On the evening of Oct. 22, the Association of Latinos/as/xs Motivating Action (ALMA) held its 5th Annual Community Reception at Barcocina Lakeview, at 2901 N. Sheffield Ave.
A packed room of supporters, activists, and current and former ALMA board members were treated to an extended cocktail reception, award presentations and a drag performance featuring artist Angelise K LaRue.
This year’s awardees of the ALMA de Lider Award included Jessica Carrillo-Guerrero and Dan Ingram. Other attendees included state Sen. Karina Villa; Chicago Director of LGBTQ+ Affairs Antonio King; activist Eric Amaya; AIDS Foundation CEO John Peller; Ald. Peter Chico (10th Ward), Ald. Bennett Lawson (44th); and former chair of the LGBTQ+ Advisory Council Jin-Soo Huh.
During the awards segment, former ALMA Board Treasurer Orlando Reyes noted that many people work behind the scenes of the Latino and LGBTQ+ community but never get credit for their accomplishments. He emphasized that this year’s awardees were inspiring examples.
Recipient Carrillo-Guerrero, a therapist, community organizer, non-profit leader and the founder of Soluna Wellness Center, established United Latino Pride in 2006. Ingram, a senior manager of loyalty airline partnerships at United Airlines, played a part in establishing Professionals Do Pride, an annual fundraiser supporting Chicago area LGBTQ+ non-profits, in 2014. Last June, the fundraiser brought together more than 600 attendees representing over 70 organizations and raised more than $41,000 for ALMA Chicago.
Ingram said, “I didn’t plan on becoming the poster boy for Professionals Do Pride. It was the community that came out and made it what it is.”
Following the awards, ALMA Executive Director Manuel Hernandez-Nunez said, “I want to be clear about something: Our identities do not exist in isolation. … We do not stop being immigrants when we walk into a queer space. We do not stop being Black or Brown when we advocate for equality. And we do not leave our gender, our class, or our lived experience at the door when we demand justice.”
He added, “That is why ALMA’s work has never been and can never be solely about LGBTQ+ advocacy. Our work lives at the intersection of racial justice, gender equality, immigrants’ rights, and opportunity. That means our liberation cannot come at the expense of someone else’s, because none of us are free unless all of us are free.
“ALMA, 37 years ago, was born out of a need for our community to be seen, heard, and represented,” Hernandez-Nunez said.
For more information, see https://www.almachicago.org/
