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"Organizers of the DTPOCPVD came together in 2019 to plan and carry out the city's first Pride march organized for and by queer and trans folx of color. Though each of the organizers comes to the table with unique lived experience, we all believe it is critical to hold space for our community, particularly during Pride month. We know that mainstream Pride celebrations have historically excluded the contributions, experiences, and visibility of queer communities of color." – SISTA Fire zine on the history of the DTPOCPVD Pride march
"The original march took place in 2019...[the original organizers] started it basically to really uplift space for women of color, trans folks of color, nonbinary folks of color – folks who haven't seen themselves really represented within the traditional Pride spaces in Rhode Island or really across the country." – Justice Gaines, SISTA Fire organizer and educator
Organizations involved in organizing and supporting the 5th annual Providence DTPOC march in 2024 included SISTA Fire, Providence Youth Student Movement, Black & Pink, and Project Weber Renew. This year, the theme was "lineages of solidarity."
"For us that really means thinking about the lineage of queer and trans people. We always have to find each other. We always have to build our own chosen family, our own community, when a lot of the systems in this state don't take care of us and sometimes our own family members don't take care of us. We've often stood on the frontlines of various battles and various movements around women's rights, black power, international movements – we stand with Haiti, with Palestine, with Congo, with Sudan." – Justice Gaines
