River Forest’s District 90 school community celebrated and showed its colorful pride during this year’s inclusion walk.
The D90 PTO Pride and Inclusion Walk was held on Monday, June 3 outside the River Forest Village Hall and included a walk around the block, ending at Lincoln Elementary School.
This year marked the event’s third anniversary.
John Becvar, River Forest Township supervisor, said the event has been steadily growing since its inception, continuing to foster community support and bring people together.
“We have been very fortunate to live here,” Becvar said. “There are tons of anti-LGBTQ+ legislations across the country. It is so great to see families, all different ages, coming out today and recognizing the inclusion and pride in River Forest.”
Participants gathered in front of village hall to hear opening remarks from Lincoln Elementary School Principal Casey Godfrey, River Forest Village Trustee Erika Bachner, and Becvar, before the ceremonial flag raising, done to an enthusiastic countdown from the crowd, before heading off for a walk around the block.
“What it means to me is that I am so proud of this community and that this school district embraces everyone,” Godfrey said. “The efforts that we put towards inclusivity and equity; I think I am proud of that. The work this district is committed to. That all kids feel welcomed in the district.”
Now, more so than ever, these types of events are important, said Godfrey.
According to CNN, there were a “record number” of anti-LGBTQ bills introduced across the country in 2023, 510, almost triple the number of bills introduced in 2022.
The ACLU is currently tracking 6 anti-LGBTQ bills in Illinois.
“There are so many in society that are being marginalized now,” he said. “To me, this isn’t a political event. To me, this is about embracing humanity and who we are as a collective community. To me this isn’t a political issue. It’s just about celebrating every kid that comes into our school and every person that is in our community.”
The walk around the block is about being visible, said Megan Keskitalo, volunteer organizer with D90’s Lincoln PTO Belongingness and Inclusion Committee.
“This is an identity that isn’t necessarily one that is always front and center in our community, so we make sure that this is an opportunity to create the visibility that the community needs and show the support,” Keskitalo said.
Raising the flag is also very important, said Bachner, who identifies as part of the LGBTQ+ community.
“For so many, their identities are not recognized by a whole lot of people, there is a lot of hate, and we see that today especially across the country,” she said. “Hundreds of bills being passed. People feel like their identity is not valid. This is one way we can show people that we support you, we are proud of you, and we celebrate you.”
That welcoming message has extended into the hallways of D90 schools, with students embracing each other’s diversity and finding different ways to support each other, said Keskitalo.
“It teaches them to respect differences that exist amongst themselves and how to communicate about it,” she said.
Monika Block, a resident, said she was excited to show her support for everyone who was part of the event.
“Together we are stronger and when you start to exclude people you miss out on a lot,” Block said.
Cynthia Browne, a teacher at Lincoln, said she was proud to be a part of a school district and community that is welcoming.
“I couldn’t imagine being in any other place that is welcoming with open arms no matter who you are, what you are, what you think, what you feel, how you feel inside and out, you are welcome, and we are happy to have them,” Browne said.
And according to Keskitalo, that reputation has reached beyond Chicagoland.
“When we have our schools being so welcoming and our families being so welcoming, other people come here because it is so welcoming,” Keskitalo said. “I know of families that are moving from states that are less accommodating to River Forest because we have the climate that we have here.”
Becvar, an openly gay government official, also serves on the board of the Oak Park Area Lesbian and Gay Association+, which served as one of the sponsors of the event. He said the support feels incredible.
Growing up, he said he did not know this type of support existed.
“It would be mind-blowing as a young kid to know that 40 years later that I would see a school district and teachers embracing letting people be who they are,” he said.
“Every child deserves to feel safe, welcome and included in their school and feel like school is a place that they belong. Every parent in our community also deserves to feel that way,” Keskitalo said. “We thought it would be really important, just like we acknowledge other heritage and awareness months, that we acknowledge Pride month and the diversity that we have in our community.”
