By Joseph Erbentraut
It's all about 10 for Beyondmedia Education, which, in honor of their organization's 10th anniversary, will recognize 10 media justice honorees Thursday, Oct. 14, as part of a "Taste of Ten" benefit that should pique the interests of foodies and fans of media activism alike.
Since 2000, Beyondmedia Education has worked to turn the camera on women, LGBTQ youth and other marginalized communities that are often excluded from mainstream media messages. Its executive director Salome Chasnoff—honored earlier this year with the Ida B. Wells Award for Bravery in Journalism—told the Windy City Times their mission of organizing for social justice through media arts is one made even more crucial in today's economic conditions.
"In order for the landscape of communication to be as full, rich, authentic and representative as possible of all that we are, we have to continually create space for every voice, no matter how challenging that can be," Chasnoff said. "For people who don't have the skills or equipment or opportunity, you have to keep making those things available."
Chasnoff added that the 10 community activists being honored have all played important parts in supporting Beyondmedia's efforts to foster those opportunities for underrepresented communities over the past decade.
Among the honorees are several recognizable names to the city's LGBT community, including Howard Brown Health Center vice president and chief program officer Joe Hollendoner; Crossroads Fund executive director and founding member of ACT UP/Chicago Jeanne Kracher; DePaul University women's and gender studies professor Ann Russo; and Jane M. Saks, executive director of Columbia College's Ellen Stone Belic Institute for the Study of Women and Gender in the Arts and Media.
Chasnoff credited Hollendoner for his early recognition of the role media can play as a tool for providing LGBTQ youth with information on HIV/AIDS. Hollendoner was active in the "HIV: Hey! It's Viral" video collaboration between Beyondmedia, Howard Brown's Broadway Youth Center and About Face Youth Theatre.
"Joe's perception of media as a way to deliver education on HIV and access to activism to youth is the basis of his award," Chasnoff said. "HIV education for young LGBTQ people is not just important, it's critical ... This is the issue of young LGBTQ people's time."
Chasnoff described Saks, also recognized earlier this year as one of 25 Impact Award winners by the Chicago Foundation for Women and a long-staunch ally to queer Chicagoans, as "the best kind of advocate" for media activism.
"Jane has done more than anybody else in this city for media and the arts for women, especially LBTQ women. She sees media as part of the arts picture, which many people don't. She sees it as an art form," she said.
Other honorees include CLAIM ( Chicago Legal Advocacy for Incarcerated Mothers ) executive director Gail T. Smith, Chicago Public Media content development director Steve Edwards, McCormick Foundation journalism program officer Mark Hallett, Access Living's Susan Nussbaum, disability rights advocate Taina Rodriguez-Velarde and Paul Teruel of the Center for Community Arts Partnerships at Columbia College.
Beyondmedia development manager Ronit Bezalel said she is particularly proud of one final honoree—Brenda Myers-Powell—who participated in a workshop with the organization in 2005. Two years later, Myers-Powell co-founded the Dreamcatcher Foundation, a group that reaches out to at-risk Chicago teens.
"We're proud that it [ our work ] has come full circle with Brenda," Bezalel said. "She is tangible proof of how the work we do impacts peoples' lives."
In addition to the media-justice awardees, the event boasts an impressive roster of some of the city's most celebrated chefs, including Chasnoff's stepson, Paul Kahan, who is the chef at Blackbird, avec, Big Star and The Publican. Other chefs on hand will include Lula Cafe and Nightwood chef and co-owner Jason Hammel and Amazing Edibles Gourmet Catering chef Liz Valenti.
And, of course, every ticket sold to the event supports Beyondmedia's mission and continued survival in a difficult climate for non-profit organizations. While she lauded the group's dedicated core of individual donors, Chasnoff described her organization's 10th anniversary as feeling, at least in part, "like a miracle."
"It's been really hard to stay alive financially while also pursuing our mission in the best possible way to serve our community and stand for justice on a daily basis," Chasnoff admitted. "But we've worked very hard. We take our work very seriously, passionately and add a lot of humor and love for what we do."
Tickets to Beyondmedia's Taste of Ten start at $40 and are available by visiting www.beyondmedia.org/tasteoften or by calling 773-857-7300. The event is to be held at Architectural Artifacts, 4325 N. Ravenswood, at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 14.
