{"id":821721,"date":"2026-05-25T20:28:38","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T20:28:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/821721\/"},"modified":"2026-05-25T20:28:38","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T20:28:38","slug":"angela-davis-discusses-political-moment-at-brave-space-alliances-soiree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/821721\/","title":{"rendered":"Angela Davis discusses political moment at Brave Space Alliance\u2019s \u2018Soir\u00e9e\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Longtime activist\u00a0Angela Davis<\/a>\u00a0headlined\u00a0Brave Space Alliance<\/a>\u2019s second annual\u00a0Planting Power and Perseverance-themed Partners in Dignity Soir\u00e9e\u00a0May 21\u00a0at Venue West, 221 N. Paulina St., in Chicago\u2019s West Loop neighborhood.<\/p>\n

Davis spoke about her long history in activism as well the current cultural moment, particularly threats both political and physical against transgender Americans. She opened by emphasizing that in \u201cparticularly difficult historical moments like this one, we need to come together. We need to experience our collective strength.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"From left_ Nikki Patin, Angela Davis, and Maliyah Arnold Photo by Vern Hester<\/p>\n

Davis further recalled that she was \u201cborn into a situation that required us to imagine something different, something better in order to live as Black people in the South during a time of racial segregation.\u201d<\/p>\n

She was involved in activism from an early age. Her mother was an activist for the Southern Negro Youth Congress (where she was an officer and prominent organizer) so it was ingrained into her at an early age. She added that her mother was able to witness an address by W.E.B. DuBois shortly before she was born.<\/p>\n

\u201cI cannot imagine life without the dreams and sense of collective strength that comes from working around all of these issues \u2026 of Black liberation \u2026 gay liberation \u2026 and struggling against climate change,\u201d said Davis.<\/p>\n

The discussion turned to protecting Black trans women. Davis said the recent awareness of the intersectionality of issues and movements means that \u201cyou can\u2019t be for the freedom of one [marginalized] group\u201d at the exclusion of other marginalized groups.<\/p>\n

Davis further pointed out that positive \u201cchange rarely comes from above,\u201d which is why community organizing is so important.<\/p>\n

Davis said, \u201cHope is not negotiable \u2026 it is a discipline. It\u2019s our job \u2026 to help generate and create hope. That is how you encourage people to get involved in movements for radical change. This is a terrible moment\u201d but there is also good things that have happened because people have refused to give up.<\/p>\n

She just turned 82 and and has \u201cseen a lot.\u201d Davis pointed out that, \u201cWe are not even aware that the change is happening because we inhabit the present so fully.\u201d She said it is the responsibility of those living today to make the world a better place for the people \u201cwho are coming after us.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Davis also praised the work Brave Space Alliance has done and is doing to make things better.<\/p>\n

\"\"Maliyah Arnold Photo by Vern Hester<\/p>\n

\"\"Nikki Patin Photo by Vern Hester.<\/p>\n

Brave Space Alliance Board Co-Chair Maliyah Arnold conducted the discussion with Davis. Earlier in the evening, Brave Space Alliance Interim CEO Nikki Patin spoke about the impact Brave Space Alliance has had on the community.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Patin spoke about a woman who came in looking for clothes and left with a plan for her future, which included going back to school.<\/p>\n

She added that, last year, 4,898 people visited their pantry and, \u201cThey were a little less hungry.\u201d Meanwhile, 2,139 people visited their\u00a0Dignity Suite<\/a>\u00a0and \u201cfelt a little more human,\u201d while 226 people \u201casked for and received services\u201d and \u201cleft feeling less alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Patin said,\u201d We want to hold hunger at bay for another 5,000 people next year \u2026 We want to expand our Dignity Suite services\u201d offer more services and \u201cexpand our behavioral wellness offerings to include long-term clinical therapy access and more. We want to build relationships with real estate developers and private landlords to build safe pipelines for trans people, especially Black and Brown trans people, to have access to affordable, permanent affirming housing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Patin added that they are looking for a larger location for their headquarters and satellite locations across the city to serve more people in need.<\/p>\n

\"\"Brave Space Alliance staff with Angela Davis Photo by Vern Hester<\/p>\n

\u201cTrans people were relegated into the corners of the LGBTQ community,\u201d said Patin. \u201cTrans people have always been around and vocal organizing, supporting, but never really amplified in the way the rest of the alphabet is. Brave Space Alliance is helping change that in Chicago \u2026 It is now the bedrock of the LGBTQ community centers in Chicago.<\/p>\n

\u201cFolks still think that human rights and the dignity of trans people and LGBQ people are debatable, negotiable. Our policies to be voted on or laws to pass rather than a simple, irrefutable reality. The reality is that we are human, we are here and we aren\u2019t going anywhere. This country, this state and this city belong to us to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Partners in Dignity Awards were presented by Brave Space Alliance Community Engagement Strategist Aicha Chehmani and Brave Space Alliance Director of Programs Nikiya Pruitt.<\/p>\n

\"\"Reyna Ortiz with Winter Diorr Photo by Vern Hester<\/p>\n

\"\"Jose Rivas accepting for Phil Hundley with Winter Diorr Photo by Vern Hester<\/p>\n

\"\"Kennedy Sandoboe with Winter Diorr Photo by Vern Hester<\/p>\n

\"\"Chaundre White, center with Aicha Chehmani and Winter Diorr Photo by Vern Hester<\/p>\n

City of Chicago Mayor\u2019s Advisory Council on LGBTQ+ Affairs member Chaundre White and Taskforce Prevention and Community Services Program Director Reyna Matoaka Ortiz received Individual Partners in Dignity awards while Kennedy Sandoboe and Phil Hundley (Jose Rivas accepted the award in Hundley\u2019s absence) received the Volunteer Partners in Dignity awardees.<\/p>\n

\"\"Dr. Christopher Balthazar Phd, MA, accepting from Winter Diorr Photo by Vern Hester<\/p>\n

Taskforce Prevention and Community Services received the Nonprofit Partner in Dignity award and Old National Bank received the Corporate Partner in Dignity award. Executive Director Chris Balthazar accepted the award on behalf of Taskforce Prevention and Community Services and Old National Bank leadership members Corliss Garner, Andrew Miller and Rosendo Montalvo accepted the award on the bank\u2019s behalf.<\/p>\n

\"\"From left_ Winter Diorr, Andrew Miller, Rosendo Montalvo, Corliss Garner, and Aicha Chehmani Photo by Vern Hester<\/p>\n

\"\"Chicago Trans Voices Cabaret in performance Photo by Vern Hester<\/p>\n

The event also featured performances by Trans Voices Cabaret Chicago, queer ballet dancers Brandon Avery and Eona Sae Bae Carey and cellist David Sands. DJ AJ spun tunes throughout the evening.\u00a0The soir\u00e9e\u2019s emcee\/host, Winter Dior, performed the song \u201cI\u2019m Every Woman\u201d for the raucous crowd.<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Longtime activist\u00a0Angela Davis\u00a0headlined\u00a0Brave Space Alliance\u2019s second annual\u00a0Planting Power and Perseverance-themed Partners in Dignity Soir\u00e9e\u00a0May 21\u00a0at Venue West, 221…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":821722,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5124],"tags":[234278,236820,337832,960,5386,1818,19746],"class_list":["post-821721","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-chicago","tag-angela-davis","tag-blacklines","tag-brave-space-alliance","tag-chicago","tag-il","tag-illinois","tag-transgender"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116637107387956408","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/821721","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=821721"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/821721\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/821722"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=821721"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=821721"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=821721"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}