On June 21, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky—a senior chief deputy whip and founding member of the LGBTQ Equality Caucus—attended the ribbon-cutting for the reopening of Vincent, an Andersonville restaurant in her district.
Vincent has been kept open with the help of pandemic relief programs like the Small Business Administration’s Payroll Protection Program and Restaurant Revitalization Fund. These two programs were created by Congressional legislation passed to provide relief to families and small business owners during this pandemic.
Also attending the event were Ald. And former Illinois state Rep. Harry Osterman; openly gay Vincent owner Rich Sypniewski; and representatives of U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
The ribbon-cutting was held during Pride Month to highlight the contributions of LGBTQ entrepreneurs and business owners to Chicago’s economy and community.