The annual Mad Pride March and Celebration celebrating psychiatric survivors, consumers, mad people, and folks the world has labeled "mentally ill" kicks off Saturday, July 15, 2023, in Burlington. Marchers will assemble at noon at the Hood Plant Parking Lot on King Street between South Winooski Avenue and Church Street.
The march begins at 1 PM from the Hood Plant parking lot. Marchers will walk down Church Street, through the Church Street Marketplace, to Pearl Street, and into Battery Park.
There's a formal program scheduled from 2 PM to 4 PM, including music, spoken word, and speeches. Lunch will be provided, and the first 100 participants will receive free commemorative t-shirts.
Confirmed speakers to date include Robert Whitaker, author of Anatomy of an Epidemic and Mad in America, Sera Davidow, Director of the Wildflower Alliance in western Massachusetts, and Wilda White, founder of MadFreedom, Inc.
All are welcome to participate. ASL interpreters will be provided, and other accommodations will be available on request. Although not required, registration is helpful and available at this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2023-vermont-mad-pride-day-march-and-celebration-tickets-640066475057.
Borrowing from Gay Pride, Mad Pride is about shedding shame, challenging discrimination against folks the world has labeled "mentally ill," advocating for rights, affirming mad identities, remembering and participating in mad history, and having fun. The lives of psychiatric survivors, consumers, mad people, and folks the world has labeled "mentally ill" are valuable and need celebration.
Vermont Mad Pride is organized by volunteers committed to creating a kinder world for folks who experience trauma and/or mental and emotional distress.
For more information, https://madfreedom.org/madpride/.
Those interested in sponsorship or tabling opportunities should email info@madpridevermont.org or telephone Wilda L. White at (802) 770-4050.
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