Always held on the last Sunday of Pride Month and known as the Rocks event among the community, the event featured entertainment, food and an awards ceremony that honored LGBT community activists in the African American community. Chicago Department of Health offered complimentary HIV testing. Lois Bates, a transgender woman, was honored for her community service as an advocacy work and efforts for the transgender community.
“I hope people walk away with a sense of empowerment and a sense of formality. We wanted to provide people with organizations that offered health services they needed. We wanted to speak to their health needs on a cultural level,” Michael O’Connor told Windy City Times.
Rocks Coordinating Committee was established as a way to honor, reach out and connect community leaders, organizations, and peers in the LGBT African-American community. Text and photos by Terrence Chappell