The Black, Latiné and LGBTQ+-led nonprofit TaskForce Prevention and Community Services (TaskForce) held its second annual Vogue For Good event honoring the creativity, resilience and legacy of Ballroom culture and LGBTQ+ community leadership Oct. 15 at City Hall in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood.
For the second year in a row, TaskForce honored community leaders with its now annual Legacy Awards. At last year’s event, TaskForce Executive Director Chris Balthazar said these awards would henceforth be named after those first recipients.
Chicago Black Gay Men’s Caucus Executive Director Keith Green received the Antonio King Stars Award; community leader, HIV/AIDS activist and health care advocate Sidney Thomas received the Dr. Margo Bell Icon Award and AIDS Foundation Chicago Prevention and Community Partnerships Senior Vice President Cynthia Tucker received the Dr. Lisa Henry-Reid Legendary Award.
King, City of Chicago’s first-ever LGBTQ+ Affairs Director, presented Green, Thomas and Tucker with their awards. He spoke about his time working for TaskForce over 20 years ago which included planning the organization’s first fundraiser called Art of Living. King also brought greetings from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.
Green said Bell has been a great influence in his life as a mentor and friend and was the one who asked him to serve as TaskForce’s board chair which he did for a period of time. He called King an “incredible colleague” and said an “award bearing your name carries a responsibility I take very seriously; to keep showing up, listening and making space for others.” Green also spoke about the importance of opening doors for one another which Bell did for him, he did for Balthazar and King has done for so many people.
Thomas said it was a very different world when he started this work in 1985 where they were talking to churches about being welcoming spaces for HIV-positive members, funeral homes who were refusing to provide services for those who died of AIDS and government officials who didn’t want to fund the Black community. He spoke about the progress that’s taken place over the decades and also how concerned he is about the backward turn happening in the United States.
He focused on the current Medicaid and SNAP cuts and “all the things that made people’s lives better including HIV care” which are in jeopardy now. He said these are the things he and others in his generation worked to improve and he doesn’t want to see that erased. Thomas stressed the importance of staying focused and practicing self-care to continue this work because “we have to fight” these cuts in order to “keep our communities viable.”
Tucker said she is “humbled” to receive an award named after Henry-Reid who accomplished so much “throughout her distinguished career.” She added Henry-Reid “demonstrated exceptional leadership, compassion and vision in the HIV field and touched countless lives through her commitment to care, advocacy and service while also mentoring and collaborating with so many of us who are in this work, including myself.” Tucker said she has been fortunate to partner with Henry-Reid on a variety of initiatives over the years.
This recognition has made Tucker think about the people who have been impacted by the work she has done, not the specific programs or projects she has been involved with or her job titles. She said these people are why she does this work and the “greatest lesson I have learned is meaningful change occurs when we listen. When we build trust and we create opportunities for people not simply to survive, but to thrive.”
Balthazar said TaskForce is much more than an organization; it is a community and place where “LGBTQ+ young people and especially Black and Brown young people can walk through our door and know they are welcomed, affirmed and valued.” He added these young people “shape who we are, what we do and the kind of community we are continuing to build together.”
Additionally, Balthazar spoke about the thousands of community members who utilized TaskForce resources last year including the Vogue School, HIV and STI testing, PrEP and HIV treatments, case management, workforce development, mental health supports, food, clothing, health care and “sometimes simply a safe space where they could be themselves.”
Balthazar said this year they have provided over 650 HIV tests, over 125 young people are participating in their employment and leadership programs and they have distributed more than 53,000 pounds of food to the community. Balthazar said, “every one of these numbers is a person” who has benefitted from the work TaskForce does.
TaskForce Board Members and event Co-Chairs Brandon Jordan and Krystie Murry also spoke.
The event also featured performances by Figure 8 who showcased their signature vogue dance styles and DJ Hannah Viti spinning tunes.
