Thursday, August 8, 2019 INDEX Vol. CXXVIII, No. 121 © 2019 The Michigan Daily NEWS .................................... OPINION ............................... ARTS...................................... MiC......................................... SPORTS................................ MICHIGAN IN COLOR ‘On Punjab’ Harnoor Singh shares his pride on being Punjabi and the lasting effects of coloniza- tion and Indian nationalism >> SEE PAGE 9 NEWS Car show Sixth annual event for hos- pitalized kids takes place on roof of C.S. Mott >> SEE PAGE 2 OPINION Pleasure reading Erin White explores the importance of and need for prioritizing reading for pleasure >> SEE PAGE 4 ARTS ‘The Farewell’ Lulu Wang’s latest is a heartwrenching tale of beauty and sorrow, grief and nostalgia >> SEE PAGE 6 SPORTS Football Early impressions from Michigan’s fall football camp >> SEE PAGE 12 inside 2 4 6 9 10 Thousands flock to Kerrytown for annual celebration Ann Arbor Pride’s 25th anniversary was celebrated in Kerrytown with performances, vendors and kid-friendly activities over the weekend. There was yoga, belly dancing, a street fair, poetry slam and a performance by AJA from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” throughout the day Saturday. On Sunday, JuJubee, also from “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” hosted Pride Bingo Brunch at Blue Llama Jazz Club and a Pride Picnic that took place in Wheeler Park. Among the attendees were members and supporters of the LGBTQ+ community, from people who have just started their identity journey to people who have been fighting for equal rights for years. Joe Schoch, co-director of Ann Arbor Pride, reaffirmed how the festival achieved that goal this year by planning a plethora of age and gender-inclusive activities and performances. “It’s really important for us to be sure that Pride is inclusive for everybody,” Schoch said. “Ours is very community-centric, and we try to do a little bit of everything for everybody.” The proceeds from the festival will benefit the Jim Toy Community Center, an LGBTQ+ resource center in the Washtenaw County area. Cadence Cartier, drag queen performer with Boylesque, noted the importance of Jim Toy’s work. “The services that they provide really do help our youth, really help give them the support that they need when they don’t have support,” Cartier said. In addition to the performers, booths selling merchandise, promoting political campaigns and giving away items were set up close to the main stage. One of the booths was run by an organization called Free Mom Hugs, a non-profit group of affirming allies and parents aimed to spread love and acceptance. Arleta Greer, co-lead of the organization’s Michigan chapter, described the hardships faced by many LGBTQ+ youth. “So many of our younger generation in the LGBTQ+ community is struggling with being accepted at home, or being accepted at school,” Greer said. “Sometimes, this is the only parental hug they’ve gotten in days or weeks.” Alongside Free Mom Hugs, there were also numerous support and mental health organizations. A 2015 report by GLSEN on the National School Climate Survey found that 85 percent of LGBTQ+ students have experienced verbal harassment and 27 percent have been physically harassed due to their sexual orientation. Rackham student Lindsey Beaver said she recently began identifying as bisexual, and shared her experience with discovering herself. “(Your identity) is a huge part of your daily experience, your interactions with other people,” Beaver said. “I found that when I started realizing that I wasn’t straight, it was like this whole thing wasn’t locked inside me where all of a sudden I could love people more. All of a sudden, I feel a lot more comfortable.” Drawing from her own experience, Beaver emphasized the importance of Pride festivals and celebrating gender identity. Principal files lawsuit against school district Shannon Blick alleges ‘reverse discrimination’ at AAPS’ Lawton Elementary School Shannon Blick, former principal of Ann Arbor Public School District’s Lawton Elementary School, is alleging the district ousted her in an act of “reverse discrimination,”according to her lawsuit against the school. On May 1, Dawn Linden, Ann Arbor Public Schools executive director of Elementary Education, sent out a letter to the parents of students at Lawton Elementary School, reporting that Blick was on a temporary leave of absence. With no formal reason provided or a specified time length, Dottie Davis, former Huron High School athletic director and assistant principal, assumed the role as “guest principal.” Two months later, Blick, with aid from Ann Arbor attorney William Tishkoff, filed a $5 million lawsuit against Ann Arbor Public Schools. Superintendent Jeanice Swift, in line with other administrators and the AAPS School Board, attributed her termination to “reverse discrimination.” In addition to financial compensation, Blick is asking to be reinstated as principal of Lawton Elementary. Blick claims the AAPS board and their key administrators “subject white administrators to hostility and harassment in the workplace based on their race; accelerate the promotion and advancement of African American and minority administrators at the expense and to the detriment of white administrators and refuse to ‘reasonably and properly investigate’ and take remedial action for, ‘reverse discrimination’ workplace complaints,” per her lawsuit. Tishkoff declined to interview on record, but pointed The Daily to online reports for further information. ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Read more at michigandaily.com SAMANTHA SMALL Summer News Editor Read more at michigandaily.com michigandaily.com Community celebrates love, acceptance at Ann Arbor Pride PHOTO COURTESY OF JIM TOY COMMUNITY CENTER Vistitors walk through the exhibitor area during Ann Arbor Pride in Ann Arbor Saturday. FRANCESCA DUONG Daily Staff Reporter