Pride Chalk Walk a shining example of community perseverance and acceptance
On Tuesday, Sept. 29, MC Pride Club hosted its annual Chalk Walk, in collaboration with the Center for Campus Ministry. The purpose of this event is to make religious spaces on campus feel welcoming for typically underrepresented groups within the MC student body. Clara Webster (‘26) and Katie Parnell (‘27) gave speeches which emphasized compassion and queer joy, and then students, professors and staff gathered to decorate the sidewalks outside the CCM with messages of acceptance and love.
“In a world where it is hard to be queer and where religious institutions are so often the persecutors of the queer community, opening the chapel doors in this way and showing visual displays of love is so vital,” said Webster. “Spaces full of queer love, acceptance, and joy are the ones I am best able to find God in.”
The Chalk Walk promotes solidarity between religious and queer communities, and provides people the opportunity to celebrate their existence and identities in a safe and public space.
“I love the energy at the chalk walk, but my favorite part is in the days after, getting to see people stop on their way to class and look at the chalk. It’s an annual reminder that the queer community is still vibrant here and that we’re not going anywhere,” said Parnell. “Through our experiences and our love for one another, we can take the hate of the world that we’ve been given and turn it into goodness rather than reflect it back [as hate].”
After years of celebratory sidewalk art, the Chalk Walk reminds everyone that love and kindness are all around, especially at Maryville College.
MC Pride Club’s 2025 Chalk Walk inspires students to decorate the sidewalks with colorful, compassionate artwork. (Photo courtesy of Wes Hope)
Katie Parnell (‘27), MC Pride Club President, encourages students to love one another to survive as a community. (Photo courtesy of Wes Hope)
Clara Webster (‘26) celebrates the connection between unrestricted love and religious spaces at the Chalk Walk. (Photo courtesy of Wes Hope)
Countless students gather to paint MC campus with accepting artwork and prideful words. (Photo courtesy of Wes Hope)
Students express and celebrate the connection between religious love and pride. (Photo courtesy of Wes Hope)
The Chalk Walk reminds students, professors and staff of Maryville College’s motto to “do good on the largest possible scale”: inspiring kindness and compassion within the MC community. (Photo courtesy of Wes Hope)