Carlos Salcedo/Arizona Republic

Mare Schumacher shares a story about her first time participating in a civil rights protest.

KJZZ partners with the Arizona Republic to bring you the Arizona Storytellers series. We record the live events and share them with you on the radio. In Phoenix, the storytellers sometimes share stories about our community or the life events that have shaped them in general. Megan Finnerty is the creator of the series. 

In 1993, Mare Schumacher visited her sister in New York City during spring break. She read in the paper that there was going to be a gay rights protest planned during the next day’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

The Ancient Order of Hibernians puts on the St. Patrick’s Day Parade each year and, at the time, was not allowing gay groups to march with them. Schumacher's family is into politics and civil rights, so she was excited to go to the protest.

Mare Schumacher is an epidemiologist in Flagstaff.

The next storytelling event is Jan. 31, 2017, at South Mountain Community College.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to reflect where Schumacher works.

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