Two new rainbow crosswalks were installed in Chicago, including on the South Side near one of the longest running Black- and LGBTQ+-owned businesses in the country.
The crosswalks, designed after the Progress Pride flag that incorporates colors to represent the transgender community and people of color, were unveiled Sept. 26 at the intersection of Jeffery Boulevard and 71st Street in South Shore and Sept. 27 at Farragut Avenue and Clark Street in Andersonville.
The initiative was a partnership among the city’s Advisory Council on LGBTQ+ Issues, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office and the Chicago Department of Transportation.
Community leaders at both unveiling ceremonies said the crosswalks represented the diversity of Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community across the entire city. They are also a celebration of nearby legacy LGBTQ+-owned businesses, including Jeffery Pub, 7041 S. Jeffery Blvd., and Women & Children First, 5233 N. Clark St.
“This is a reminder that LGBTQ+ folks are in all neighborhoods in Chicago,” said Jin-Soo Huh, chair of the LGBTQ+ advisory council. “We are in every neighborhood, and this is also a reminder that there are also institutions like Women & Children First, Jeffery Pub and so many others.”
In an emailed statement, Johnson said the crosswalks represent efforts to uplift LGBTQ+ people in all parts of the city.
“The power of the rainbow, and all it represents for our LGBTQ+ community in Chicago, is not defined by one neighborhood or confined to one ward,” Johnson said.
Jamal Junior, owner of Jeffery Pub, said the South Shore crosswalk was a step toward recognizing the Black LGBTQ+ community on the South Side.
“For a very long time, Jeffery Pub has stood here at this corridor and has not been recognized by the city or any other departments,” Junior said. “So I’m very happy that now we can start getting some resources down here for the Black LGBTQ+ community.
Anna DeShawn, who sits on the LGBTQ+ advisory council, said the crosswalks were installed to celebrate LGBTQ+ people citywide—not just in Northalsted, where the city’s first 14 Pride-themed crosswalks were installed.
The advisory council made sure to model the crosswalks after the Progress Pride Flag to emphasize the contributions of Black, Brown and transgender people within the community.
“South Shore has a history of lesbians and gay Black folks living over here, thriving and loving their neighborhood, so I’m so glad we got this crosswalk here,” DeShawn said. “People in this neighborhood need to know that they’re affirmed here too—not just on the North Side.”
Trina Truluv, organizer of Chicago Urban Pride, which throws LGBTQ+ events across the South Side, said she hopes the new South Shore crosswalk will encourage more LGBTQ+ people, businesses and resources to settle in the neighborhood.
“We’re trying to build bigger things here on the South Side, especially for the Black LGBTQ+ community,” Truluv said. “This crosswalk will bring more awareness that we exist here, and hopefully lead to more clubs, cafes and other businesses for LGBTQ+ people over here.”
In Andersonville, community leaders said the new crosswalk symbolizes the neighborhood’s values of inclusion.
“For some people, some paint on a street might seem like nothing, but to us it means progress,” said Ald. Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (48th Ward). She added that the crosswalk represents “our dedication to the neighborhood [and] that we’re going to continue working to make sure Chicago is a safe, welcoming and vibrant community for everybody, no matter who you are or who you love.”
Longtime community activist Robert Castillo, who also sits on the LGBTQ+ advisory council, attended both unveiling ceremonies. He said he’d like to see even more crosswalks like this, including some representing the Bisexual Pride Flag, installed in other parts of the city.
Castillo, who lives in Logan Square, said he’s already reached out to local Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa to suggest a Pride crosswalk in his ward.
“I just imagine the thousands of people that will cross these intersections and see themselves reflected,” Castillo said. “Never underestimate how that visibility can impact people.”
