Episode Notes

Stonewall sparked the Pride Month celebrations…. However Stonewall wasn’t the prologue or even the first chapter. Join BPI and AIRA as we celebrate, experience and describe Stonewalll and the Historic NYC West Village in telling the story of Pride Before, during and after Stonewall.

Tonight on ACB Radio Mainstream and on all podcast catchers shortly after.

AIRA describes slices of my life in Pride and Beyond.

By Anthony Corona

The Iconic Stonewall in NYC’s historic West Village, the statuary that represented over a decade of advocacy to the Alice Austin House on in my hometown Staten Island Aira with Blind Pride International went on a journey that had me re-living so much of my life.

When I lost my sight 5 years ago I had not a clue about Audio Description or Visual Interpreting Services and thought life would be bleak from now on. I began to learn to live as a blind man and as I navigated services I learned so many things. One of those important discoveries was AIRA. Now a few years later they literally brought me back to so many scenes of PRIDE in NYC where I was born and spent the bulk of my life.

Jeanine Stanley with Agent Alexandra invited Myself and BPI President Gabriel Lopez Kafati to participate with NYC LGBTQ Historical Preservation Society as they walk us through the Historic sites of Stonewall and the surrounding area all while educating us all on the histories of the movement with beautiful description from Alexandra.

My mind recreated the images as the descriptions flowed. Down to using an ATM in a Bank of America at one of these historic sites the memories of my life played across the giant movie screen in my mind. Countless spring and summer afternoons reading and picnicking at the Alice Austin site and of course the many times I ordered a libation at the bar of the Historic Stonewall Inn. I can’t describe the feelings of both PRIDE and being almost able to see these sites in person again.

As an advocator for both of my intersecting communities to bee involved with this presentation means so very much to me. I am so proud to help educate and entertain our communities and beyond about all the brave persons and movements that have led to the LGBTQ community really having a place at the table of life in our great country. It is so important to know our History and to advocate for it to be a part of the national tapestry.

June is LGBTQ Pride month and as Blind Pride celebrates and educates all month long with AIRA this presentation will inspire others to document slices of their own lives and community history. Please take the virtual walk through LGBTQ history as we all virtually visit Stonewall and NYC’s West Village Thank you to Amanda Davis for the incredible lesson. Thank you to AIRA for recognizing how important it is to make our history come alive and thank you to Blind LGBT Pride for being my home and family.