Indigenous Peoples Day Government of Canada image

This week we learned: LGBTQ activist gets a heritage minute and we all get a Turtle Island emoji for Indigenous Peoples Day

Hello again and welcome to summer. At last. We hope. Oh shoot we didn't jinx it did we? We're halfway through June, which means we're halfway through both Pride Month and National Indigenous History Month. You know it's Pride Month when all the companies/organizations you follow on Instagram have turned their logos into a rainbow. But there's more to supporting LGBTQ+ communities than selling a new line of t-shirts or glittery makeup. By all means, buy a fun new rainbow t-shirt or tote bag! But buy one where the proceeds are going somewhere helpful. 

Because we always enjoy when brands crunch some data to deliver useful information, we're really digging this list of the best cities to celebrate Pride from Airbnb. We're not terribly surprised that New York City took the top spot, and Airbnb notes that 27,000 guests book an NYC stay during Pride Week. But if you're single and ready to mingle, the best Pride city celebration if you're also looking to give your Tinder app a workout is London. 

And of course, Pride month is a mere 30 days and the LGBTQ community needs better support and representation year-round. AdWeek rounded up a few ways to make your brand or organization more inclusive, and not just in June. We're especially fond of the notion of more diverse influencers -- representation matters!

Rounding out the Pride news for this edition, we were so delighted to see Historica Canada's latest Heritage Minute tells the story of gay rights activist Jim Egan. You'll want a few tissues for this one:

Speaking of worthy Heritage Minute subjects, a new exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario celebrates Inuit art with the work of famed Cape Dorset artist Kenojuak Ashevak and her nephew Tim Pitsiulak. The exhibit, Tunirrusiangit which translates to "their gifts" in Inuktitut, opens June 16 and runs until August 12.

In more Inuit art news, construction has started on Winnipeg Art Gallery's Inuit Art Centre, which will be the biggest space devoted to Inuit art, culture and history. 

For National Indigenous History Month, the Government of Canada is rolling out a couple campaigns, one of which is near and dear to our hearts. Yes, we're talking about #FryBreadFriday. Attend any sort of event that celebrates or seeks to educate on Indigenous history and culture, and you will find bannock. In addition to butter and jam, bannock is best enjoyed while taking in a drumming, dancing, or throat-singing performance. 

June 21 is of course Indigenous Peoples Day, a day to celebrate and acknowledge First Nations, Inuit and Métis art, culture and history. To find how your city or community is celebrating, check out this list here. APTN is of course bringing back their incredible day of programming with Indigenous Day Live, which will be celebrated on Saturday June 23, rather than the Thursday. We're especially excited to tune in to the Toronto broadcast as it will feature Yellowknife's own Quantum Tangle. Ottawa's show includes Inuk singer and rapper Kelly Fraser. 

On Twitter, you may have noticed that any tweets about #IndigenousPeoplesDay and #IndigenousHistoryMonth include a turtle icon representing Turtle Island. And check out the beautiful cover image over @TwitterCanada's profile, created by artist Susan A. Point. 

How are you marking Indigenous Peoples Day? Let us know @outcropcom  on Twitter and Outcrop Communications  on Facebook.