ATHENS, Ga. — A new rainbow crosswalk will be unveiled in Athens Tuesday.
Athens Pride and Queer Collective will host the dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, Oct. 11., at 11 a.m.
"We will meet to dedicate the Rainbow Crosswalk to the activists who came before us and to honor the work we still have left to do," President of APQC Cameron Jay Harrelson said in a statement.
Located at Clayton Avenue and Clayton Street at College Square, the rainbow crosswalk was installed last Tuesday by APQC.
Harrelson said he started The Athens Rainbow Crosswalk Initiative after the success of their 2019 Pride Festival.
The petition for a permanent display of visibility for queer communities in Athens brought over 8,000 signatures, 6,000 of them belonged to those with Athens-Clarke County Zip Codes, Harrelson said.
Athens gets a rainbow crosswalk | PHOTOS
The initiative also serves to educate the public about the Athens Non-Discrimination Ordinance passed in August 2021, Harrelson explained.
The Athens Non-Discrimination Ordinance was passed to protect individuals from discrimination in Athens.
"Through the advocacy done for the crosswalk, we've also been able to educate the public about the Non-Discrimination Policy and were able to use that momentum from the crosswalk to see that ordinance ultimately pass," Harrelson said.
Harrelson said he's excited to see the project take form.
"It has been a long time coming, and my heart is so full to see the project finalized. If there's one thing I've learned, having been in leadership at Athens Pride and Queer Collective for several years, it's this: visibility and representation matters," he said.