Jonesboro, AR — (JonesboroRightNow.com) — June 25, 2025 — Members of the Jonesboro community have been working to celebrate Pride Month through weekly litter cleanups.
Dylan Nelson, who started the Community PRIDE Litter Cleanup this year, said the idea came about after the annual PRIDEfest in Jonesboro was canceled.
“It got me to thinking why there was such centralization of efforts for Pride Month. Something that’s really important to me is community service and people caring about the place they live,” Nelson said. “I thought I would just give the opportunity for people to come out for Pride Month once a week and just show that you care about your community. Because, you know, we do.”
The cleanups began when Nelson and their son started collecting trash at Craighead Forest Park. After that, Nelson contacted Keep Jonesboro Beautiful (KJB), a commission that maintains a city beautification program. KJB is providing supplies for the cleanup efforts, which include grabbers, bags and visibility vests.
“We happily support all individuals and community groups that support the mission of clean, green and beautiful. Litter on the ground serves to invite more litter, so support is needed to keep our community clean,” said Beverly Parker, chair of the commission.
There are five cleanups planned for the month, with four having already been completed. The cleanups last from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. The final one will be June 29 at the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library, located at 315 W. Oak Ave.
Nelson said around 150 pounds of litter had been collected thus far across all four cleanups.
“In terms of bags, there have been 10 trash bags of varying size filled. Several large, stray objects were also collected including auto parts, shingling, tire chunks, metal and plastic shards, and more,” Nelson said.
After Pride Month ends, Nelson plans to continue the cleanups, adding that they’d like to do one in Craighead Forest Park after Independence Day. Nelson also said if there was enough interest, there would be another cleanup for next year’s Pride Month.
“The pride we have in our community is, I think, something that transcends the message of general pride and makes the work that you do very hard to disdain,” Nelson said. “It’s associated with Pride Month, and yes, members of the queer community will be there and be involved, but I think what’s more important is that members of the queer community are members of the Jonesboro community, and they’re choosing to spend this time in Pride Month to improve Jonesboro.”
