Jazz legend Dee Alexander wows audience at Rainbow Railroad benefit concert

Renowned jazz singer Dee Alexander and the rest of her quartet—Miguel de la Cerna (keyboard), Junius Paul (bass) and Ernie Adams (percussion)—headlined Rainbow Railroad’s annual fall concert fundraiser, When I Am Free, Oct. 23 at the historic Jazz Showcase in Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood.

When I Am Free also celebrated Rainbow Railroad’s recent partnership with the U.S. State Department’s Welcome Corps program, which invites any five citizens or permanent residents to form a private sponsorship group to welcome and help settle a refugee. 

Rainbow Railroad refers to these teams as Communities of Care —many of which are composed of LGBTQ+ people and allies dedicated to these newcomers who have fled anti-LGBTQ+ persecution to ensure they are welcomed by people who are committed to their well-being and ability to live and thrive in the U.S.

“Tonight is an evening that joins music with mission,” said Rainbow Railroad USA Board Chair Bruce Koff to kick off the evening’s festivities. “The music, of course, is a performance by the people whom I regard as among the greatest jazz musicians in the world who also happen to be products of this wonderful city. … The mission is simple: to provide lifesaving assistance to people around the world fleeing anti-LGBTQI+ oppression by raising funds to support the work of Rainbow Railroad.”

Koff noted that Rainbow Railroad, which was inspired by the Underground Railroad, “has helped 15,000 at-risk LGBTQI+ individuals get to safety since its founding in 2006.”

Alexander, de la Cerna, Paul and Adams wowed the sold-out crowd with their immersive signature performance that featured the songs “Live,” “We’ll All Be Free,” “Feeling Good,” “Lonesome Lover,” “As Long as You’re Living,” “Truth,” “Nature Boy” and the final song “I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to be Free,” which had the audience clapping to the beat and on their feet to cheer Alexander and the band members. 

Koff said he joined forces with his husband Mitchell Channon and three of their friends to create Chicago’s first Community of Care, which was only the second in the U.S. They subsequently helped Welcome Corps newcomer Herberth, a gay man who was born and raised in El Salvador, resettle in Chicago. Herberth was granted refuge in Chicago by the U.S. State Department in Dec. 2023 and was greeted at the airport by two of the team members. 

Noting Herberth’s kindness and courage, Koff described how the experience of helping Herberth enhanced his own life and provided him with a greater sense of hope, purpose and humanity. Herberth described the difficult social conditions for LGBTQ+ people in his home country, which ultimately led to his being pursued by security forces because of his gay identity. He noted that this required him to move from place to place in order to escape imminent danger.

When asked about his first impressions of the U.S. when he arrived late last year the first thing that came to his mind was safety. He added that he “was full of emotion.” 

Herberth, who as a refugee possessed work authorization from the government upon his arrival, said he first found a job in a restaurant kitchen. He added that he is now employed full-time as a caseworker for a social service agency serving Spanish-speaking families, is planning to return to college and works part-time at a Starbucks as well.

Rainbow Railroad’s Head of Strategy Nishin Nathwani praised the “vibrant Chicago community” that he described as “one of the heartbeats” of Rainbow Railroad’s work in the U.S. He noted that these annual benefit concerts, which have occurred since 2019, have already raised over $250,000, all of which has gone to assist LGBTQI+ refugees to access pathways to safety.

Nathwani said, “Since Rainbow Railroad launched our version of the Welcome Corps program last year, over 250 individuals have rallied across the country to bring over 23 LGBTQI+ people into their lives, communities and their homes.

“With election time just around the corner, programs like Welcome Corps, which are critical for LGBTQI+ refugees, are at risk. So in this context, the next weeks and months represent a really critical period to mobilize around queer and trans refugees. We at Rainbow Railroad have already scaled up our advocacy efforts to make sure that the issue of LGBTQI+ persecution and displacement remain top priorities here in the U.S. and on the global agenda.”

Finally, Nathwani announced that Rainbow Railroad had recently been granted Special Consultative Status by the United Nations Economic and Social Council, representing  a milestone in advocacy for forcibly displaced LGBTQI+ people around the world. 

Noting the political and social challenges that currently face LGBTQI+ people worldwide and in the U.S. both Koff and Nathwani urged attendees to donate to Rainbow Railroad to support its work, and to join or create their own Community of Care to help resettle more LGBTQI+ refugees in Chicago.