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At this weekend’s sixth annual West St. Paul Pride, former Council Member Julie Eastman was recognized with the Community Advocate Award for supporting efforts to fly the Pride flag at city hall.
“I am so proud of the work that our city has done to support the LGBTQ+ community,” said Eastman. “I’m very encouraged by the engagement that our West St. Paul neighbors show year round to welcome people that are looking for a safe place to call home.
Flying the Flag
It started in 2019, before Eastman served on Council, with the city’s first proclamation recognizing Pride Month. At the time, Eastman and a group with Women of West St. Paul (WoW) donated a Pride flag to the city.
- Gifted: “I ran the Pride flag idea by a couple of friends and express ordered it so WoW could gift the flag to the city at that meeting,” said Eastman. “It was such a heartwarming event.”
- Flag in 2020: “The city installed a flag pole to the front of city hall so starting in 2020 we have had the flag flying over city hall for Pride Month,” Eastman said. “It always makes me smile to see it!”
- Leading the effort: “Essentially, city hall wouldn’t have a Pride flag if it weren’t for Julie leading the push,” said WSP Pride organizer and West St. Paul City Council Member Wendy Berry.
Past advocates: Previous recipients of the Community Advocate Award include Nicholas Hager in 2023, Allie Steffan in 2022, and Connye LaCombe in 2021.
State of Advocacy
“Unfortunately, there are many actions this year that are detrimental to the Pride community,” said Eastman, citing federal cuts to healthcare, book bans, and more. “These changes are heartbreaking and unnecessary.”
“We must not give up and we must continue to show up, for everyone,” said Eastman.
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