Over 200 people gathered just outside of Groceryland Food Pantry headquarters at 5543 N. Broadway Ave. May 22 to honor Lori Cannon—the late longtime HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ+ activist, Groceryland (formerly Open Hand Chicago) Co-Founder, ACT Up Chicago Co-Founder and Legacy Project Co-Founder.
North Broadway Avenue, between Bryn Mawr and Catalpa Avenues, was re-named Honorable Lori Cannon Way on what would have been Cannon’s 75th birthday.
Chicago Ald. Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (48th Ward) said Cannon was a “beloved friend, LGBTQ+ rights pioneer … our AIDS angel and she dedicated her life to helping others. We’re humbled to honor her with a commemorative street sign today right outside of Groceryland here in Edgewater.”
Manaa-Hoppenworth spoke about how Groceryland has been a “lifeline for so many in the 48th Ward and beyond” since 1995. She added that she “joins the many people throughout our community in grief over [Cannon’s] loss, in remembrance for her remarkable spirit and celebration of her legacy.”
Manaa-Hoppenworth said there is an “iconic” photo of her and Legacy Project Co-Founder and Executive Director and longtime friend Victor Salvo “holding up a sign in tribute to their friend Daniel Sotomayor. The sign said, ‘You just have to do what you can and don’t give up, because someday there are going to be survivors.’”
Manaa-Hoppenworth recalled the first time she met Cannon. Manaa-Hoppenworth visited Groceryland shortly after being elected the ward’s alderperson and introduced herself; she doesn’t remember if she said anything else. That got a chuckle from the crowd, many of whom knew Cannon’s penchant for storytelling.
U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley (IL-5) said he wore his USAID hat because it “reminds us what Lori taught us. You’ve got to care for those that no one else is going to care for and nobody else is going to love.” Quigley added that this is especially important now, when “our president has isolated us” from the wider world.
Quigley spoke about the Honoring the Life of Lori Cannon tribute that he spearheaded and got passed in the House of Representatives, which is now a part of the Congressional Record. He said he read this tribute on the floor of the House last year after Cannon’s death and shared its entirety with event attendees.
Former state Sen. Carol Ronen called the work the queer community did to organize against AIDS in the 1980s the “greatest example of activism and purpose” she has ever witnessed. She included in that the immense work Cannon did for the community. She said how much she looked forward to the lunches that Cannon invited her to, where they would “laugh and learn about each other.”
Chicago Ald. Bennett Lawson (44th Ward) said how important it is to “recommit ourselves to doing [the work] in Lori’s honor.” Lawson spoke about the Legacy Walk (a part of the Legacy Project) and the AIDS Garden being in his ward and how much those two entities remind him of Cannon and all the work she did for the community. He said he learned so much from Cannon, calling her “the AIDS angel with the fiery red hair and a personality to match.”
Heartland Alliance Food and Nutrition Manager and colleague Dana Howse said she worked with Cannon for 10 years and learned a lot from her. Howse joked that on paper she was Cannon’s manager, which got a laugh from the crowd. She said that she learned a lot about the work Cannon did when she stepped in last Dec. 30 to run Groceryland when there was flooding at the location.
Howse said, “I’m glad I didn’t have to have that conversation [about how to handle things due to the flood] with Lori because it would have been a disaster.” She added that she told the volunteers to go home, which they did and she ended up serving 15 clients and spent time listening to their stories.
Howse said she has the “best job in the world” and loves the work she does. She added that now she understands why Cannon came in every day because “she never wanted to miss out” on helping people. Howse said Groceryland will still continue to do that work.
Salvo said, “Lori would have been tickled by this turnout. To address that I have decided to read an excerpt from a speech given by Lori a few years back. Her words mean as much now as ever.” The excerpt began with a remembrance about her and a number of other activists who gathered in a Lake View living room in 1988 as veterans of ACT Up, the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt and the National March on Washington for Gay and Lesbian Rights in 1987, and the conversation they had about next steps.
Cannon said in those remarks that, “Whatever our background, we had one thing in common. Everyone we knew was either dead, dying or struggling to help someone who was headed there. We were tired, we were scared and we were angry, but we wanted, needed to do something more than sew AIDS quilt panels and mentally prepare for the death of another friend.”
From that conversation the idea of Open Hand Chicago came to fruition with their first meal delivery on Christmas Eve in 1988 and then 35 clients, which grew over the next year to 1,200 clients suffering from AIDS. Cannon’s remarks also included how the group switched from providing individual meals to groceries for their clients so they could help more people in a cost-effective way. This is how the Groceryland division of Open Hand was born.
“The successful evolution of the original Open Hand is a shining tribute to the creativity, tenacity, compassion and common sense of Chicago’s LGBTQ community which built – from the bottom up – every major institutional service provider for the HIV/AIDS community,” said Cannon. “Those of us – the survivors – have an obligation to bear witness and to celebrate our heroes… until that one day when we can close our doors for good because we are no longer needed.”
Salvo said, “This was Lori in a nutshell. It was always about the volunteers, about what so many did. It was never about herself. Today we recognize the volunteers of the mission, of course, but we are here for the woman herself … I am honored to recognize Lori Cannon as the visionary who made it all possible. Many of us wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for her.”
After the remarks, Salvo, alongside the other speakers, revealed the Lori Cannon Way street sign and then everyone sang Happy Birthday in her honor.
Also in attendance were many longtime Chicago LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS activists and Cannon’s daughter by choice Angelique Munro who wore flip flops in Cannon’s honor.
To cap off the event, attendees were invited inside Groceryland to celebrate with a special cake in Cannon’s honor.
