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SALAAM!
invites you to join us at

The Heritage of Pride Rally
Bryant Park (42nd Street and 6th Avenue)
Manhattan, NYC
Emcee: Suzanne Westenhoefer

Performers and Speakers:
Peter Paige
Alix Olson
Dyan McCray of the Mauntner Project
Dr. Carolyn Goodman
Circus Amok
Tom Ryan from FireFLAG
Francis Coppola fromGOAL
Greg Walloch
Dr. Karla Jay
Kate Rigg
Leslie Feinberg
NY Spirit Squad
Rene Risque and the Art Lovers
*V*I*R*G*O*
Rodrigo Bey
Robin Reneé
Gregory Huang-Cruz
Michelle Balan
Love, Janis
Faisal Alam from Al-Fatiha

How to Get to the Rally
Bryant Park is located at 6th avenue and 42nd street. To get there by subway, take the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, B, D, F, N or Q train to the 42nd Street station, or the 7 train to 5th Avenue stop. In addition, the M1-M7, M42, M104 and Q32 buses all stop at, or near, Bryant Park. For New York City transit information please call (718) 330-1234.

Easy Access
Once again this year, the entire Rally will be sign-language interpreted for individuals who are hearing impaired. Ramps allowing those in wheelchairs access are located mid-block on 40th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues. Part of the southwest corner of the lawn will be reserved for the disabled.

Somewhere That's Green
One month after the Stonewall Riots of June 27-29, 1969, about 500 people gathered for a "Gay Power" demonstration. That event, the very first New York City Pride Rally, took place in Washington Square Park and was followed by a candlelight vigil in Sheridan Square. In the three decades since, the Rally has known several different homes, including Union Square Park and various parts of Central Park. In 1997, we moved to the most beautiful and well-maintained outdoor venue in Manhattan - Bryant Park.

Nestled on 42nd Street and Avenue of the Americas in the valley between the New York Public Library and the skyscrapers of midtown, Bryant Park provides an oasis for city-weary New Yorkers looking for fresh air, green foliage and a little calm space in busy Manhattan. On the next to last Sunday in June, it provides the City's gay and lesbian community with a fabulous, easily accessible setting to kick off Pride Week.

On behalf of our community, Heritage of Pride extends our appreciation to the Bryant Park Restoration Corporation (BPRC). BPRC, led by Dan Biederman, was founded by the New York Public Library and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund in 1980. BPRC raised $16 million in private contributions and set up a business improvement district to reverse nearly 50 years of problems and deterioration in Bryant Park. The Park was returned to its former glory and, in 1988, BPRC was given a 15-year contract to manage it. Under BPRC's direction, Bryant Park has become not only the most beautiful of Manhattan's public spaces, but also the preferred outdoor site for the City's cultural events, including Fashion Week and the MTV Awards Ceremony Reception.

Located behind the Public Library, just a block from the Theatre District and the much-hyped, revitalized Times Square, Bryant Park offers our community not just beauty but also visibility as we celebrate our Pride. There's no place we'd rather call home.
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SALAAM! is a not-for-profit professional theatre company celebrating South Asian American artistic excellence through creative risk-taking and experimentation that challenges all boundaries, connects all peoples and links all the arts.

Geeta Citygirl, Artistic Director
Cristal Snow, Event Coordinator
SALAAM!  (South Asian League of Artists in AMerica)
http://www.SALAAMtheatre.org