MHS GSA at the Madison-Chatham Diversity Festival
From left to right: Club Advisor Nancy O’Brien, and co-chairs Madeleine Drew, Valentina Peluso, and Henri Wielandy pose for a photo at the GSA booth.
On Saturday, September 10th, Madison hosted the Madison-Chatham Diversity Festival. Organized by Madison Councilwoman Debra Coen, the purpose of this event was to showcase the diversity in Madison and surrounding communities. Throughout the day, people from across Morris county came together at Hartley Dodge Memorial to experience the Diversity Festival. Between all the booths set up, and the various food vendors, the event was a hit for all ages. All day there was a steady stream of people wandering through the stands and stopping to learn about the diversity in and around Madison. Many booths had fun games or giveaways to attract and engage younger children.
MHS’s own Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) was represented at the fair. Their booth had a fun game in the shape of a rainbow that was a huge hit among the children, with some coming back to play again and again throughout the day.
Madeleine Drew, co-chair of the GSA along with Valentina Peluso and Henri Wielandy, said that “the sense of community is what made the space truly special. Everywhere you looked, there was someone who was willing to educate you and get involved in different aspects of culture and identity.” Every organization represented outside of Hartley Dodge had a willingness to learn more about diversity and was supportive of every other group. By the end of the day, nearly every booth had a mini pride flag given away by the GSA, showing solidarity with LGBTQ+ people. Starting with 100 pride flags to give away, the GSA booth was left with only four by the time the event ended.
Throughout the day, the GSA booth had four people covering at different times, including the three co-chairs. Freshman Lance Perlatti, who had only just joined the GSA, was at the event, and also helped the GSA in running their booth. Peluso says that “the chance to be at a table in the diversity festival was such an inspiring experience for our GSA.”
Though this is only the second time this event has been run, it was a huge success. With the help of the people of Morris County, the GSA looks forward to returning to the Diversity Festival next year and seeing everybody continuing to support the event.