2024 Era Finale: Celebrating Pride Month With Adrianna Boulin

[Music] hi y'all it's your girl Tena and it's y'all's boy Luchi what's it we're on another episode of pride in our health podcast yep it is our last episode of the season and to conclude this season um we have a special guest with us today um they go by the name of Adriana Bolan um they are the director of racial Equity social justice and Community engagement at Family Health we're super stoked to have them here today and we're going to be you know interviewing them a little later um and we're excited for that for sure yeah it's pride month in our name it's in the month we end in strong and colorful ain't that the truth as we should as we should um but starting off we got a few things to go through before we introduce Adriana it's your favorite segment on here the Fenway 411 where I give you all the tea I mean observancy days that's enough um so starting off strong with our observancy days um June 5th is HIV long-term survivors day um June 19th is June Luchi you want to tell us something about that you got it of course so juneth celebrated on June 19th marks the end of slavery in the United States the name combines June and 19th commemorating the Day in 1865 when Union general Gordon grer arrived in galon Texas to announce general order number three declaring all enslaved people free this announcement came over 2 years after the emanci Emancipation Proclamation due to the lack of Union troops in Texas to enforce it juneth has been celebrated since 186 6 starting with church gatherings in Texas and expanding to include cultural events educational activities and family gatherings Nationwide it honors African-American freedom and achievements in June 2021 juneth was recognized as a Federal holiday juneth National Independence Day highlighting its significance in American history and the ongoing Journey towards equality and justice also coming up is June 27th National HIV testing day National HIV testing day is observed annually on June 27th to encourage people to get tested for HIV know their status and seek prevention or Treatment Services established by the National Association of people with AIDS in 1995 this day aims to raise awareness about the importance of HIV testing and to reduce the stigma associated with the disease HIV also known as human immune deficiency virus remains a significant public health issue affecting millions of people worldwide in the United States thousands of new infections occur each year and and a substantial number of individuals are unaware of their HIV status early detection through testing is crucial as it allows individuals to begin anti-retroviral therapy also known as art sooner improving their health outcomes and reducing the risk of transmitting the virus by staying undetectable Oh you mean U equals U exactly so U equals U stands for undetectable equals untransmittable a groundbreaking Concept in HIV prevention and treatment this message conveys that people living with HIV who achieve and maintain an undetectable viral load also known as the amount of HIV in the blood through consistent anti-retroviral therapy also known as art cannot sexually transmit the virus to others this principle has been endorsed by numerous health organizations including the Centers for Disease Control and prevention CDC and the World Health Organization W and is supported by robust scientific evidence National HIV testing day is a critical observance that highlights the importance of HIV testing promotes awareness and education and connects people to vital care and Prevention Services by encouraging routine HIV testing and reducing stigma National National HIV testing day plays a significant role in the outgoing or ongoing efforts to end the HIV epidemic and improve the lives of those affected by the virus wow I can't I know you got some content coming up for that day so I can't wait to see can't yes we do yes we do stay in touch with some resources hey um going into observancy weeks we have June 10th to June 16th which is Men's Health week we have June 13th to 19th which is National nursing assistant week and we have June 17th to 21st which is healthc care risk management week um for the month we have PTSD Awareness Month um cataract awareness month and Alzheimer's and brain awareness month and for the big one that's it our name it's Prim woo so this June we come together to honor the resilience diversity and joy of the lgbtqia a plus Community it's a time to reflect on how far we've come recognize the work still that still needs to be done and celebrate the vibrant culture that brings our community um together and is so unique together we can make this year celebration brighter and more color ful than ever um fway Health actually uh walked in the pride parade no Boston Pride for the people uh I was a walking rainbow and I loved it hey she was um and our logo was the highlight for me it was all over posters it was everything shirts all our merch fans it was actually the theme of family health is um involvement in Boston Pride for the prade this year yeah you know pride in our health um pride in our health my health my voice yep Health Care is a right not a privilege hey okay if you saw us you saw us yep um so priv month is a time to express yourself um boldly and colorfully whether you're waving a rainbow flag wearing your favorite Pride gear or simply just being your authentic self remember that your presence and support um make a difference let's come together to celebrate love diversity and the progress we've made so we definitely did that and we have a whole bunch more of events um not us but like just the community in general so much literally I think there's almost an event definitely every weekend but almost every day right yeah I'm feeling it no it's it's a good time though it's a good time yeah you can see us like tabling at some of these events um if you want to know the 411 on the events I'm not about to go out and make a like say the whole list but she got a list trust she got a list there's a list she got a list there's a list I spent some hours trying to calibrate it together um so yeah if you're in mass and want to celebrate Pride take a look at Fenway Health's blog um we have uh Pride post um that has a list of all the events going or most of the events honestly I think almost all the events going on um across the state of Mass yeah across the state of Mass um nearby communities especially here in Fenway so get out there um have some fun with your community dress in rainbow like I did wave a flag get a button yeah do all the things um so yeah so for us getting into pride month with this podcast episode just like you said we have a special little guest we should do we should do oh for pride month we have a special um a guest that honestly represents Pride at least for me um very well um so I know you said a little bit about her but it's my turn now so Adriana's Divine mission is to help humans reach their full potential she loves creating spaces where communities can come together in authentic and uplifting ways that deepen our connection to ourselves to each other and promote healing Adriana is interested in understanding and addressing issues related to authenticity healing empathy racial Justice Health Equity and Community engagement talk to us a little bit more about her role here at fway Tanika sure so as a director of racial Equity social justice and Community engagement here at fway Health Adriana is responsible for leading and managing initiatives that address racial disparities and promote inclusiv inclusivity inclusivity um and equality she collaborates with internal and external Partners to develop and Implement programs policies and practices that Foster a culture of diversity and equity and is also responsible for engaging with community members organizations and leaders to build Partnerships and Divi and drive positive change wow she is impactful sure is here at fway Health um but also in the community yeah in addition to all what Tena just said Adriana is also the president of Boston Pride for the people yeah Luchi exact ly um Adriana is the president of Boston Pride for the people whose mission is to amplify the beauty um Rich diversity unique culture and interex intersectionality intersectionality thank you of the lgbtqia plus community Through engagement education Comm moderation and celebration as president ad Adriana collaborates with other boards and committee members to organize the annual pride parade and Festival in Boston and work to uplift the work happening across Boston in our lgbtqia plus communities led by other LG lgbtqi plus individuals groups and organizations here yeah I'm pretty sure she has more to say and more to add and I can't wait let's welcome Adriana Bowland hi adri hey hey sne oh it's great having you here welcome it's great to be here thanks for inviting me okay um we kind of already introduced you to the people yeah per se but do you want to do your own little introduction yeah I'll add to what you all have mentioned cuz I'm sure you all have shared a lot but hey y'all my name is Adriana Bolan you can say Ad Adriana Adriana I love hearing it said different ways just be respectful put some respect on it you know which is like whatever always most authentic for you I use pronouns like she and her and I'm the director of racial Equity social justice and Community engagement here at Fenway Health I'm also the president of boss and pride for the people um and we'll I'm sure I'll have an opportunity to share more about that later and I love creating spaces where people can see who they are and have the space to be who they are fully and authentically I love that thank you that's me through and through for sure okay so it is pride month we're on a pride podcast and so it's going to be all about Pride it I love it um so starting off with our ice breaker my pride colors so um the question for this ice breaker is what two Pride colors do you align with or embody the most and I could read off each color you want to go back and forth with the colors we could yeah yeah yeah you want me to start or you want to start I'm start with red I love red that's true that's true okay so red life red represents the vitality and life force of the lgbtqia a plus Community period next color is orange orange represents healing um symbolizing the healing power and efforts to overcome discrimination and adversity yellow yellow is sunlight it stands for the light and warmth that we bring into the world ooh next up green my favorite nature green highlights the connection to the natural world and the importance of environmental sustainability ooh blue Harmony blue signifies peace and Harmony within the community and with the world purple is Spirit purple represents the spirit of the lgbtqi plus Community embodying strength pride and a commitment to equality black and brown the black and brown stripe showcase the lgbtqia plus bipo community and people living with HIV then we got blue white and pink and the Flag represents trans people uh yellow and the purple circle we're using the what is it Progressive flag it is a progressive flag I think the circle is for non non-binary two spirited folks it says the intersex flag um uses yellow and purple to contrast with blue and pink and The Unbroken Circle represents being whole yeah deep wow I love all of those colors uh what's coming up for me most of them all are to the orange healing I'm wearing that color and uh yellow sunlight Sunshine healing because um healing is such a sacred practice for me there are like quite a few and one of them is healing it is such a mixed bag of feelings and comfort level and experience and the outcome is always so precious and special to me um when I see it in myself and other people so I love that and I just love seeing light in the world I love people finding their light I love shining mine I love recognizing others so those are two that I love that's amazing we all carry some light we do we do all right sweet so the first question for today is can you share very pivotal moment in your life that significantly shaped who you are today yeah there are moments and I can share more there is like a characteristic of this moment or a pattern of a moment that I see reoccurring in my life and every time it comes it does something else to my being um and what the moment is is this opportunity where I'm calling for change I'm saying like I need something that I'm not getting in this moment and I need this to change or maybe I haven't gotten to that point of knowing you but I just I need this and I am like externally asking for it and the world comes back and says like you are that um and so some examples of that is I remember I was in elementary school I went to a magnet school I grew up um when I was a younger person in Lynn Massachusetts and huge melting pot we went to this magnet school which is a school that um is designed to have a lot of different programmingsoftware and there were things that I was looking for that didn't exist and so I remember I got exposed to poetry I remember there was you remember those Scholastic Book Fairs oh yeah I'm just getting so excited thinking about it I wouldn't read half those pages but it just felt good to like walk in and okay so that was where I first first got exposed to poetry I saw a poetry book there and I was like poetry what's this oh these are put together really interesting and it I got so interested that I wanted to start a poetry club and so I approached my teacher and I was like it was third grade I was like hey can we start some kind of club we didn't have a club system at my elementary school there wasn't space set aside for that and she was like uh we don't have that but like how about you create that of hair this is what I need this is the change I'm looking for do you know they allowed us an hour out of class every two weeks for a Poetry Club there was never another group that was able to do that I don't know if they still have that there but that's just an example and another example in my trajectory I went to Stoten high school it's Southern mass and um I think it's evolving now but at the time like I was one of very few people of color and it felt like not it felt like I needed more resources than I had access to for a variety of reasons and I remember going to um the principal at the time and I was like Hey like we need something us students of color and these honors in AP classes like we need something and she's like what are you going to do about it I was like I was telling you to do something about it I got to do and like through different conversations and connecting with different students who are like yeah I actually want something similar we created a group that is still exists to this day which is beautiful um over 13 years old it's called fruition Scholars and it's focused on providing the resources and tools that high school students need to succeed that they might not have access to particularly students of college um two more examples I'll give and then I'll transition is um I remember um when I had there were two individuals that I lost in my life from um just couple weeks before undergraduate um graduation and um during a time where I was asking a lot of questions about myself and what I wanted and who I was and if I was happy I lost my brother right before for undergrad graduation and my grandfather um at the end of 2018 and seeing how short life to me seeing how short life was even though people may say like you know older individual like a grandfather has lived life but just seeing life not be on earth anymore I was like oh wait a minute um if I'm feeling like I'm not being my full authentic self I need to like do that now so before it was the world kind of saying like hey um what are you going to do and now it was kind of internally within me saying this is what I need this is what needs to change and what am I going to do about it um and that was what and I started um so my grandfather actually um passed away in 2017 and I went through this year I had moved to Jamaica prior to take care of him my grandfather and then just um support through different family things and in that year of 2018 I was asking myself this question like what's changing what am I going to do about it and I remember I started working at Fenway January 2019 and that start at Fenway it just seemed like so many different things were changing I changed the Romantic relationship I was in I better understood myself my sexual orientation the work I wanted to do at Fenway I was surrounded by people that were already Mission driven so it was like Wow and then last where I'll land is with bosson pride for the people and organizing the pride parade and Festival um our community our city was calling for a change we needed to feel respected like there was a place a place that was listening that was creating spaces for more dialogue to happen and I was a part of those spaces I was a part of calling for change and I remember when we moved to realizing change wasn't going to come and it would be have to something that was built there a lot of individuals in the community that were like hey girl I think you should be a part of this and I was just like I'm just part of the Coalition like I'm down with y'all there were so many people that like no like the skills that we need in an individual in this space like you got it girl like do it right now and that helped support me to uh be involved in boss and pride for the people in the way that I was so bringing it back to your original question of the a moment it's it's a moment that I've seen reoccurring in my life and now that I'm talking about I'm like is there another one coming up um yeah it's it's seeing that pattern it comes up and whenever I see it I'm like oh I'm being called to be the change that's powerful we need that frame to put in every bedroom every office everything wow that's powerful right there H and I know I was going to ask you something but then I realized I know I started so deep like no you good no we're going to continue in that deep train that's what we do around here um if you want to go ask a I was going to ask the same question but then I was like we already have it listed wow I know I was I was listening to Adriana speak and I was like what inspires you Adriana no I I want that on a shirt yeah being called to what did you say being called to create change yeah being the change W I don't remember what I said but it could be all of those things something would change yeah something would change change yeah yeah that's your calling being the change you want to see who said that Obama I think so who know yeah probably hon right right right I mean it could be first you know people always come out with the remix and then it's really rig so we going to work it out we'll drop that in the link or something hey can I ask something real quick yeah um something you've shared in the past um about we're talking about quotes and there's a quote that you've mentioned in the past yeah I am because we are yeah can you speak a little bit onto that yeah oh thank you for asking about that so so the the phrase is I am because you are and the Swahili what it is in Swahili is umuntu and I was first exposed to it I went to Emanual College you know you know manual College represent and there is a program that we that they have there where we had the opportunity to go to South Africa in etini and I remember it's very clear inequities in our systems here in the US like we see it somehow I didn't get it get it until I saw it in a place where you can't miss it and the communities and um Villages that we visited like there were examples where I can clearly see like there is a stark difference in what people have access to here depending on who they are who their family is what they have access to and the United States um and yet there is this Joy there was this resilience this feeling of community and like we would debrief together at the end of the night like how are they so happy like they we are seeing conditions that would not have us at our best self and somehow these individuals are smiling ready to show us where they live what their life is like and they are proud of it this is what they' have created and so when we got hip to the term umuntu I am because you are we saw where people's Joy is coming from like they are seeing themselves and the people around them and they're seeing that our freedoms are all bound up with each other if Freedom me it for for one of us to be free all of us need to be free and we need to be asking ourselves like what does the other person need there the community aspect where we visited were was so strong because you know everyone is putting together their resources is identifying what their priorities are and are working together to achieve them and so umuntu is that it's seeing yourself in the world seeing how you doing well and somebody you doing well is aligned with someone else doing well and vice versa yeah and that's the work we're doing it is that's the work we're doing it is truly is hey period I just learned something um I mean that's might go into the next question but who or what inspires you the most and how does that inspiration influence your daily life and decisions I love that so I love that you asked about umuntu because my response to this question is like really seeing people outside of me be human and to break it down a little bit more um I think this for a variety of reasons but growing up I just felt such pressure from so many different places to be perfect and to present as this human that was super and I think I'm super honey but like just I felt this pressure from the world from being like first generation American first generation like college like checkbox checkbox I just felt the pressure to succeed there was no difference and so seeing people outside of me especially vulnerability maybe I should be specific seeing humans be vulnerable is very inspiring I feel when I can be my authentic self I feel most comfortable that's when I'm most motivated and inspired it's when I'm most productive and can get my work done so when I see that outside of me like not that everyone should go around crying but when I see people cry and like it's a just taking space to have an emotion or a feeling when I see people laughing like just people outside of norm and structures it's inspiring it's like yes expression like I'm thinking I do it a lot when I'm um when I'm out um like I people watch but like not in a creepy way unless there isn't a creepy way then I guess I am but like I I just love taking in humans and like when I see somebody with a bad outfit on especially when it breaks the binary what somebody might expect an individual where that lights me up so seeing unique authentic expression in humans outside of me is inspiring it reminds me like yeah girl like be who you are outside of what Society is telling you are he another quote than you another Adriana quot we have a whole list by the time we end up I love that H that's beautiful thank you all righty so what are some of your biggest dreams or goals that you still hope to achieve and what steps are you taking to make them real reality ooh thanks for asking this question I've been growing everybody Grows Right um one of the things that I've been working what one of the things I've noticed I've grown in is [Music] um seeing and holding space for where people are in their journey and to say more I'm going to speak specifically about like racial equity and so social justice racism exists period racism is a system of advantage and disadvantage based on race racial Equity is the act of no difference based on race so you have there's no influence or positive impact or negative based on your race that is racial equity and that's racism and I name that because those systems exist in the world around us and as a human being that is doing that work and supporting others in that work something that was really hard for me was everybody not being in the same place um of understanding and I'm laughing now cuz like it seems I feel like I'm so understanding of that now it's like wow I but it was hard for me and it makes sense like as someone who um has a lot of we're all we all have intersecting identities all humans do as someone who has identities that are marginalized I feel it how come you can't see it like hello um and so it was hard for me to be in space with individuals on different Journeys because I would just feel like I get it it's clear like read it right here this is all we have to do and like we can be anti-racist and that's not how it is like we've all grown up so different and come from different identities and experiences um and it just it it's not as easy especially if you haven't lived it and I was speaking on a panel yesterday and I was given I gave an example that I'll also give here about what it's like to adjust to something that you haven't lived have any of you driven in a country where you're driving on the other side of the road than you do in the United States no so um I'm Jamaican and in Jamaica so in the US we're on the right side of the road you'll notice in Jamaica and other countries colonized by the British you're actually driving on the left gotcha and it is so mindboggling especially if like for decades you've only driven on this side of the road you have to consciously know when you turn you have to go on this side of road and it's like hard to adjust and I I Akin that to someone who has to reframe their mind on what exists and is around them and so going back to your question of like what I see myself doing and how I see myself getting there I love that I've gotten to this place where I can share space and be understanding for someone who is in a different place in their Journey recently I've been in spaces so I said recently I've been in spaces prior to recently my universe has been people that get it racism exists it shows up in our systems our policies the way we do things we have to actively disrupt and it's not just racist M there are so many isms and other systems of Oppression that we can disrupt so that things are different for people um I've just realized that I want to be in spaces with people on other Journeys it can feel I do think there's some stigma I don't know if that's the word I want to use but I think there's stigma associated with not getting it so like if someone isn't on a specific level in their understanding of anti-racism or homophobia or transphobia or ad phobia ISM here like people are really shamed for that cuz it's like um it can be seen as someone intentionally choosing to not understand and discriminate against someone but there are individuals who genuinely don't have the knowledge yeah to understand in capacity and I used to not have this space to hold space with individual and now I do and I see that the way that we can all move forward is if there is someone there is some space and it's not my job so I just want to put that out there especially as a black queer woman um in all my identities like it is not for me to do but it's something that I found I like doing I like going back to my mission of creating spaces where we can see and be ourselves I like creating spaces where people can see their privilege and their power in the context of the world and what it means for are people who don't have that and so what I want to do is continue to cultivate those spaces of learning of affinity with people who are trying to learn what it means to disrupt oppressive systems it's a slow process it's different from we've grown up learning but it's important work and it's also burdensome work and the reason why I say I want to do it is because it can be really hard to both be the community that is being oppressed and be of that community and holding space with and for people on another Journey it's it's tough um and who knows I may not always be able to hold that space and I think Honesty is really important in this work too but that's what I'm passionate about I'm like okay everybody's on their their own individual Journey I'm open and um want to be that space that space that people feel they can be brave in I love that thank you thank you so much H um okay well going into into your other position um being the president of Boston Pride for the people yeah yeah um can you explain a bit more about Boston Pride for the people and maybe a bit about the history or yeah so I was saying earlier um about this pattern that I get into where something I need something needs to change and as I mentioned the city our our state was really calling for change there were people in our lgbtq Plus community that didn't feel seen didn't feel like they were being heard at the table valued and there were calls and advocate advocating for like what it looked like for that to change and um instead of the change coming there was really a dissolution and an opportunity for new leaders to come in in coalition to create a pride organization that was more inclusive and more responsive and aware of what the community needed um and so over I would say a two-year span there were continue to be a series of Coalition meetings many lgbtq groups and leaders were a part of that and it was us coming together and really talking and thinking about what does this look like like how is it designed who leads this how do we pay for this like a lot of like I know I just named a couple things but there were critical conversations that spanned over like over a year um and there was a smaller scale PR event that some of our or some of our Coalition members held in um June of 2022 and I remember after that event um I had the opportunity to speak there and I remember after the event I got in a circle with some of the Coalition members and they were like Adriana do you really want to do this this was like parade and festival and you know it we were there it felt very Grassroots we had didn't have a parade in 2022 it was just speaking program and yard games for young people it just felt great and I was like yes like I want all of this I did not know what I was signing up for um it it was so much I learned so much um and we started Boston Pride for the people in September 2022 our Coalition efforts prior to that was Pride for the people and then when we became an organization and decided we were actually going to do this became boss and pride for the people and our mission is to amplify the beauty Rich diversity and unique culture of the lgbtq plus community Through commemoration education empowerment and celebration um and in thinking about commemoration we are commemorating you know Mara P Johnson and all the individuals that came before us that risked their lives for us to March down this street I had one of my friends here from another country um from Kenya and she was just like girl we are far away from being able to do this and just being able to see how you all are able to freely be in community and be yourselves is beautiful but there are people who risk their lives so that we can honor and observe pride in the way that we do today so that is a really important element in for us and our Focus as an organization is to plan the yearly pride parade and Festival because honestly our city got it going on there's so many amazing leaders organizers and groups that have things going on 365 and we want to amplify going back to the Miss we want to amplify those things and um keep our focus on this yearly event and this was our second year doing it um and it was fantastic it really it like there's always so much involved and so many feelings so much to learn um and just so much growth we've had we increased so much the number of people who both March in the parade with us and who also is at the festival we just are expanding and I see that continuing to happen in knowledge in footprint in community and it's a beautiful process yeah both tin and I were out there Boston pray for the people I've never dressed in so much rainbow in my life it was amazing I love it I love oh something something that stuck out to me is you mentioning your friend from Kenya came here and was shocked of like the beauty of Pride and how far Kenya has to still go but you don't have to go that far to you know go look at other states and there's so much going on with legisl legislation drag you know trans people like Etc so having pride is so important it is you know and I'm sure you have thousands of people that come to Boston Pride from other states as well because they can't have a pride in their state it's so have an event like this you know I'm thinking about something you said um I remember last year at the ribbon cutting so the beginning of the parade um this person approached me his name's Paul shout out to Paul and I'm trying to remember where Paul is from I think somewhere in the South sorry if I messed this up but just somewhere that is not Massachusetts that is not as affirming out and I remember Paul came up to me literally we're about to cut the ribbon made Paul Paul made the way up to the ribbon was like this is my first Pride I came all the way out here for this and I just I just want to say hello thank you for planning this with all the other people and we embraced it was beautiful and then Paul came to the ribbon cutting again this year we took a so it might be a yearly thing but yeah you're right just we can look in our backyard and like even to take it further like there are households there are whole communities towns in Massachusetts that are not Boston so there's still so much work to be done there's progress that have been made you know this past may we saw 20 years of marriage equality for samesex marriage it's been 57 years it's crazy that it's just been 57 years but 57 years of interracial marriage there's been progress and there's still so much more progress to be had absolutely absolutely sweet so continuing on with Boston Pride for the people yeah um every year there's a theme and this year's theme is still here In Living Color yeah can you share us a little bit about how y'all got to that theme and what that theme means yeah I yeah I am in love with our theme um I'm smiling because I'm remembering the space that we were sharing when we were brainstorming and um it's just so great to be in community um so I remember we were talking about the legislation Nationwide what that looks like for us locally what that means what that doesn't mean and we were also like talking about our resilience as a community like we have been through all of this and still We rise still we stand and like look at us doing it effort effortlessly in our Living Color um and so it was literally just us talking about we were just sitting down like talking I remember it was an in-person Retreat that we had and we were like y'all what are we doing this year like we are still here here as an lgbtq plus Community as individuals our entire team is 100% volunteer LED and run all of us um are a part of different many lgbtq plus organizations working full-time so like on top of as a LGBT community as a organizing committee we are still here um with the help of so many dedicated volunteers and doing it in just our unique expression right I love that I love that it's a them it's a beautiful theme thank you wait can you take us to that space for a second that when you were like deciding the name yeah I'm there oh oh I thought we were going to do a guided meditation you tell me about this space I was yeah so we were at the Multicultural AIDS Coalition the mac and the Multicultural AIDS Coalition is our fiscal sponsor and so we were sitting down there having our inperson Retreat making all these decisions and like also taking each other in in person we do a lot of our meetings virtually so it just felt good to just stretch and they were there and see people and so that having that it's so interesting cuz like it had been a conversation that we were putting off and somehow it came up when we were in person and I think that was the missing element we needed to be in community with each other to really feel like what is this year like there's the legisl there's what we're experiencing right now there experiences that segments of our community experience every day like what encompasses that and it was each of us sharing like what our experience and expression was and it was the thread that went through all of the things that we shared that landed Us in The Still Here In Living Color Wow period yeah still here ain't going nowhere going nowhere absolutely not what have been some of the biggest challenges you faced as the president of Boston Pride for the people and what are some of the most rewarding moments you've experienced in your role ooh um so the biggest challenge I will also say is the biggest gift so I am I guess I can't even claim it anymore I mean I guess I still am but I'm really independent like I will pick up 20 bags of grocery bags before I call anybody like there will be like five people inside and I'm bringing these inside myself and you know I think that's a variety of things that has made me me but all that to say like I sit I sat very comfortably in doing my own thing and following my own tune and being president of Boston Pride for the people I have never been in such a diverse group of M like not only like so 80% of our board is bipac um and like Beyond there's our our racial and cultural identities but just the way we receive information the way we share information the way we process it our approach to doing things what efficient me there was so much diversity and it was overwhelming because we were building an organization that was trans trans arent that had shared decisionmaking clear agreements we were we our aim was to build what didn't exist and that meant talking about everything that meant everyone being involved and I was really uncomfortable I was like um I could type this up real quick and we could be done with it like that was where I was at and so I was taken out of my comfort zone because I both knew that was how I operated and also knew we were build bu different and I needed to be on the different train or I needed to hop off and I wanted to be on this train so that was uncomfortable cuz that just wasn't how I operated and I just saw how the beauty of diversity and different people at the table it added to the richness of what we were doing like time and time again I would come out of a meet and like wow I'm so glad that was a conversation and not a FYI email like wow like just that was a challenge and a gift like it I've like I would say I've always been a team player but also very willing to pick up everything and do it like without an issue but this like I go out of my way now both in work in life to make sure that there are a lot of voices like I actually see the value and there being diverse voices and perspectives at the table I'm also learning discernment like where is the line so I think that's the season that I'm in now and I think more opportunities will come where I can learn that so that is the challenge and both the gift and what was the second half of the question uh reward reward oh oh my gosh rewarding woman oh okay okay so that's most remor so that's one like recognizing that as a gift um and two just when you ask this popped up um and I think this this recreates itself but I'm thinking of one video from last year and it represents what I love seeing rewarding moments it was this young person from the boys and girls club and it was like a clip from one of our Media Partners and they were like this is my first pride and I'm so excited and I can just be gay and like be myself and I'm here with my girlfriend and oh my gosh I just oh the joy and just recreated I saw that all last year this year I had people hit me up just like this was awesome you know as an organizer you're always thinking about what was planned what didn't go as planned what and so like you're swirling on all these ideas but just the feedback like either after or just in the real time just hey girl this is awesome just seeing Joy like that is we want joy queer Joy you know it's not what we get to see every day in the world and I think we changing it one day at a time though but like seeing that is so rewarding like I I I I I participate in this work cuz it's part of my mission it's what I love to do like we are actively creating a space for all these humans to be and see themselves so it's directly related to my mission and that's what I get but just the joy just is the icing on the cake the cherry on top hey thanks so looking ahead um what are some of the key goals and projects Boston Pride for the people is focusing on to continue advocating for lgbtq plus rights and visibility boss and pride for the people is moving forward now with becoming an official 501c3 organization I told you before we have um the Multicultural AIDS Coalition who's our fiscal sponsor strong partner and we really want to focus on sustainability like what does it mean to create an organization that people can see themselves in that can be responsive to the needs and like we want to set our community up well well like we are the ones now we are not the ones forever and so we want to make sure that we can ensure that so I we really want to focus on sustainability what does it mean to put in Roots and also like what does it mean to mentor and like also stay engage like our community our young people so they can see themselves and being leaders in an organization like this that's brilliant and speaking about our young people I was over there at the parade and I think another aspect that's very important is just the amount of not aspect more so what I saw at the parade was like so much respect um we were at the booth at the family health booth and there were these kids who were talking to each other and introducing themselves and they said hi my name is this person and then my pronouns are she her I heard that I was like what like that's that was so beautiful to here um I don't know why I'm going with that but I guess I was just trying to say I love the respect that also comes out of having a space like Pride yeah I don't know can I add another experience similar to that so we had a fundraiser like a family fun fundraiser for Youth and families and I was sitting down just taking in the light taking in the joy around me um and a young person came up to me like I'm because I'm just like I can be extroverted but somehow I feel like in this situation as a young person I'd be introverted so I was just shocked someone came up to me hi hi they said their name and I was like nice to meet you my name's Adrian they were like nice to meet you my pronouns are she or her what's your pronounce wow and I said it and they were like I'm bisexual that's why I'm here I want to be among people like me that's and then said I'm 11 and and they were actually their parents were there like waving like my parents told me to come say get to know you and so I'm sharing that after hearing yours and I don't know if it's along the same lines but I'm just like okay empowered human like confidence Empower yeah tell me who you are stand in it find Community like it's so beautiful to see because yeah I didn't see that growing up and I wasn't that growing up and so I don't know if that aligns with what you were thinking 100% And that's our future right there that's the Next Generation it is they know themselves right it's beautiful to them it's just going to be like common knowledge after all the struggle of like getting there lit legit it's going from people who are like what do you mean pronouns to be like these are my pronouns okay it's all about respect I was just going to say bring on some um but yeah ah going into um Fenway Health um ideally ideally um specifically the racial Equity action plan what is the Fenway Health racial Equity action plan wow yeah so I'm so proud of our plan I'm so proud it's something that we have prioritized that signifies an acknowledgement that acknowledgement I mentioned before of racism a system of advantage and disadvantage existing and what that means for the institutions and systems and structures and so taking it back to 2020 before 20 20 um at Fenway Health we had an employee Resource Group called the racial Justice and Equity collaborative and that that group did so many different things one of which was to really one acknowledge that racism exists and it impacts everything we do the way that we interact with each other the way that we do work and to call for change like what can we do within Fenway for this change to happen so that work had been happening within the employee Resource Group since it started I think it started in 2007 or 2 in the mid to like 2005 or later apologize y'all but that was an effort that started and had been going and then in 2020 we watched George Floyd get like brutally murdered on live TV and that moment the the awareness that I talked about on people's Journeys like they don't get it a lot of people got it after seeing that a lot of people um in our country in our state and at Fenway Health and it was that moment paired with the work that the racial Justice and Equity collaborative had been doing that really called for the creation of a pathway to anti-racism an ongoing pathway and that came in the form of a five-year plan which was our racial Equity action plan and it was really thinking about how at every level and facet of our organization could we move towards being an anti-racist organization how we can actively identify inequities and disrupt systems of Oppression so that there can be a space of equity where people can get access equal access to Opportunities and what they need and so um in the fall of that year we came together with staff community Partners board members to really think about what it meant to create a plan like this and to author it and to inform the different sections and um we are now entering um our second to last year of the plan and it really allows us to look from the board level to managers and supervisors to who we engage in the community to how we spend our money to how we support our employees it's really looking at all different different aspects and has um different quarterly goals to um hit that help us get to a place of anti-racism and it's malleable too like we are a changing World a changing organization society and so we've seen um a lot of things like we started that during covid um when a lot was happening so the context of our world and organization has changed so much and so has a plan so it's really been a map I'm thinking of map question y'all remember Map Quest like it has really been a map for us to get to it's not a destination but just to move towards anti-racism I think it's it's a big system racism and so it will take a lot of disruption to get to a place where we aren't being influenced by race and the opportunities that we achieve and that plan allows for us to move towards it I love it and I think that's a great segue to our next question you to or thatth Star what does that look like yeah I love that I do think it it definitely is a North star that you keep getting close to and it keeps backing up but a place where we have equal access to everything we need there are no barriers there are no barriers it's a place where people are aware of their unconscious biases unconscious bias um is something that allows us to based on what we know based on the experiences we've had to make decisions to protect us to survive like it is limit there are limitations though it's a great tool like when you think about it I always think back like you know unconscious bias tells me like okay not to touch a stove like my mom might have been like don't touch the stove don't touch the stove but like I I got touched now it's hot and I remember to not do it so like it unconscious biases for survival and there are limitations and so it's really important um and it's something that we also highlight in the plan as well to be mindful of our biases and what we can do about them so I also see a future of people like um and I'm I'm thinking like it's something we practice in our work too Luchi and I even today like we're like oh that's my bias like can you believe that at the White House like I would love like House of Representatives like someone is talking and they're just like H actually I think that's my bias yeah that would be amazing to me that's what I want us to get to absolutely absolutely okay our last question our signature question here on pride in our health is what does pride mean to you o I love this I I've been saying that for everything just because I've really appreciated everything you all have asked Pride to me is enoughness it is yeah it is enoughness it is feeling enough knowing you're enough and the world showing you that your vision your expression is like belongs in this world and has a space in this world and to be valued that is pride for me it's knowing that and being able to feel that in the spaces that you exist and occupy in I love that thank you that's amazing I think that's a wrap yeah thank you thank you thank you is there anything else you want to say to the people before you yeah anything else want to say to happy Pride I love it that's perfect sweet awesome thank you for joining us thank you all once again that was Adriana Bolan the racial Equity social justice and community engagement director here at fway Health yes man how' you feel about it it was it was good I always have such a good energy anytime around her um uh it was nice getting to like know her more too yeah I mean y'all had that um that link about magnet schools yeah I did not to disass but I I don't know why I only thought it was like a Florida thing yeah yeah um but I guess it's maybe just a us um but yeah it's very rare to meet magnet students especially like creative magnet students yeah um anytime I hear like oh some schools had a magnet program or had some type of career Le program it's usually in the realm of stem and learning and not learning and nursing right so it was cool hearing like the creative part um let take away a takeway I got um from her or two things I definitely see the repetitive role has come up in her life of where she want something and then people are like okay what are you going to do about it um I don't know it's kind of I I could see that as motivating but I guess like I'm s her perspective like if I was getting that all the time I feel like I'd be so tired but her perspective is so energetic and it's like okay then I'm going to do it it's like such a go-getter attitude um that I appreciate I don't think everyone's like like that yeah I I feel similarly I see what you're saying I I see Adriana as someone who's yes very energetic but at the same time so calming it's it's weird for me to even say energetic and calming in the same breath or sentence um but that's what Adriana gives um I think my biggest takeaway um from this interview was just how grounded Adriana is as a person okay and my other point is when I first came here and I was like emailing her I noticed first thing I noticed was she would always sign off in community and Adriana and I was like I've never seen someone in my life sign off like that um but now like hearing more behind it like I'm pretty sure she probably said in community like so many times um I feel like that's just one of her statements that's that that's just her brand which I really appreciate and it reflects so much of what she's trying to create and what she represents um as well so it was very insightful you know for me seeing the background between I mean the background for her email sign off and you just speaking about her email signature just speaks to who Adriana is if you weren't able to get to know who Adriana is by just this interview you will notice that everything about her is community she centers community in everything she is and everything she does and it just goes back to um the phrase that she brought up Ubuntu which is I am because you are that's something that sticks to me so much because that is essentially our work well one one you know we are all interned interconnected as humans we really are once we figure that out and recognize that I feel like the world is going could be a way better place um and we're getting there but there's still some a lot of work to be done a lot of work to be done yeah to say the least um but another part of that is thinking about that phrase and thinking about the work we do the work of Public Health public health is inherently collaborative or at least it's supposed to be collaborative yeah it takes a village it's not just you and you doing you and that's it it's you working with others making sure that we are you know working off each other's strengths you know and working as a cohesive unit to achieve the goal that we have in mind that's Public Health that's the work we do and this is why Adriana is so good at what she does is because she centers community that is the key thing for any public health practitioner or whomever in whatever you know in any position in the health sector that is key and I think her understanding that and her living that just goes to show what an amazing person Adriana is and her work ethic her everything yeah her everything overall um so I think that would be my biggest takeaway from this interview for sure one of many yeah there are definitely many and I feel like a lot of the a lot of the things that she said um I could also personally reflect with reflect with relate to reson with I could I think it was really to um apart from the magnet school aart from the magnet school um I mean I'm also first generation I'm also from I Jamaican Heritage where I was born there um I never lived there I thought that was interesting I low key want to dive a little bit more in there but I talk to her off camera um so I don't know I feel like she brings like so much um to everything that she does and ex and she also brings her authentic self to everything that she does which I I think is a great thing to for everyone to do it just makes your work better and make you you know better she truly is the embodiment of Pride m and I don't think there was a better way to end this season than by having someone like Adriana Bolan as our last interview we interview we interview we I was about to say interview were I don't know y about catch that but I caugh myself before y'all can catch that um but truly truly speaking um this is what this podcast is all about it's literally called pride in our health you know and we always ask that signature question at the end of every interview well just Pride me to you and yes she answered at the end but I felt like she answered that question throughout this whole entire interview yeah for sure truly you know so I couldn't have thought of a better person to have as our last interview again I was going to do it again interview [Music] we um for the end of the season oh my gosh I can't believe we finished a whole season of pride in our heal the 2024 era hey 2024 era it's yeah it's been an amazing season it's been short like you said but we've had so many great guests you know we start off our first episode with Kelvin Powell uh and then we had two episodes for Trans day of visibility Steph and Matt and we finished it off with Adriana Bolan you know what a better guest than Adrian Bolan to finish us off honestly you know what I mean it's it's been an amazing amazing experience and I couldn't think of anybody else to do it with then with you miss Tena McKenzie a Luchi and there's no a in there what in Mackenzie oh I was say there's no a in McKenzie and there's a capital K get it right I can't believe it was it's been my first season and out it's my last I'm sad I'm going to miss bantering with you I miss bantering with you damn cue the what you call it music yeah cue the sad music cu the raindrops cute at all um yeah it's going to be different it's going to be different it's going to be different um but although you won't be here with us for the next few seasons you always be out here you've left your footprint your print your pink print hey Nicki Minaj reference oh really yeah I'm not um yeah you definitely left your print and you know we wouldn't be here today if it weren't for you miss Taneka McKenzie you always and forever will be a part of Pride and our health and a part of family health always remember that you don't make me cry mess up my makeup no don't make it up don't mess it up don't mess it up um but I want to do something real quick okay um as many of you know at the end of each interview we ask our guests what does pride mean to you that question right there is the Cornerstone of what pride in our health is and so I would like to turn the tables and ask you o what does pride mean to you um okay I think from being here um at Fenway Health walking in the pride parade yes we did um that what Pride means to me is having love for oneself um I think it's important to not only be yourself but love the person you are or are becoming or want to become um and I feel like anytime I see people be just like ad said they true authentic selves or be vulnerable or just have the courage to be a human I think that's just having Pride so yeah that's beautiful I hope that actually answers the question it does it does there's no special way in answering it um yeah pride is it's it's really interesting answering or even thinking about that question being in the middle of pride pride month you know what I mean and pride is for everyone the message of pride is for everyone yeah you know what I mean like you said to love oneself as they are um to love themsel as they are now to love thems love who they were and love who they're becoming exactly exactly you really hit a point in your life when you really realize you know what I mean like we go through so many chap if we're lucky MH we go through so many chapters of life um and how amazing is that to look back and love each and every chapter of who you were who you are and like you said who you're becoming there's so much power in that so much power and I think that's the essence of Pride have love for yourself have pride in your health yes um and happy pride month and happy pride month it was great being all's co-hosts hey peace out y'all bye [Music]