UPTOWN — The Lighthouse Foundation is holding a soul food brunch where people can learn more about the organization’s efforts to ensure equity for Black queer people in Chicago’s LGBTQ nonprofits.
The Black- and queer-led social justice nonprofit‘s Soul Food Black Queer Equity Index Soul Food Brunch is noon-2 p.m. Saturday at Wilson Abbey, 935 W. Wilson Ave.
The event will feature live performances from the Lightouse Foundation’s music collective, Voices of Light, as well as a panel discussion among Black LGBTQ+ workers and a presentation by Executive Director Jamie Frazier.
Frazier will share updates on the group’s Black Queer Equity Index, which is aimed at improving nonprofit cultures for Black LGBTQ people by evaluating them in an annual report, he said. The foundation also offers programs like its Workforce Development Conference, which was created by and for Black LGBTQ people.
“When Black queer people win, everyone wins,” Frazier said. “This guiding belief is at the heart of the Black Queer Equity Index.”
The Black Queer Equity Index, launched in 2021, grades LGBTQ nonprofits on how well their organizations are creating opportunities and representation for Black LGBTQ people.
“We are establishing practices and creating opportunities that will benefit the entire organization,” Frazier said. “Black LGBTQ+ people know what we need and how to position organizations to serve us better.”
The Black Queer Equity Index builds on years of organizing to address racism within Chicago’s LGBTQ community.
In 2019, Frazier organized protests after one bar attempted to implement a ban on rap music and a neighborhood store was found selling a Confederate flag among its merchandise. The Lighthouse Foundation formed shortly after.
Tickets to Saturday’s event are free, and a donation of $35-$100 is recommended to support the Equity Index’s work. Tickets are available online.
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