Some people know what they want their life path to be from a young age. Not so for activist Alma Izquierdo.
A Chicago native from the Uptown neighborhood, Izquierdo was recently honored with ALMA’s ALMA del Líder Award for her life commitment to LGBTQ+ activism. But she’s not someone who set out to be an activist, despite being a founder of a queer Latina social club or a former president of Amigas Latinas.
Like much of her life, including her long and celebrated career as a makeup artist, she described it all as “serendipitous.”
IzquierdoI added, “Everything in my life practically, professionally, has been unplanned.”
She originally was introduced to makeup through her father’s business, as he sometimes needed help doing clients’ makeup for shoots at his graphic arts studio. As a woman studying photography in a male-dominated field, Izquierdo said she leaned into the makeup aspect in order to set herself apart.
After taking just one makeup class during her time at Columbia College Chicago, she formed a bond with a professor who then introduced her to her first job—a position at NBC 5. She soon realized makeup was a true passion.
Since 1982, Izquierdo has been an active makeup artist working at Chicago news stations, Lyric Opera and shows such as Chicago PD—where she was the makeup department head for 10 years. Now she does makeup on a freelance basis for press junkets and commercials.
She also works as a massage therapist, which she’s been doing since spontaneously attending an intro class with a friend over 30 years ago.
Her journey as an activist was equally accidental. She grew up with parents who were social butterflies and big party-hosters, and as she got older, she began hosting on her own. Friends and acquaintances then began asking her to help plan events.
Eventually, this led to non-profits asking her to help organize or publicize their events. She began joining the boards of some organizations—one of the first ones being the Lesbian Community Cancer Project, which merged with Howard Brown Health in 2007—soon after.
Izquierdo recalled when she was first introduced to Amigas Latinas.
“I was blown away,” she said of Amigas Latinas. “When I first came out, I was older, and I had no idea and no knowledge of places to go, how to meet other women. But when I learned of Amigas Latinas, my mind was blown. I was blown away to know there were people that were creating space specifically for people like me.”
In her previous organizing roles, Izquierdo said most attendees would be gay white men, which saddened her as someone looking for a community for queer women of color.
Following the tragic loss of Christina Santiago, board members of Amigas Latinas came together to draw names for the next president, but no member was openly willing to fill the shoes of someone they loved and admired so much.
Right before the name was picked, Izquierdo said she suddenly felt Santiago’s energy around her, saying she would be the choice. She was selected as president seconds later.
Coming in with no non-profit presidency experience, Izquierdo said she depended heavily on board members who reached out “far and wide” to find people who were willing to be a part of it.
“It saddens me at times to think that it’s no longer,” she said. “But it was an organic experience, and the whole life of it was organic. And, yes, we did fulfill our purpose, and I think it preceded the move within our society towards self-identity.”
Amigas Latinas eventually disbanded after fulfilling its mission to connect queer Latinas to each other, former board member Alicia T. Vega said in a previous interview. As the last president, Izquierdo saw connections and challenges happening firsthand as the queer community became more progressive.
“I feel there’s still a need for something similar to Amigas Latinas,” she said. “It’s a need for something a little broader and a little different. But during that time, I just did everything that I could to make more people aware that we existed.”
Izquierdo is also co-founder of IATSE Local 476 Pride Committee and Latina queer women’s social club Clandestina Chicago. Her Pride Committee began after a friend asked for help putting together resources for the queer community in their local union. She’s still a member of the committee today.
Monica Raymund, a former actor on Chicago Fire, introduced Izquierda to the other Clandestina co-founder Brooke Webster while planning a pop-up event. Clandestina began 10 years ago and still hosts events when the founders who are still in Chicago—Webster and Izquierdo—are available to plan them. Izquierda said it was also important to her that part of the proceeds from every event go to a local organization.
Today, Izquierdo is inspired by youth who have “stepped up and have spoken up.” She said it’s a different environment than when she was growing up and coming out, where people now openly embrace fluidity and their differences.
“They are so confident in themselves,” she said. “It just makes me so happy and proud that they’re willing to acknowledge how they feel and be proud of it, and stand up for their rights to be that way. I think that’s incredible.”