LGBTQ+ in Richmond, Virginia

Diversity Richmond Names Lacette Cross Executive Director

The Board of Directors of Diversity Richmond has named Lacette Cross, D.Min, the organization’s Executive Director, effective October 17, 2022.

“We’re thrilled to name Lacette Cross our executive director, to lead our talented staff and to continue the important work Diversity Richmond accomplishes in building a more inclusive and equitable region,” said Chris Moore, Board Chair. “Lacette possesses a truly unique combination of understanding the challenges we face as a community and the impactful ways that Diversity Richmond can serve the LGBTQ+ community, our families, friends and our allies.”

"Diversity Richmond has a rich legacy of being a catalyst, a voice, a place and a resource for Richmond’s LGBTQ+ community," said Dr. Cross. “It is an honor to be chosen as the next Executive Director, and I am elated to join Diversity’s phenomenal board and staff at this pivotal moment for the organization. Together we will link arms to continue building the kind of dynamic, responsive, and equitable organization our community deserves.”

Dr. Cross has more than 15 years’ experience working with regional non-profits in various positions, most recently as VA SIP Strategic Advisor with NEO Philanthropy. She served as interim Executive Director for Side-by-Side during 2021, after serving as their Director of Volunteers and Outreach. Dr. Cross was graduated from Virginia Union University with a Doctor of Ministry, a Master of Theology from Union Presbyterian Seminary, a Master of Divinity from Virginia Union and a BS in Social Work from the Catholic University of America. She was named an Equity + Health Fellow with the Richmond Memorial Health Foundation and earned a Community Trustbuilding Fellowship with Initiatives of Change. She has beenrecognized as an OUTStanding Virginian by Equality Virginia in 2019 and in 2020 by the YWCA of Richmond as an Outstanding Woman.

For more than 20 years, Diversity Richmond has worked to make Richmond a better place to live, work, and visit for the LGBTQ+ community. Key Diversity programs include Diversity Thrift, Virginia Pride, the Black and Bold Awards, Viva RVA, Transgender Remembrance and support, and its community grants program, Diversity Celebrates.

VIVA RVA! Hispanic Music Festival October 1st

In 2019, Diversity Richmond hosted its first Viva RVA! celebration, commemorating Hispanic Heritage Month and LGBTQ+ Pride. With a goal of welcoming 500 people, the event exceeded expectations with 700 attendees. No one could have prepared for the pandemic. What was founded as a music and cultural festival morphed to coordinating food drives in collaboration with Feed More and partnering with the Virginia Department of Health to host COVID-19 testing and vaccination clinics.

In 2021, Viva RVA! partnered with Richmond’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Engagement (OIRE) and the Office of Minority Business Development to host a 15-week Latino Entrepreneurship Academy, during which participants learned from business owners and financial experts in Spanish. This year will see a return to the traditional event, with music, dance and food, and art.

Viva RVA! is a family-friendly event with free admission from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Due to the weather, we will celebrate Viva RVA! inside the Event Hall that holds 500 guests. Food trucks, vendors and exhibitors will be available, and performers include bomba, plena and salsa band Kadencia; Puerto Rican folk dance group Tradición; Brazilian quartet Quatro na Bossa, Latina Drag Queens, Serenata Duo, Children's Musical Performances, Salsa Lessons, door prizes and more!

Enjoy authentic Hispanic music, food, interactive stations, dance lessons, drag show, children program and exhibitors. The Viva RVA! Hispanic Music Festival is FREE. Eventbrite ticket is required.

More information, follow us on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/VivaRVA

HIGHLIGHTS

11:30 a.m. Opening Ceremony

1:45 a.m. Quatro Na Bossa

12:15 p.m. Latino Entrepreneur Academy Presentation

12:30 p.m. Quatro Na Bossa

1:00 p.m. Tradición Dance Company and Salsa Lessons

1:40 p.m. Serenata

2:30 p.m. Tony Tunes - Children's Musical Program

3:00 p.m. Presentation of Commemorative El Abrazo

3:15 p.m. Kadencia4:00 p.m. Kendra Ferretti & Friends - Family-Friendly Latino Drag Show

4:30 p.m. Kadencia

5:15 p.m. Closing Remarks

GENERAL INFORMATION

RAIN DATE Viva RVA! will happen rain or shine! If there is rain forecasted on the day of the event, we will move the performance stage to the Event Hall that holds 500 people. Food trucks and vendors will remain outdoors.

FOOD & BEVERAGES Several local Hispanic Food trucks/vendors will be on-site with food and beverages for purchase. There will also be beer and wine available for purchase. You must be 21+ with a valid ID to purchase alcohol tickets. Wristbands for alcohol will be issued for all attendees 21+ that have a valid ID.NO

COOLERS ALLOWED Coolers with beverages/food from outside the festival are NOT permitted. Please come and enjoy the amazing Hispanic food and beverages from the festival. No alcoholic beverages of any kind may be brought to the event.

DOOR PRIZES All attendees are eligible for entry in the door prize drawings. Please pick up your Door Prize ticket at the Viva RVA! Welcome Table. Door Prizes will be announced during each of the breaks. You must be present to win a door prize.

WHAT NOT TO BRING• Coolers, large backpacks• Alcohol• Bottles/glass containers• Contraband (drugs and weapons)• Laser pointers• Bikes, skateboards, inline skates• Bikes may be parked outside the festival area• Flying objects (drones, kites, frisbees, footballs, etc.)

CASH & CREDIT CARDS Admission and parking to Viva RVA! Music Festival are FREE. Food, beverages, and vendor goods can be purchased with cash or if the vendor accepts debit/credit cards. There is an ATM inside Diveristy Richmond's Event Hall.

PARKING Parking is FREE. The festival will be outdoors in the Diversity Richmond parking lot. You can park in available spaces in the Diversity Richmond lot off of Cummings Drive, or you can park in the streets surrounding Diversity Richmond.

RESTROOMS Restrooms are available inside the Event Hall at the Diversity Richmond building.

PETS Pets are allowed in the outdoor areas only of the Music Festival. No pets will be allowed inside Diversity Richmond. Remember that restrooms and alcohol will be inside the Event Hall. Also, please be mindful of cleaning up after your pet.

SECURITY There will be on site security to support the festival activities.

SEATING Outdoor seating will be available near the food vendors. Indoor seating will be available in the Event Hall. Bring your lawn chairs and set up near the stage to enjoy the music and dancing performances.

LOST AND FOUND Viva RVA! is not responsible for lost or stolen items. However, any lost items can be requested at the Viva RVA! Welcome Table.

ACCESSIBILITY Viva RVA! is wheelchair accessible.Your Presence is Your Permission: Special photographers and videographers have been hired by festival organizers to document the event. Some images may be used in later promotional materials. Your presence at the event is seen as your permission for such promotional use by the non-profit organizers.

HMF 363

VA Pridefest returns to Brown's Island after three year hiatus!

VA Pridefest, presented by the Virginia Lottery, and one of the largest celebrations of the LGBTQ community in Virginia, will return to Brown’s Island from Noon-8:00 pm this Saturday, September 24 for what organizers expect to be the most well-attended event in its four-decade history. The free event will feature entertainment on two stages, 10 food trucks and more than 120 non-profit and merchandise vendors.

Headline entertainment on the Truist Main Stage includes the Queen of Bounce, Big Freedia, Leikeli47, a rap artist with ties to Virginia and Celebrity Drag Queen, Rosé from RuPaul’s Drag Race. The jam-packed line-up includes local bands and regional acts, DJs, drag performances and much, much more. The CarMax Youth Pride Pavilion will offer a full day of entertainment, activities and vendors for LGBTQ and allied youth and their families from a second stage.

“After three long and challenging years, we are so excited to be back on Brown’s Island for Pridefest,” said James Millner, Director of Virginia Pride. “Our team has been hard at work for months to plan and organize an event of which our community and this city can be proud and that truly celebrates diversity, inclusion and kindness.” VA Pridefest is supported by a record 35 corporate and business partners this year including the Virginia Lottery which signed on as the presenting sponsor in 2021. Other supporters include Tito’s Handmade Vodka and some of the Richmond region’s largest employers such as Capital One, Truist, CarMax, Bank of America, Altria and Amazon.

“There is simply no way we could do what we do were it not for the support of our corporate partners and those that work for them,” Millner explained. “They’re the reason Pridefest is free. And while we use Pridefest to thank our sponsors, the partnership we have with them endures 365 days a year and goes far beyond a financial donation. We are beyond grateful.”

What to Expect:

• VA Pridefest is one of the largest outdoor festivals in the Richmond region. It features local, regional and local entertainment acts on two stages, one of which is for youth and families.

• The event is free to attend with food, drinks (including alcohol for those 21 or over), and merchandise for purchase.

• The McShinn Foundation will host a safe, sober, alcohol-free lounge for those who are in recovery or that do not consume alcohol.

• ASL interpretation will be available on the Main Stage throughout the day.

• The event will begin at Noon, Saturday, September 24, and end promptly at 8:00 pm.

• Parking is a challenge, and we encourage attendees to rideshare or carpool, especially if you plan to consume alcohol.

• Attendees are allowed to bring two unopened bottles or one refillable container of water with them into the event. Bags are subject to search by security.

• More information is available at www.vapride.org or on VA Pride’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

VA Pride is a program of Diversity Richmond

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Diversity Richmond Names Lacette Cross Executive Director

VIVA RVA! Hispanic Music Festival October 1st

HIGHLIGHTS

GENERAL INFORMATION

VA Pridefest returns to Brown's Island after three year hiatus!

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