The board of directors of Affinity Community Services—a Black- and queer-led organization on Chicago’s South Side dedicated to social justice in Black LGBTQ+ communities—has named Latonya Maley (she/they) as the organization’s newest executive director.
Maley follows in the footsteps of such individuals as Kim Hunt (now with AIDS Foundation Chicago’s Pride Action Tank) and Imani Rupert-Gordon (who now heads the National Center for Lesbian Rights).
Maley had been Affinity’s interim executive director for the past six month, and her duties were primarily administrative. However, she has also taken on an activist role, including participating in a June march through Lake View that aimed to call attention to social-justice issues affecting LGBTQ+ people while centering the Black trans community.
Previously, Maley was involved for several years with Howard Brown Health, including being the director of Howard Brown’s Broadway Youth Center.