La Primera Parada (The First Parade: Chicago Stonewall Moments)

Opened: September 2019

Presented in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, La Primera Parada (The First Parade: Chicago Stonewall Moments) honored LGBTQ activism in Chicago’s communities of color. The exhibition recounted how queer Puerto Ricans, African Americans, and Mexican Americans demanded visibility by insisting on inclusion within legacy community parades—Bud Billiken, Mexican Independence, and Puerto Rican Day—transforming these civic stages into declarations of belonging.

Drawing on photographs, ephemera, banners, and short testimonies, the exhibition traced the courage of trans women, drag performers, lesbians, and gay men who claimed public space in the face of stigma. Interpretive texts connected Chicago’s local histories to the national Stonewall narrative while emphasizing that every community experiences its own 'Stonewall moments'—points at which people say 'Quiet No More' and step forward as their full selves. The curatorial approach foregrounded intersectionality, acknowledging identities that are simultaneously Black, Chicano, Boricua, and queer.

For many visitors, the exhibition offered a first encounter with the queer history of Puerto Rican Chicago, demonstrating PRAA’s commitment to telling inclusive stories that broaden understandings of culture and citizenship.

As PRAA’s first exhibition to center queer Puerto Rican history, La Primera Parada expands the program’s scope and complements archival initiatives rooted in community testimony.