Our
Story
In 2020 North Andover resident Jennifer Fresen launched a petition to raise a rainbow pride flag in North Andover. Growing up queer in the 1990s, there were no visible signs of support for the LGBTQIA+ community in her hometown--no recognition that they even existed. It was disappointing to see that decades later, years after the passage of marriage equality in Massachusetts, the community she lived in was no different. Raising a flag would be one small way to ensure kids in North Andover knew that they were seen and celebrated, and that they were not alone.
The petition quickly gained over 700 signatures, and was brought before the Select Board. At the time, the town did not have a policy on guest flags. With the help of the Town Manager, the Board crafted a policy by which citizens could request temporary flags to be added below the American flag and the Massachusetts state flag on the Town Common flag pole, with the stipulation by one member of the Board that it be removed for Flag Day and then replaced for the remainder of the month. (U.S. flag code has no such mandate, as was confirmed by an email from the American Legion's Americanism Division, which created the standards for American flag etiquette a hundred years ago.) In the middle of June 2020, the DPW added a pride flag to the pole at the Common with no fanfare.
In 2021 Fresen returned to the Select Board, with the support of fellow residents Joseph Hicks and Jennifer Bauer, to request that June permanently be recognized as Pride Month in North Andover. The request form had a space for the name of the group making the request, and the trio called themselves North Andover Pride Project. They argued that the flag should be raised every year without a formal request, as a sign of respect and inclusion for a significant number of LGBTQIA+ residents, and in recognition of the work still to be done to achieve equality and justice for our community-- and for transgender and gender non-conforming citizens in particular. The community again showed support with numerous letters and public comments from individuals, educators, and local clergy. The Select Board drafted a proclamation declaring June Pride Month in North Andover in perpetuity, and the flag would no longer need to be requested. A flag raising ceremony with the updated progress pride flag was held on the Town Common and a small crowd gathered to celebrate.
For the next two years a flag raising was held on the Common. Each year the crowd of celebrants grew larger. Due to issues unrelated to the pride flag, the town did away with its flag policy in late 2023, and guest flags were no longer allowed to be displayed. Pride Project quickly raised funds for pride flag banners to be hung on light posts all around the common. The banners read "All Are Welcome Here" and are now displayed every June.
In 2024 North Andover Pride Project held its first annual Pride & Popsicles celebration on the common, in place of a flag raising ceremony. The public event includes free frozen treats, lawn games, face painting, and giveaways. It is held on a weekday evening in June and is attended by hundreds of friends and neighbors from North Andover and beyond. Local educators and elected officials join in the fun and volunteer to help hand out popsicles. All are welcome to attend, especially new friends!
North Andover Pride Project is an informal citizen-run initiative that runs on generous donations from neighbors, local businesses (like Baby Viking Photography, who fundraises for us each year with her Pride Mini photoshoots!) and from donations raised from the "You Are Welcome In North Andover" pride flag yard signs seen all over town.
Our budget is small and exists mainly to support the Pride & Popsicles event, and occasional requests from the community for things like gender-neutral uniforms for a North Andover Public School program. We occasionally fundraise for a specific goal, such as the $700 donation for LGBTQIA+ books for the Stevens Memorial Library's teen room, a community response to the ridiculous rise in book bans. We have also donated to the holiday wreath display downtown, and the North Andover Merchant's Association Gingerbread Walk (look for the rainbow gingerbread house!)
