By Laura Swanson
The Manzanita 4th of July parade was shorter than usual this year – the Nehalem Bay Fire and Rescue trucks were called out just as the parade was beginning. But perhaps there were also fewer entries due to the restrictions put on participants.
The volunteer committee that oversees the Manzanita 4th of July parade dis-allowed the entry of a group affiliated with Oregon Advocates for Reproductive Choice (OR ARC). A series of emails reveal attempts to appease the “committee.” The group planned to dress like the Statue of Liberty and walk among the spectators, but that was deemed not allowed, so the group decided to enter the parade. When they revealed their costume plans they were determined to be not family friendly. The offensive content was the word “CHOICE” on crowns and sashes that said “Protect the Constitution.”
The parade committee requires registration, and there is this information in the rules:
NOTE: The Parade Committee reserves the right to refuse participation of any entry deemed inappropriate for a family-oriented community event.
The Manzanita Parade is a family-friendly, apolitical celebration of community in which we celebrate our community and commemorate our nation’s independence with joy and creativity! We ask that everyone participate with this spirit in mind.
“Apolitical” – by definition – “not interested or involved in politics.”
Hmmm. That seems to be at odds with the whole premise behind Independence Day. If I recall my history correctly, the 4th of July is ALL about politics. The parade committee’s desire to “keep it fun and family friendly” is definitely admirable, but who is deciding what is inappropriate? Is the parade committee going to police all the entries for any signs of political messaging? As one community member remarked, “What about that Baywatch float and the girls in their thong bathing suits? How family-friendly is that?” If someone has a Trump flag or a MAGA hat – will those not be allowed?
Have we really come to this? The committee claims to want to not have the divisiveness of politics, but by excluding groups that are providing important information about our rights that just increases the divide. Reproductive rights shouldn’t be a political issue, but it is and our children especially should understand what is at stake for their future with the current political regime. The 4th of July is about celebrating and family fun, and it’s also about our most fundamental rights – like Freedom of Speech.
We reached out to the Parade committee for more information about their decision and about restrictions on parade entries, but did not receive a response, but some entrants were contacted about the issue. It was a “retraction” of sorts, that they weren’t denied entry, just that the messaging was deemed “negative”, the intentions was misinterpreted.
Here’s more from the Parade Committees email to entrants:
NO POLITICS
The parade committee has thought long and hard about this one and collectively decided all participants must refrain from any politically motivated messaging while marching in the parade.
It’s very important to the committee that the parade be for everyone, bring our community together and celebrate what we share in common. We’ve received complaints in the past about political entries, and to put it quite plainly, complaints are not fun to receive. The parade is no longer a city event, it’s an event completely organized and supported by community members. Please respect the good people who have taken their time to organize this parade and help make the event fun for everyone!
As your Chief Parade Marshal, please do not make me awkwardly deny you entry into the parade line up. I really will not enjoy doing that!
The members of the group that has been excluded from the parade reached out to the Pioneer and we received several statements from OR ARC and individuals. “Speaking for myself, I appreciate that the parade committee wants to ‘make the event joyful and fun for everyone’ …. But that does not include me.” The parade committee did not achieve their goal, for many in our community have been excluded – deepening the divide.
How can an Independence Day Parade have “no politics”? And who decides what’s “political” and it must be family-friendly and “positive” …. We are talking about very subjective decision-making here, tainted by mis-information and personal views.
My wish would be to go back to the “good ol’ days” of the parade when we showed up, lined up and marched our way joyfully down Laneda to Ocean and back up Manzanita Avenue. Every year, there might have been some signs, messaging or entry that maybe everyone didn’t agree with, but they weren’t prevented from participating.
As the foundations of our democracy are crumbling, our communities need an event that brings UNITY, and unfortunately, Manzanita’s “hometown” parade reflects the political climate of our times.
A parade on the 4th of July can’t be “apolitical” – no interest in politics, the apathy of our nation is how we got here, and generations to come will be paying the price.
Here’s a statement from one of the participants:
It amazes me how our local three villages focus mirrors the national.
Some of the things that helped me fall in love with this place 25 years ago were the open recognition of differences, the acceptance of varying opinions, appreciation of creative expressions and the generous welcoming of all.
I have recently encountered the contraction of those ideas.
When the thought of the July parade entered my head, I cast about for a way to support the ideas this country is founded on beyond red, white, and blue floats, focused on the underlying principles of liberty and justice. I came up with the idea of dressing as the statue of liberty, with a sash reading, “Protect the Constitution”. I invited others to join me, giving them free choice in the words they wanted to carry.
When the organizers of the parade read my sash message, they labeled it, “negative.” No political messaging is allowed this year. Political is defined by my old Thorndike Barnhart dictionary as ‘having to do with citizens or government.” Isn’t that the point of Independence Day…the celebration of our system of government and to celebrate the Declaration of Independence in rebellion against the tyranny of a king?
In these charged times, creating an event focused solely on ‘fun’, seems to perpetuate the tendency of too many to ignore the atrocities being committed by our government. Do we not state our hopes and fears if they are not fun? Do we not call out our representatives for ignoring the Constitution when it is not fun?? It looks like a missed opportunity to me.
We were not banned from the parade, you may still see liberty representatives walking in, or out of the parade. We were bullied and censored, and surely not welcomed. Sounds and feels all too familiar.
Gratefully, the next big protest is planned for July 5. We will be there with crowns on, doing what we can to protect liberty and justice for all.