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STX Pride Parade Fills Christiansted with Color

For the seventh year, St. Croix’s small but mighty Pride parade brought the community’s LGBTQIA community and allies together for a celebration of love and solidarity in Christiansted.

The parade made its way up King Street at around 11 a.m. with a colorful column that included Cruzan Cowgirls on horseback as well as groups from Good Hope Country Day School, businesses like Umami Sushi, and CMCArts. Umami’s Heather Reedy, who was born and raised on the island, said that she was proud to attend Saturday’s parade with her coworkers.

“We always put a little flag up for June and everything, but this is something that’s really true to all of our hearts — whether you’re part of the community or not,” she said. “We all support the community.”

St. Croix’s first Pride parade, which swept through Frederiksted in 2018, was marred somewhat by expressions of intolerance on social media and during the parade itself. On Saturday, attendees credited the V.I. Police Department for their support in ensuring a safe, welcoming event.
“I’m just happy that it’s a safe space to do it in,” Reedy said. “And I wish it would grow even more.”

While Saturday’s parade was smaller than in previous years, St. Croix Pride president Imani Evans said a core group of attendees and supporters always turn out and have a good time.
“One of the big things right now is we’re always looking for more board members and more volunteers,” she said, adding that events are volunteer-based. “So we’re always looking for people who want to come and be a part of it.”

Pride Month started early on the Big Island. On May 28, CMCArts hosted an opening reception for “Conversations on Pride,” an exhibition celebrating freedom of expression and the territory’s LGBTQIA community. That was followed by an inaugural Pride rave party at Shupe’s on the Boardwalk on May 30 and bingo at Sion Farm Distillery on June 2. On Wednesday, Common Cents Pub hosted “Rainbow Karaoke.”
Evans said upcoming events include a “Flower Power” brunch at Sion Farm Distillery from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday, a movie night at Blues Backyard BBQ from 6-10 p.m. Thursday, a “Rainbow Recharge” day at Island Movement on June 13, and a bar crawl from 1-8 p.m. on June 14 in Frederiksted. St. Croix Pride is planning to put a bow on the month of celebration with a closing beach party and drag show at Sandcastle on the Beach on June 20.
Board of Elections Review of Candidate Appeals Halted by Loss of Quorum
On Friday, the Virgin Islands Board of Elections was forced to suspend its review of candidate appeals and qualification challenges after losing its quorum, delaying decisions on several matters involving candidates seeking office in the 2026 election cycle.
During the meeting, board members reviewed appeals and eligibility issues involving candidates for various offices, including delegate to Congress, governor and the Legislature. Discussions centered on whether certain candidates met statutory filing requirements and whether those challenging disqualification decisions should be granted hearings before the board.
The continued review of candidate appeals comes just days after the Board of Elections voted to maintain a single ballot for federal and territorial contests in the 2026 election cycle. That meeting was also marked by discussions over candidate eligibility, residency requirements, ballot access and election procedures, underscoring the growing number of election-related challenges facing officials ahead of the November election.
Those issues remained at the forefront as board members reviewed appeals and correspondence from candidates seeking offices. Members debated statutory filing requirements, notification procedures and whether candidates challenging disqualification decisions should be granted hearings before the board prior to any final determination.
One of the appeals discussed involved Delegate to Congress candidate James Weber, whose nomination papers were disqualified after election officials determined they had not been filed in accordance with statutory requirements. Supervisor of Elections Caroline Fawkes told the board that Virgin Islands law requires nomination papers to be filed with the Supervisor of Elections in the district where the candidate resides. Some members agreed the law was clear, while others questioned whether candidates should be given additional opportunities to correct filing issues or present their cases before the board.
Board member Harriet Mercer argued that candidates requesting hearings before the board should be given the opportunity to appear in person before a quorum of members prior to any final determination being made. Mercer cited Weber’s appeal letter, which requested “a hearing in person of the quorum of the members of the Board of Elections.”
Before the board could conclude its review of the pending appeals, however, members were informed that a quorum was no longer present.
“We don’t have a quorum, so we cannot proceed,” Chair Raymond Williams announced, bringing the proceedings to a halt.
The board subsequently recessed the meeting and agreed to reconvene on Monday at 10 a.m. to continue reviewing unresolved candidate matters. Because of the loss of quorum, no final action was taken on several appeals and qualification challenges that remained before the board.
The delayed decisions come as election officials continue preparations for the 2026 election cycle and work through a growing number of candidate disputes, procedural questions and election-related challenges ahead of the upcoming election.
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