larger than life, cartoon genitalia. 
Seattle has a reputation for being a bit drab, but the volume of color in downtown on June 24 could rival Rio de Janeiro in the middle of Carnival. I have never seen our plain sparrow of a city adorned with so many gorgeous feathers.
I haven’t marched in a parade since I was a little girl in Louisiana tapping away in my leotard. Just to hear the constant roar of the crowd, see so many supportive people waving and smiling and cheering us on, was a euphoric experience. The hour we spent marching seemed to pass in minutes. More than once, an Edmonds student on the sidewalk would jump out to greet us (like a certain stage manager , who goes by the name of Jordan). Each block had some startling detail like that.
Even though the protestors there attempted to impinge on the celebration with their close-minded hatred, I was impressed by how little attention they were paid. Their negativity and intolerance, in that setting, was so irrelevant that it was nearly laughable.
Afterwards (when I was too tired to get many good pictures), we all sat on the grass, gobbled food, and were serenaded by the Seattle Gay and Lesbian Chorus. I vegetated in the sunshine until the rain became a serious threat. I haven’t been to a Mardi Gras since I was six, in Louisiana, but on Sunday I was reminded of how beautiful the celebration of life could be. The parade’s unifying message I believe, apart from the obvious, is to live this life to its fullest. Unashamedly, and unapologetically.
(Photos taken by me, Jenna Nand, on my piddling camera phone, unless noted with an asterisk (*), in which case the subjects were lucky enough to be photographed by Triton Review photographer Alex Glass, with his hideously expensive camera. )
Fiesta Latina, on Saturday, June 2nd, rocked! The Latin American Student Association (LASA) of Edmonds Community College (whew, that is a mouthful) did the impossible: they staged a fun, vibrant, diverse celebration of the Latin American Community for students and community members for free!
Between two and three hundred students and community members, in part lured in by the $300+ donation of free burritos and salsa/chips from nearby Chipotle, stuck around during the sunny, seven hour event to catch a variety of performances. It is difficult to choose just one favorite! Between the Grammy-nominated Nueva Era salsa band, the beautiful mothers and children comprising the folkloric dance troupe “Colores de Mexico”, and the deeply spiritual collective of Aztec dancers “Mexica Tiahui”, this had to be the best free ticket in town.
From the first, with groups of students giving a hoola-hoop demonstration, I felt that a puckish sort of glee had infected all of the celebrants there. We were able to collectively lay down our burdens—finals, graduation, college decisions, etc.—and experience Latin American culture joyfully. After LASA’s intrepid president Jason Fernandez gave a welcoming speech, we were free to wander, avail ourselves on Chipotle’s yummy burritos, peruse the vendor’s authentic wares, and ooh-and-ahh over the little kids in their adorable outfits.
There was plenty afoot on stage, too. Student actor and musician Julian Estrada (a great ballad of his, incidentally, is available for listening on the AfterWords blog music entry) used his guitar to gently lead the crowd into the mood with a few tunes strummed Spanish-style. He was followed by “cavity-inducingly cute” (Alex Glass’ phrase, not mine ) troupe of little girls and boys who exhibited traditional Mexican dances under the guidance of their white-gowned mothers. These women, employed at Arlington Elementary, followed up with a few dances of their own. I particularly enjoyed the mournful tale of “La Bruja”, and I thought that the Mexican fans used during the dancers were both ethereal and theatrical.
It would take thousands of words to properly portray all of the top notch artists there. Such as Nueva Era, Quichua Mashis (who I swear I saw at Folklife a few weeks ago, too), and our own sultry Salsa instructor, Andrea Akiyama. One experience that stood out for me was the Aztec dance, though. After watching an impressive performance, with spoken intervals during which the lead dancer proudly countered popular misconceptions about his culture, the audience was invited to close the circle with the dancers. After expressing gratitude for being shown such a dramatic and profound form of worship, many of the students who—like me—are on the cusp of leaving, broke down into tears. To have the Aztec spiritualists consecrate our courtyard with their prayers highlighted how beautiful our school really is, and what a wonderful, nurturing experience Edmonds Community College has been for us all. Though I managed to stay dry-eyed, I experienced the same quality of peaceful sorrow and sad, though satisfied, farewell to the school.
I want to thank LASA, and the dozens of volunteers with them, who made such a beautiful, exuberant, and poignant event possible. There really is a no more perfect way to say goodbye.
