SCAN-Harbor is beyond excited to take part in city-wide festivities for the Pride Parade this month! On Sunday, June 30th , 2024, SCAN-Harbor will not only participate in the Pride parade, but the organization will have a float, a DJ, and dozens of dancers and participants will join the parade on behalf of the organization. SCAN-Harbor’s participation in the Pride event is a part of its WISH (We I She He) program- a program dedicated to offering resources to members of the LGBTQ community in East Harlem, Harlem, and the South Bronx.

SCAN-Harbor’s presence in the Pride parade will include some special guests from the LGBTQ community, as well as SCAN-Harbor staff and Board Members. SCAN-Harbor views the parade as an opportunity to highlight its support of the LGBTQ community that has been a very important part of the organization’s programming, and something the organization works on not just during Pride month, but all year round..

SCAN-Harbor’s WISH program is the only community-based program in Upper Manhattan/South Bronx serving the full spectrum LGBTQ at-risk youth of color, and is the only LGBTQ program in NYC based at a NYCHA development. WISH was launched in 2010 with the mission to provide a safe environment for LGBTQ young people of color to socialize, recreate, and be afforded a range of vital social service-related support. As part of this mission, WISH also provides space for members of the New York City Kiki ballroom scene, – a world where LGBTQ youths of color empower each other through competitions that feature dance, costume design, and voguing. WISH program director, Francisco “Chi Chi” Gonzalez is an ICON from the scene, who aims to make the space as inclusive as possible.

For more on SCAN-Harbor’s WISH Program, please see this video which gives an overview of the program: