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

United State of Women holds Chicago summit
by Carrie Maxwell, Windy City Times
2017-07-19

This article shared 1353 times since Wed Jul 19, 2017
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


More than 1,000 women from all walks of life convened at McCormick Place to kick off the United State of Women Galvanize Program on July 15.

The two-day Galvanize Program is an outgrowth of former President Barack Obama's Council on Women and Girls ( created in March 2009 ) to improve the lives of women and girls in every Obama White House policy or initiative.

Valerie Jarrett ( former senior advisor to President Obama ) and Tina Tchen ( former chief of staff to First Lady Michelle Obama ) were the council's co-chairs, with Tchen as executive director.

One of the results of the council's work was last year's first-ever United State of Women national summit at the White House.

"The energy and enthusiasm in that room was like nothing I've ever seen," said Jarrett in her letter on the newly created Galvanize Program website. "Throughout the program, we heard from women and allies about how to break down gender equity barriers and empower ourselves as advocates on critical issues ranging from health, to violence against women, economic security, entrepreneurship, human rights and education. The Summit brought together people from diverse backgrounds and identities—grassroots organizers and CEOs, scientists and activists, local elected officials and national leaders—with one common goal in mind: equity for all women."

This year, the summit will take place in a variety of cities across the U.S. with a diverse group of speakers and workshops.

Tchen opened the Chicago summit by urging women to "Learn how to do amazing things."

Later that morning, Tchen said, "What Galvanize means is to bring together people from all communities to support gender equity across the issues whether it is healthcare or violence against transgender or cisgender women and girls.

"One of the things I am most proud of during our eight years in the White House is how far we came on LGBT rights. The day the marriage equality decision came down from the Supreme Court was one that I will always remember and I loved seeing the White House lit up in the rainbow colors that night. But that is all under threat. It is more important now than ever to speak out and get involved."

Channyn Parker, a trans advocate from Chicago House's TransLife program, told the audience her existence defies logic, since the statistics show, according to her, that most transgender people are dead by age 35. She explained that her mission is to ensure transgender people not only live, but thrive. Parker noted the best things cisgender people can do is acknowledge that transgender women are women as well as challenge anti-transgender remarks and laws whenever they crop up. She said it is important to put one's words and passions into action.

Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx explained that the fullness of herself includes growing up in poverty, having an abortion and being a survivor of sexual abuse and assault and all of those experiences have informed her life's work. She noted her status as the first African-American woman to be Cook County state's attorney.

Later that morning, Foxx said events like Galvanize Chicago are important to give women the tools and information to get involved in the political or non-profit worlds. She noted that running for office is hard and one needs to know why they are embarking on this endeavor.

"I think it is really important for women to support each other, to talk about our collective power and empower one another," said Foxx.

In terms of LGBTQ people and folks with HIV/AIDS, Foxx explained that her mission and policy decisions as state's attorney center around people living free from harm so they can grow and thrive. Foxx said this is especially true for communities that have been preyed upon and marginalized and this includes prosecuting hate crimes and fighting to remove the panic defense as an excuse for people who have hurt or killed LGBTQ folks. Foxx noted that she hired a chief diversity officer and from that came employee resource groups ( including one for LGBTQ employees ) who advise her on various issues. She said it is important for LGBTQ folks to be at the table for every policy decision that comes out of her office.

Sen. Dick Durbin spoke about wife Loretta's organization—the Illinois Women's Institute for Leadership ( IWIL ), of which she is a founding board member. The IWIL was formed more than a decade ago to assist women who espouse Democratic ideals in their quest to become elected or appointed officials. Durbin also invoked the late Shirley Chisholm, including her quote, "If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair."

In a query from this publication, Jarrett explained that the magic of Galvanize is its inclusivity and one of the things she wants attendees to realize is the unique challenges women of color and LGBTQ women face as they think about how they want to achieve their goals. She said 150 attendees had already expressed interest in running for office that morning.

Among the other July 15 morning session speakers were Rep. Robin Kelly, YWCA Metropolitan Chicago CEO Dorri McWhorter, Women Employed CEO and President Iliana Mora, Kids Off the Block Founder Diane Latiker, Illinois Business Immigration Coalition Executive Director Rebecca Shi, Organizing for America National Organizing Director Jennifer Warner, Chicago Foundation for Women CEO and President K. Sujata, Bright Pink CEO Katie Thiede, Illinois state Sen. Toi Hutchinson, Planned Parenthood Illinois Action CEO/President Jennifer Welch and Access Living CEO/President Marca Bristo.

After a series of training workshops, the evening program included LGBTQ artist Sam Kirk, Youth for Black Lives co-founder Eva Lewis, Valerie Jarrett, and Hamilton singer Ari Afsar, among others. On Sunday, U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, state Rep. Juliana Stratton, state Comptroller Susana Mendoza, city Treasurer Anna Valencia, LGBTQ attorney Nabeela Rasheed, and several others addressed the crowd.

Other cities slated to hold local summits include Columbus, Ohio; Atlanta, Georgia; Miami; Albuquerque; and Philadelphia.

See www.theunitedstateofwomen.org/ for more information .


This article shared 1353 times since Wed Jul 19, 2017
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Chicago's LGBTQ+ Advisory Council sets a new course
2024-03-18
Chicago's LGBTQ+ Advisory Council held its first meeting of the calendar year on Feb. 28 at City Hall in the Loop under the leadership of the recently appointed chair Jin-Soo Huh. The LGBTQ+ Advisory Council is ...


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

NATIONAL Missouri measure, HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, judge, Texas schools
2024-03-15
In Missouri, a newly proposed law could charge teachers and counselors with a felony and require them to register as sex offenders if they're found guilty of supporting transgender students who are socially transitioning, CNN noted. ...


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

Florida settles 'Don't Say Gay' lawsuit
2024-03-11
On March 11, the state of Florida settled a multi-year lawsuit against the so-called "Don't Say Gay" law, which limits how LGBTQ+ topics can be discussed and presented in schools, The Hill reported. The settlement agreement ...


Gay News

ELECTIONS 2024 Precious Brady-Davis says climate change is top issue as she runs to finish appointed MWRD term
2024-03-08
Precious Brady-Davis, commissioner for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD), is one of several candidates running to fill three seats on the board in the March 19 election. Brady-Davis was appointed to the role last summer ...


Gay News

ELECTIONS 2024 MWRD's Marcelino Garcia discusses flooding, land use and LGBTQ+ inclusion
2024-03-08
Marcelina Garcia, commissioner for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD), is one of several candidates in the running to fill three seats on the board in the March 19 election. Garcia, who chair's the MWRD's Finance ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Altercation, mpox research, Univ. of Fla., George Santos, tech battle
2024-03-08
Video footage uploaded to Facebook showed an altercation between a state trooper and two prominent Philadelphia LGBTQ+ leaders, the Washington Blade reported, republishing an article from Philadelphia Gay News. Celena ...


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

Illinois's first openly gay elected official voices support for Cunningham
2024-03-05
Judge Thomas Chiola, who served in the Illinois Circuit Court of Cook County from 1994-2009, has officially endorsed Justice Joy Cunningham for reelection to the Illinois Supreme Court. Chiola is the first gay man to be ...


 


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.