JEFFERSON PARK — A Jefferson Park church will launch an interactive Pride-inspired event series this weekend for the local LGBTQ+ community and allies to share stories and close the divide, its pastor said.
Eden United Church of Christ, 5051 W. Gunnison St., is hosting its first Pride Jam, a two-part series that kicks off 4-6 p.m. Saturday.
Saturday’s event will be a discussion on what Pride means to different people and the work that needs to be done to advance the inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community locally and nationally, said pastor Jacki Belile, who is leading the event.
“Instead of having arguments of peoples’ rights to exist, we want to share stories from people on their journey or allies, and how much that has changed for inclusion and exclusion,” Belile said.
The series, co-planned with local conflict consultant David W. Angel, was organized earlier this week and inspired by the many Pride celebrations in Chicago. It comes as LGBTQ+ communities in Republican-led states, cities and surrounding areas face backlash and restrictive laws affecting trans, queer and non-binary people, Belile said.
Chicagoans also have grappled with anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment and hate crimes, including vandalism targeting a Lakeview church and a Jefferson Park home. Organizers increased security for Pride events this year as a precaution.
Pride Jam’s second event will be 4-6 p.m. July 8. It will be a storytelling opportunity for artists, poets and visual artists to present work related to Pride, the Independence Day holiday and how the two intersect with facets of struggle, identity and community, Belile said.
A light dinner and refreshments will be served at both events.
The Pride Jam series aims to build bridges between people with different perspectives on the Northwest Side and uplift them through art, dialogue and a meal, Belile said.
“We want to connect heart to heart. It’s just the right kind of thing for Eden to offer: create space for stories and dialogue,” she said.
Belile, who in 1999 was the first out member of the LGBTQ+ community ordained by her denomination, The American Baptist Churches, hopes the series can show how people with opposing views can live peacefully together if they practice respect.
Organizers plan to host Pride Jam annually and will build out programs based on attendee feedback, Belile said.
The series fits with Eden’s other grant-funded outreach work, which focuses on bringing together neighbors through conversations and teaching how to de-escalate political and ideological divisions, among other issues.
The church has also helped provide meals and donated items to arriving migrant families seeking asylum, Belile said.
Support Local News!
Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods. Already subscribe? Click here to gift a subscription, or you can support Block Club with a tax-deductible donation.
Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:
