Year two of the Lower East Side Puerto Rican Parade and Festival was one for the books! Bringing our Settlement community together to celebrate the Puerto Rican culture and history that shapes our neighborhood is a joy and an honor. Many thanks to El Grito de Lower East Side for having us—we can’t wait to do it again next year! 🇵🇷 Photos by Carlos Montañez. (fb)

Happy Pride from Henry Street Settlement! 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈 This month, we’re taking time to reflect on our founder, Lillian Wald (1867–1940), who, in today’s terms, might be described as a queer woman. Thanks to love letters uncovered by a historian in the 1970s, we know Lillian had romantic relationships with women in her social circle. She leaned on her close colleagues and friends, who she lovingly called “The Family," and lived a life that pushed beyond the limits society tried to place on her. While Lillian did not identify as a lesbian during her lifetime, her queerness was evident not only in who she loved, but in the way she envisioned a more just world—speaking out against hate in many forms and using her privilege to lift others up. During Pride, we celebrate with our community and team members across the spectrum of gender and sexuality and consider how we can keep showing up to make the world safer for queer and trans people. Want to learn more about NYC’s LGBTQ+ history? Join us for a Queer History Walking Tour of the Lower East Side or East Village this June! Grab your tickets at HenryStreet.org/QueerHistoryTour Photo of Lillian Wald (seated, center) with "The Family," courtesy of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York Records, Archives & Special Collections, Columbia University Health Sciences Library. (fb)