May Reflections

May has always been one of my favorite months. Maybe because it’s my birthday month 🥳(shoutout to all the Tauruses and Geminis out there!), or maybe it’s the way the days stretch longer and the sun reminds us that warmth always comes back around. There’s a sense of possibility in the air — a feeling that things are growing, shifting, and moving toward something good.

May also ushered in the first 100 or so days of this new administration, and like many of you, I’ve been watching closely — holding hope in one hand and resolve in the other. We are surviving and navigating these early days with real resilience. 

What I’ve seen in the last 100 days — and especially here at Diversity Richmond — is that we don’t wait to find out. We act. We organize, speak up, collaborate, and create. We show up for each other. We do what we’ve always done: make a difference in the ways that matter most.

I’m so proud of how our team, our partners, and our broader community have shown up — with clarity, courage, and care. It reminds me that while administrations may change, our values don’t. We will always fight for justice. We will always create spaces of joy. We will always believe that belonging isn’t optional — it’s essential.

Here at Diversity Richmond, May is when we kick into full gear preparing for Pride. Our team is buzzing — organizing, dreaming, coordinating, and doing the quiet, behind-the-scenes work that makes the celebration magical. But more than anything, May reminds me why we do what we do: to make a difference.

That phrase — making a difference — gets used so much that it can start to feel like just words. But I’ve seen what it looks like in real time. I’ve seen it in a parent walking through our thrift store looking for affirming clothes for their queer teen. I’ve seen it in the smile of someone attending their first Pride event — feeling safe, seen, and celebrated. I’ve seen it in the quiet relief of someone receiving emergency support during a hard month.

This work isn’t flashy. Sometimes it’s slow, and sometimes it’s hard. But it always matters.

And it doesn’t happen without people like you.

This month, as I reflect on my own journey — as a leader, as a Black woman, and as someone deeply rooted in the LGBTQ+ community — I’m proud of what we’ve built together. I’m proud of the difference we keep making. Not just in the big headline moments, but in the everyday presence of a space that says: You belong here.

If you believe in what we’re doing — if you’ve ever thought, “this place makes a difference” — I want to invite you to take one simple step to help sustain this work: become a monthly giver.

Whether it’s $5, $25 or $100 a month, your support makes sure we can keep showing up — with care, with creativity, and with courage.

You can sign up right now on our website — and know that every dollar is helping us build a future where everyone feels like they matter.

Here’s to sunshine, new seasons, and making a difference together.

With love and purpose,

Lacette Cross

she/her/rev