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Affinity is a non-profit organization in its fifteenth year serving Chicago's black lesbian and bisexual women's community. For fifteen years, Affinity has served the black lesbian community through a combination of educational, social and community collaborations. One of the central elements of Affinity's mission has been the creation of opportunities for visibility, empowerment, and leadership for black lesbians locally, while serving as a national organizing model. Message from the Executive Director 
Onward and Upward - Bernice Johnson Reagon A recent event reminded me of the old saying that "the only things that are certain in life are change and dying." We were recently informed that Affinity has to leave the space it's called home for 10 years. We hoped to at least have the option of competing with our successor on the rent amount, but our landlord made it clear that that was not an option. So we are looking for our new home and preparing for a mid-July move. We've been talking about the need for a new home for a while. We've outgrown the current space and the organization is at a point in its development where, for many reasons, it's time to move out of the basement. It's been my experience that when you put your desires out into the universe and your intentions move in the direction of your desires, the universe responds. And sometimes the response is a sharp kick in the @#! (you know word). That's what's happening now. We're scrambling to catch up to the gift that awaits us and are putting on our big girl panties in preparation for the organizational growth spurt that is constantly revealing itself. For the next few months, we need to bring programs down to a bare minimum as we focus on finding a new home, packing, and getting settled in. And we need your help. The $15 for 15 Campaign is awaiting your contributions. It is highly unlikely that we'll find a rent as low as the one we have now for the same amount of space. Additionally, we have expanded the youth programs and will be returning to health advocacy and community building work, which have been a staple at Affinity. Furthermore, we will be doing much more political education work towards the fall, including work that helps bring black people fully into the immigration discussion, both on the local and national levels. There is much to celebrate at Affinity. We are about to graduate our first cohort of Scholars, young black women who are 18-24 and identify as lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. Alexia, Angelica, Brandy, Dani, and Patience have received 12 months of training in nonprofit management, community organizing, and social justice movements and have organized a youth summit, participated in organizing activities locally and nationally, and are nearing completion of their independent research projects. They are also helping to shape the program for the next cohort, which they will help select. I can honestly say that these young ladies are ready to lead and we have learned so much from them. Our Scholars keep us mindful of the present and the future, but we also want to take some time to remember the past during our 15th year. As many of you know, we decided not to do Jazz n July this year, but to do several smaller events instead. One of those was selling out the house at the May 28th production of E. Patrick Johnson's Sweet Tea: Black Gay Men of the South. The next one will be an afternoon at Sidetrack to honor our history and founders on July 24th. And, because Affinity was founded as a result of the work of individuals who wanted a black LGBT presence in the Bud Billiken Parade, we're planning to have a multicultural LGBTQ and ally presence in this year's parade! I also want to take a moment to thank you for your support and encouragement on my one year anniversary as executive director of Affinity Community Services. I honestly feel like I'm the luckiest person on earth and am so honored to be stretched to do this work. It's a privilege that I thank the universe for even during the most challenging times. |
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