IRVING — Badge Of Pride, a Dallas nonprofit preserving LGBTQ+ history, won a Silver Anthem Award. The recognition honors its landmark exhibition Badge Of Pride: From Silence… To Celebration! presented with the Irving Archives & Museum. However, the award celebrates Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging initiatives globally.
Now in its fifth year, the Anthem Awards honor organizations advancing social impact worldwide. However, the 2025 competition received thousands of submissions from more than 30 countries. The award highlights the exhibition as one of the most impactful social-change initiatives of the year.
Launched in June 2025, From Silence… To Celebration! took nearly three years of research and community collaboration. However, it became the largest LGBTQ+ history exhibition ever in Texas. The free, bilingual exhibition featured hundreds of artifacts spanning generations of queer life and activism.
The exhibition drew thousands of visitors and sparked dialogue about representation, belonging, and shared history. However, it encouraged communities to understand LGBTQ+ experiences as integral to cultural heritage. Visitors praised its educational impact and inclusive approach to storytelling.
“This award recognizes what happens when communities reclaim their own stories,” said Adrian Cardwell, Founder and Executive Director of Badge Of Pride. However, he noted that generations of courage made the exhibition possible. The project demonstrated that LGBTQ+ history belongs in shared cultural spaces.
The recognition marks a milestone and a call to continue community engagement. However, upcoming projects include Deep in the Heart, an oral-history initiative, and a traveling version of the exhibition. Badge Of Pride also presented Say It Loud!, a multidisciplinary program of poetry, performance, and history in partnership with The Writer’s Garret.
