The Atlanta Pride Committee (APC) has released their 2022 Impact Report, detailing the highlights and successes of this year’s Pride festival held in October, the first in-person festival in Atlanta in two years.
According to the report, this year’s event in Piedmont Park attracted 312 parade entries and 5,700 marchers, 364 vendors, and 1,261 VIP ticket sales. Highlights of APC’s 2022 included the first blood drive with the American Red Cross, which produced 35 units of blood; 41 non-festival programs and campaigns in education, advocacy, equity, health, wellness, and entertainment; 20+ events conducted with community partners; and of course, the Community Reinvestment Fund, APC’s grant supporting Atlanta’s LGBTQ community. Grant recipient Out on Film saw 15,000 overall patrons this year, and 5,900 community members and 159 organizations were impacted by grantee Sojourn’s wellness survey for immigrants in Atlanta.
Along with celebrating the success of this year, the report also highlighted the goals for next year, which include increasing accessibility; developing direct programs for sexual health and wellness; and advancing commitments to social, political, and racial justice through increased advocacy efforts and direct action.
“The focus will remain on programming that centers unity, visibility, and wellness,” the report reads. “Like our community grantees, we will also prioritize health, wellness, and youth initiatives. Some of this will be executed by continuing to build out relationships with local college and university campuses, while also exploring partnerships with both high school and collegiate level Gay Straight Alliance organizations across the state.”
Along with the report, APC Executive Director Jamie Fergerson announced that she would be stepping down from the role in January.
“Aside from parenthood, leading this organization has been the greatest honor of my personal and professional life,” she said. “While it is bittersweet to leave an organization to which I’ve dedicated two decades as a volunteer and then staff member, I am thrilled to watch APC flourish under the leadership of our current staff and volunteers.”
Read the full report here.