On behalf of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, thank you for honoring our work with an Esteem Award. We appreciate your recognition of the impact of AFC's mission, which is to mobilize communities to create equity and justice for people living with and vulnerable to HIV and related chronic diseases. The organization was founded in 1985 to coordinate the efforts of health and human service organizations throughout the Chicago area. AFC aspires to create a world in which people living with HIV and related chronic diseases will thrive, and new HIV infections will be rare. AFC is guided by four strategic priorities defined in its strategic plan: 1) Improving health equity 2) Preventing new cases of HIV 3) Serving as a collaboration and knowledge center and 4) Being a bold voice for change. We work to achieve these priorities by focusing on those most-impacted by HIV, based on epidemiological data and unmet need, including young Black gay and bisexual men, transgender women of color, Black women living in high-incidence areas and Latino gay and bisexual men. We lead advocacy as well as collaborations of health and social service providers for housing, HIV outreach, prevention, and care. We are incredibly grateful for the recognition of the Esteem Awards. Thank you for your acknowledgment of our work in the community.

eta Creative Arts Foundation is proud to accept the Chicago Esteem Award for Artistic Expression. eta continues to preserve the aesthetic of African American life and cultural through the works of our artists throughout the Diaspora. Our plays are part of an epic tale of victory over tremendous adversity. The diversity of our voices matter. Each has a story to tell.

Kemati J. Porter Producing Artistic Director

Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival is the second-longest running LGBTQ film festival in the world. Reeling was founded in 1981 to recognize and celebrate the important artistic contributions that LGBTQ filmmakers have made to film culture and to counteract the stereotypical LGBTQ representation prevalent in mainstream movies with valid, meaningful, and diverse portrayals of LGBTQ characters and stories. Reeling takes place in September and presents approximately 50 programs of the best LGBTQ films from around the globe.

The National LGBTQ Task Force advances full freedom, justice and equality for LGBTQ people. We're building a future where everyone is free to be themselves in every aspect of their lives. Today, despite all the progress we've made to end discrimination, millions of LGBTQ people face barriers in every aspect of their lives: in housing employment, healthcare, retirement, and basic human rights. These barriers must go. That's why the Task Force is training and mobilizing millions of activists across our nation to deliver a world where you can be you. We are the country's oldest national LGBTQ advocacy group in 1973. Some of you remember it well and some of you had not been born yet. Most states had anti-sodomy laws on the books — and enforced them. That's what the Stonewall raid was all about. Besides having laws against it, being lesbian or gay had a profound stigma and homosexuality was still considered a mental illness. It was common for parents to send their child to a mental institution after finding out the child was gay. The founding members of the Task Force, including Dr. Howard Brown, Martin Duberman, Barbara Gittings, Ron Gold, Frank Kameny, Nathalie Rockhill and Bruce Voeller, knew it was time to create change on a national level. October of 1973 in New York City, the National Gay Task Force was started, then transforming to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. And today, we're the National LGBTQ Task Force.

The Sip unites three black men from diverse occupations and life journeys to embark on a quest to discover and report on everything from world headline news to pop culture; all from a Black LGBTQ perspective. The show airs Friday nights from 6pm - 8pm (CST) on Urban Broadcast Media.

Derrick Clifton, 29, is an award-winning writer, commentator and speaker on issues of identity, culture and politics - with attention to race, gender and LGBT rights. Their work has appeared at NBC News, The Root, Vox, The Guardian, Windy City Times, Chicago Reader and more. Clifton is the Manager of Communications for ProPublica Illinois, the first regional outpost of the four-time Pulitzer Prize winning news site dedicated to investigative journalism. Clifton, who is queer and gender-fluid, is working on a memoir aimed at help readers understand the uniquely beautiful yet turbulent coming-of-age experiences for queer and gender variant people of color. "It takes all kinds to elevate awareness of intersectionality in media and mainstream culture, and it's been the blessing of my life to help advance a Black, queer and feminist perspective," said Clifton. "This award touches me not only because of the affirmation, but because it's coming from my community."

Maria Hadden's expertise in public participation is grounded in grassroots organizing efforts for social change. In both her professional and civic life, she creates space for effective public engagement and the implementation of transformative processes. Maria is a founding board member of the Participatory Budgeting Project and from 2010-2018 led their technical assistance work in the Midwest and Southern United States. She earned her B.A. in International Peace and Conflict Studies from The Ohio State University before moving to Illinois to serve as an AmeriCorps*VISTA. Maria's interests in community voice and the role of civil society were the focus on her graduate studies at DePaul University where she earned an M.S. in International Public Service Management. Maria serves on the board of directors for Black Youth Project 100 (BYP100) and Voqal. She lives with her partner and their two dogs in Chicago, IL.

Lamont Robinson Jr. was born and lives in Chicago, Illinois. He earned a bachelor's degree in management and marketing from Clark Atlanta University in 2004, and his MBA in business administration from National Louis University in 2012. Robinson's career experience includes owning and operating Robinson and Associates-Allstate. He is currently a member on the Board of Quad Communities Development Corporation. Mr. Robinson is being honored as the first openly gay African-American person to win a primary for the Illinois General Assembly. He's currently running for the 5th Congressional District. Louis University in 2012. Robinson's career experience includes owning and operating Robinson and Associates-Allstate. He is currently a member on the Board of Quad Communities Development Corporation. Mr. Robinson is being honored as the first openly gay African-American person to win a primary for the Illinois General Assembly. He's currently running for the 5th Congressional District.

Sheridan is the Director of Transgender Relations and Community Engagement at The Center on Halsted