Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Community gathers to remember Vernita Gray
by Matt Simonette
2014-03-31

This article shared 523 times since Mon Mar 31, 2014
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

      More Photos


Hundreds of friends, family and acquaintances of activist Vernita Gray gathered at the Goodman Theatre March 31 to remember her legacy and pay tribute to her.

The gathering was officiated by Mary Morten and Paul Fairchild. Additional photo spread at the link: www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/photospreadthumbs.php .

Morten said that Gray was "a person who led a life of activism, a life of joy and a life of unparalleled gratitude."

Fairchild spoke of Gray's final days, as she gathered friends and family, and then the day of her death.

"She was alone with the two women who loved her most, her wife, Pat [Ewert] and her mother, Toots [Hairston]." Hairston then read, A Psalm of David.

Gov. Pat Quinn then spoke of Gray's activist legacy, saying that Illinois "has a hole in our hearts. We lost one of our most special souls."

Quinn added he was grateful that, before Gray passed away, "We enacted something that she worked for her whole life [marriage equality]. ... She was here with us. She led us. She taught us."

Fairchild read a letter from Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown. Mona Noriega, of the Mayor's Commission on Human Relations, who was Gray's partner for several years, then read a letter from Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

"Vernita was a poet who could use her words to to rally against injustice and counsel and comfort those in need," Emanuel wrote. "She was a role model who lived an authentic life, and inspired a great many to reach for their dreams."

James Bennett of Lambda Legal followed with a dedication from President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.

"Vernita gave of herself to help move us toward a future where everyone is able to live and love as they see fit," the Obamas wrote. "She will be remembered for opening hearts and minds across our country, and for her selfless support of young people in her community."

Gray's frequent trips to the White House were brought up many times.

"You know you've arrived when then President gives you the shout-out, 'Hey, Vee,'" said Gray's friend, Donna Rose. "I thought that she had a studio down in the basement" of the White House.

Many people spoke of how Gray influenced them in their youth. Dameon Christian fought back tears as he remembered that, "Vernita taught me to be a same-gender loving individual" and thanked her "for the many seeds she placed in my life."

Camellia Noriega, who Gray helped raise, spoke of her family's life in Uptown, and read her college entrance essay, which talked about the influence Gray had on her life. Camellia and Ramon are Mona Noriega's children.

"She taught us humility, compassion and how to laugh at ourselves," Camellia said.

Shantell Steve, who was mentored by both Gray and Ewert, and the late Renae Ogletree, read a poem that expressed her gratitude for their guidance. In the poem she thanked the women for having "taught me what it was really like to have parents."

Gray's friend Kay Miles said that Gray professed to hippie values: love, peace, compassion and sexual liberation among them. "She not only believed them and lived them, she had a belief that these values would bring about a better world," she said.

Miles also discussed when Gray "dropped by" when she was so excited at having met Ewert. State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, who worked with Gray at the State's Attorney's Office was also around at that time of that first date.

"She wasn't sure at first, and told me to 'Stick close by,'" Cassidy said, but added that after it was apparent that Ewert and Gray had hit it off, "I knew that Vee had this one."

Judge Patricia Logue, who married Gray and Ewert in November, called the wedding "one of the great honors of my life. ... Somewhere up there Vee is smiling down on us. May her memory be a blessing."

Pat McCombs of Executive Sweet spoke of Gray's love for social events and social activism, and Candace King recalled Gray's love of dancing—as she herself danced off the stage.

Musical numbers were performed by friends: Lucy Smith, Vanessa Davis, Richard Streetman and June Gearon. The Drum Divas started out the day with a processional.


This article shared 523 times since Mon Mar 31, 2014
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Almost 8% of U.S. residents identify as LGBTQ+
2024-03-16
The proportion of U.S. adults identifying as LGBTQ+ continues to increase. LGBTQ+ identification in the U.S. continues to grow, with 7.6% of U.S. adults now identifying as LGBTQ+, according to the newest Gallup poll results that ...


Gay News

PASSAGES Dorothy Elizabeth McGroarty
2024-03-14
Dorothy Elizabeth McGroarty, 82, of The Breakers at Edgewater Beach, and a former resident of Andersonville, passed away Feb. 16 surrounded by her loving family. Born in Dearborn, Michigan, Dorothy was raised on Chicago's South and ...


Gay News

PASSAGES Bryan Dean Wilson
2024-03-14
Bryan Dean Wilson, 64, of Chicago, passed away March 11. Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Bryan graduated from Washington High school in Cedar Rapids before earning his B.S. in Biology from Mount Mercy University, also in ...


Gay News

PASSAGES: Former Chicago Commission on Human Relations chair Clarence Wood
2024-03-13
LGBTQ ally and former Chicago Commission on Human Relations (CCHR) Chair and Commissioner Clarence N. Wood died March 5. He was 83. Wood was born April 14, 1940, in Alabama. While primarily raised in Alabama, Wood ...


Gay News

Women's History Month doesn't do enough to lift up Black lesbians
2024-03-12
Fifty years ago, in 1974, the Combahee River Collective (CRC) was founded in Boston by several lesbian and feminist women of African descent. As a sisterhood, they understood that their acts of protest were shouldered by ...


Gay News

No 'explanations' needed: Affinity remains a haven for Chicago's Black queer community
2024-03-12
Back in 2007, Anna DeShawn came out while she was studying for her undergraduate degree. At around the same time, she searched online for "Black lesbians in Chicago." Her search led her to Affinity Community Services, ...


Gay News

Longtime LGBTQ+-rights activist David Mixner dies at 77
2024-03-12
On March 11, longtime LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS activist David Mixner—known for working on Bill Clinton's presidential campaign but then splitting from him over "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT)—died at age 77, The Advocate reported. ...


Gay News

LGBTQ+ Victory Fund remembers co-founder David Mixner
2024-03-12
--From a press release - Today, LGBTQ+ Victory Fund President & CEO Mayor Annise Parker released the following statement on the passing of LGBTQ+ civil rights activist and LGBTQ+ Victory Fund co-founder David Mixner: "Today, we lost David Mixner, a founding ...


Gay News

Affinity Community Services' Latonya Maley announces departure
2024-03-06
Latonya Maley, executive director of Affinity Community Services, announced March 6 that she would be stepping down from her post. The announcement came from a statement with Affinity board members. Maley said that, "It has been ...


Gay News

LPAC celebrates historic wins for LGBTQ+ candidates in Super Tuesday primaries
2024-03-06
From a press release: Washington, DC—Today, LPAC,the nation's leading organization dedicated to electing LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary candidates to public office, proudly announces the outstanding victories of 67% of endorsed candidates ...


Gay News

THEATER 'R & J' puts a female, queer spin on Shakespeare
2024-03-05
Romeo and Juliet is the theatrical gift that keeps on giving. It's been reworked for the masses numerous times, whether in direct adaptations or musicals such as West Side Story. Shakespeare's plotline points have even inspired ...


Gay News

Without compromise: Holly Baggett explores lives of iconoclasts Margaret Anderson and Jane Heap
2024-03-04
Jane Heap (1883-1964) and Margaret Anderson (1886-1973), each of them a native Midwesterner, woman of letters and iconoclast, had a profound influence on literary culture in both America and Europe in the early 20th Century. Heap ...


Gay News

PASSAGES Charles R. Tobin
2024-03-03
Charles R. Tobin, 81, peacefully passed away on Dec. 23, 2023, in the company of his husband, after living with Lewey body dementia for several years. Charlie was born and raised in the Fernwood neighborhood on ...


Gay News

There she goes again: Author Alison Cochrun discusses writing journey
2024-02-27
By Carrie Maxwell When Alison Cochrun began writing her first queer romance novel in 2019, she had no idea it would change the course of her entire life. Cochrun, who spent 11 years as a high ...


Gay News

PASSAGES Trailblazing judge and attorney Patricia M. Logue passes away
2024-02-26
The Honorable Patricia Logue ("Pat" to her friends, Trish" to her family) was a brilliant lawyer, a trailblazing jurist and a hero to the LGBTQ community. Pat's legacy includes numerous landmark cases she litigated over her ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.