On the afternoon of July 18, Philip M. Fleming, along with the Epiphany Arts Foundation and Pride Index, presented the 19th Annual Esteem Awards and the Red, Pink, and Purple Polka Dot Poetry Slam in front of a packed room at Sidetrack Video Bar at 3349 N. Halsted St.
The awards recognize individuals in the LGBTQ+ community and their allies who have worked behind and in front of the scenes to uplift BIPOC and LGBTQ+ Chicagoans.
For the first time, the awards and poetry slam were fused into one big event with the issues of HIV/AIDS (signified by red dots), breast cancer (pink dots) and urban/domestic violence (purple dots) at the forefront. Though the themes of the spoken word pieces and poetry involved dark subject matter, this event was filled with joy, inspiration and a strong sense of community as the contenders vied for a $1,000 prize.
Recipients of this year’s awards included world renowned chef Dominique Leach (Outstanding Female Service to the Community); Travis Gayles, MD (Outstanding Male Service to the Community); Darrius Caffey (Future Leader); Myah Brown (Outstanding Service, Transgender); Peter Gaona (Artistic Expression); Brandynicole Brooks (Outstanding Female Service National); with a special recognition for Jerry Jones, UB the Cure (Institutional Award); and the Chicago Women’s AIDS Project (Service Organization).
Storie Devereaux served as hostess for the event, with noted performer and activist Goddess Warrior the Poet, C.C. Carter and Chicago Director of LGBTQ+ Affairs Antonio King serving as judges.
For such a joyous event, the performances were at times gripping, thrilling, uproariously funny, intensely dramatic—and altogether overwhelming. All of the 13 competitors whipped their three -minute allotment into an epic of emotions, drama and power.
Jahari The Hippie presented an enthralling and emotionally wrenching piece on dealing with the shock of first finding out one’s HIV-positive status. Racheal Romero spoke on the lingering gnarly pain of losing her younger brother to street violence while Rae Dawson’s unbottled rage at losing her mother to HIV at an early age played out as raw grief.
Erika with a K’s reminiscence for her gay cousin who died from AIDS when she was 15 was heartbreaking and dripping with regret. David T. Wilson’s piece addressed the powerless shame of feeling unable to protect his young Black sons from the dangers of growing up in 2026 America.
Urbin Legin’d Obasaki’s hilarious riff on the frustrated legacy of being a proud Black bear name-checked Little Red Riding Hood and Goldilocks for their political incorrectness while making some savage comments on ingrained racism and body shaming. Nikki Gee’s piece on HIV invading her romantic partnership was really about the strength and inner power to stay devoted to a partner no matter the consequences. B the Poet’s piece compared the physical and mental mayhem of a full-blown tornado to a history of domestic violence, inherited suffering, and ultimately resilience.
It was really a shame when the winners were announced, since all of the contenders were refreshing and stunning in their different ways. Still, B the Poet took the top prize with Urbin Legin’d Obasaki taking second place and Racheal Romero taking third.
Sponsors for the event included Chicago Center for HIV Elimination, BIA, Vivent Health/TPAN Chicago, Sidetrack Video Bar, Howard Brown Health, Comcast, Chicago Community Trust and AIDS Foundation of Chicago.
