Project planned in ‘face of statewide orders to remove crosswalk and sidewalk art’
Harvest Sarasota, “a progressive church in Sarasota, is mobilizing in the face of statewide orders to remove crosswalk and sidewalk art — including the recent erasure of the Pulse Memorial in Orlando in the dead of night last month and the painting over of the downtown Sarasota Pride Crosswalk and sidewalk art in late August,” church leaders have announced.
All “friends of diversity” are invited to join church leaders at noon on Sunday, Sept. 14, “to bring back Pride crosswalks to the Gulf Coast,” including one that will be painted on Harvest Sarasota’s campus, which stands at 3650 17th St. in Sarasota, a news release points out.
“Attendees will participate in painting an inclusive Pride Progress crosswalk between the Life Enrichment Campus and Learning Center, the release adds.
“At Harvest Sarasota, we are dedicated to the core values of love, action, inclusion and hope,” Minor, Harvest Sarasota president, CEO and pastor, said in the release. “We have taken a firm stand against the generational hatred and shame that has been thrown at marginalized communities, and we’re going to do everything we can to ensure that those communities feel seen, safe and loved by our community here,” he added in the release. “With every brushstroke, we will celebrate love, inclusion, and the beauty of diversity. We invite everyone to be a part of something bold, colorful and meaningful!”
The release also points out, “Harvest Sarasota has found itself the target of intolerance in recent years.” Following the installation several years ago of “Safe Zone” signs featuring the Intersex-Inclusive Pride Progress Flag, members of the church saw those signs torn down in May 2023 — and again in October 2024 and once more in July of this year. “Each time,” the release continues, “the church posted defiant videos on social media showing Minor installing larger and stronger Safe Zone signs; the church now has four large signs and added cameras this summer to ensure any further vandalism would be caught on film. The videos have garnered tens of thousands of views and reactions,” the release notes, including more than 100,000 views on TikTok.
For Katie McCurry, Harvest House’s vice president of advancement, “the crosswalk painting is deeply personal,” the release adds. McCurry, who is the co-founder of LGBTQ+ advocacy nonprofit Project Pride SRQ, “was the force behind the fundraising” — totaling more than $100,000 — and installation of the Pride Crosswalk in downtown Sarasota in the spring of 2021, the release notes. “She was heartbroken when the crosswalk — which paid tribute to unity, inclusion and visibility in a big way by the then-fledgling nonprofit organization — was targeted for erasure,” the release continues, but she “is heartened by the prospect of making the symbol permanent on the Harvest campus.”
“Hate can try — but love wins every time,” McCurry said in the release. “This crosswalk is much more than paint; it’s a declaration that diversity belongs here. We invite everyone to pick up a brush and help us show that inclusion cannot be erased.”
The release notes, “All are welcome” at the Sept. 14 event; no RSVP is needed. Visit harvestsarasota.com or call 941-953-3559 for more information.