PrideIndex.com's 12th annual Esteem Awards will take place Sunday, July 7, 1-3 p.m., at Lighthouse Church of Chicago, 2335 N. Orchard St.
Three organizations and eight individuals will be honored. The honorees—selected by a committee of past honorees who reviewed an array of nominations—will receive their awards at the Fifth Annual Black Gay Pride Worship Service Brunch. The event is free and open to the public.
Awardees include:
Chicago
—Outstanding Service, Male: Antonio V. King, public health administrator/LGBTQ health & outreach liaison for the Chicago Department of Public Health
—Outstanding Service, Female: Imani Rupert-Gordon, executive director of Affinity Community Services
—Outstanding Service, Transgender: Channyn Lynne Parker, manager of external communications at Howard Brown Health Center
—Future Leaders/Outstanding Millennial Award: Ka'riel Gaiter, community engagement coordinator for Youth Empowerment Performance Project
—Outstanding Social Services/CBO: Brave Space Alliance, the first Black-led, Trans-led LGBTQ Center on Chicago's South Side
—Special Recognition Award: The Gene Siskel Film Center, for its inclusion of films to promote understanding and awareness by/and for filmmakers of color, the LGBTQ communities and people of color everywhere
—Outstanding Spoken Word: OUTspoken!, Chicago's monthly spoken-word phenomenon at Sidetrack celebrating the uniquely personal stories from across the LGBTQ community.
National
—Outstanding Service, Male: Steven G. Fullwood, documentarian, public archivist, writer and photographer
—Outstanding Service, Female: Alexis Pauline Gumbs, feminist, educator, and essayist.
—Future Leaders/Outstanding Millennial Award: Perre L. Shelton, Spoken word performance artist, educator, mentor and founder of The Lamar Method ( TLM )
—Special Recognition Award: Sampson McCormick, stand-up comedian, writer, actor and producer
Since 2007, PrideIndex.com's Esteem Awards has honored local and national organizations and individuals for their continued efforts in supporting the African-American and LGBT communities in the areas of entertainment, media, civil rights, business and art.
