The Association of Latinos/as/xs Motivating Action (ALMA) Chicago honored LGBTQ+ activist, organizer and mentor Alma Izquierdo at its 4th annual community reception that celebrated Latinx LGBTQ+ leadership, visibility and impact Oct. 16 at Barcocina Lakeview, 2901 N. Sheffield Ave.
The ALMA del Líder Award was established in 2023, according to the organization, “to recognize leaders who embody the spirit of servant leadership in their personal and professional lives—particularly in advancing the rights and visibility of Latinx, LGBTQ+ and other marginalized communities.”
Founded in 1989 during the AIDS epidemic, ALMA Chicago has provided support, resources and advocacy for the Latinx and LGBTQ+ communities for 36 years.
ALMA Board Chair Julio Rodriguez spoke about Izquierdo as one of those “leaders in our community” whose decades-long advocacy work is not lauded in media spaces like it should be. He added that whenever Izquierdo is asked to help she says, “Tell me where, tell me when and I’ll be there.”
Izquierdo, a multimedia makeup artist, was a co-founder of both Clandestina Chicago and the IATSE Local 476 Pride Committee as well as Amigas Latinas’s final president.
ALMA Board Chair Julio Rodriguez, ALMA del L¡der Award recipient Alma Izquierdo and ALMA Executive Director Manuel Hern ndez-Nu¤ez. Photo by Carrie Maxwell
Rodriquez said when Amigas Latinas folded, Izquierdo’s only ask was that ALMA include everyone in the Latinx LGBTQ+ community within their organization so Latinx queer women would still have a voice. He added that this is a work in progress for ALMA and there is a “long way to go to really include the voices of our women’s community.”
He said the work of Chicago’s Latinx activists “even more important today” due to the recent ICE raids in Chicago and elsewhere in the United States. Rodriguez added that the Latinx community in this country are Americans no,w no matter what their immigration status is.
“They should not have to go back,” said Rodriguez. “They built families here. They built homes and businesses and it’s our job in this room to think about what I can do every day.”
Izquierdo said she is “deeply honored and profoundly humbled” to receive the award and especially since it’s from ALMA who have helped her with her own activism journey.
“When I first became involved with our LGBTQ+ community decades ago, I was simply trying to do my small part in the ongoing fight for justice and equality, and to help create safe spaces for us to celebrate our authentic selves,” said Izquierdo. “…I hope to serve as an example of how one person, taking a series of small actions, can create a powerful impact.”
She said small actions—like showing up consistently and reliably, stepping up with one’s resources and skills, lifting other people up who need assistance, standing up for what’s right and getting fired up to demand change—all build movements, have power and “motivate others to do the same.”
“I am acutely aware of the reality we are currently experiencing,” said Izquierdo. “I would be remiss not to acknowledge the fear, anxiety, rage and sense of hopelessness many of us might be feeling right now. We’re witnessing unbelievable threats in our communities … It’s heavy and overwhelming.
“Nevertheless, right now, it’s vital for our wellbeing that we find ways to come together, to find a moment of peace, to find love, to find support and allow ourselves to fully embrace moments of joy like this one … Viva mi gente, mi comunidad, nuestra cultura y nuestra fuerza.”
ALMA Executive Director Manuel Hernández-Nuñez thanked everyone for “showing up during a time when it’s easier to just stay home. When it’s easier to cede power and just let the pressures of the world to take over. … In a time in which we are being told don’t go outside, don’t go to public gatherings and go back into the closet. It’s now more than ever that we have to stand up unapologetically in our totality as people.”
ALMA Community Engagement Specialist Elizeth Argelles. Photo by Carrie Maxwell
ALMA Community Engagement Specialist Elizeth Argüelles spoke about ALMA’s inaugural Latinx and LGBTQ+ Advocacy Leadership Institute of which she was a member. She said the leadership institute “not only allowed me to see myself as a leader, but it also allowed me to feel in community, and in times like this we need that reminder that we aren’t alone and we can’t do this work alone.”
Other ALMA inaugural Latinx and LGBTQ+ Advocacy Leadership Institute members include Aces Lira, Ebenezer Concepcion, Iselle Jimenez, Milani Varela, Lissette Torres, Rene Castillo, Saul Avina, Jr. and Aisaiah Pellecer.
Past award recipients included Illinois Department of Human Services Secretary Dulce Quintero and Hispanic Federation President and CEO Frankie Miranda.
The event also included two lively and athletic drag performances by Angelise K. LaRue who is also a graduate of ALMA’s inaugural Latinx and LGBTQ+ Advocacy Leadership Institute.
Drag performer Angelise K. LaRue. Photo by Carrie Maxwell
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