“When you come out of the closet your entire family does too.” — Dr. Daniela Domínguez  

Dr. Daniela “Danny” Domínguez (she/her/ella) says she never questioned who she was. “It wasn’t that I was ever confused, I knew exactly who I was, it was just a matter of its not safe for me to be who I am [here]. I was never like, ‘am I [queer], am I not?’ No, clearly from the very beginning I knew.” 

Juneteenth, the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, is observed and celebrated across the United States each year on June 19. Although President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, it had little impact in Confederate states due to the low number of Union troops enforcing the new Executive Order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April 1865, Union forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance. On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers led by Major General Gordon Granger landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and slaves were now free.  

“No pride for some of us without liberation for all of us.”  — Marsha P. Johnson

Happy Pride Month from the Multicultural Roots Project Team! June is an entire month dedicated to the celebration of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) community and all the ways in which they have shown resiliency and pride in themselves and the community, and to recognize the ways in which they have positively shaped our society.