On April 3, the Downtown Bar and Lounge was crammed with employees from a who's who of top American and global companies. PNC Bank, United Airlines, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, BMO Harris, Mesirow Financial, JP Morgan Chase, Northern Trust, CNA, Accenture, KPMG, AON, Cars.com and a host of others were represented. Although they spent the day working in different offices ( oftentimes in competing organizations ), each of the employees enjoying cocktails, dance music and spirited discussions in the sophisticated environment of the River North bar had something in common—they were a part of their company's Pride Group.
Nadia Hummer is one of three co-chairs of Wells Fargo Pride, which she said has been in operation for a quarter century. "We have always been very supportive of our employees," Hummer said. "We're doing a lot of community involvement—such as with the Chicago House—as well as a lot of volunteering and awareness."
Chad Thompson—with Bank of America's LGBT Pride Group—said that the company has an ally program with advocates that reach to the highest levels. "Our CIO, Cathy Bessant, issued a statement saying we want all of our employees to be involved in the LGBT movement," Thompson said.
Gavin Malloy, president of United Airlines' LGBT business resource group, was at his first official event. "We're in the start-up phase," he said. "We have big plans and we're looking forward to an exciting year."
Hummer added that the occasion provided a unique and surprising opportunity. "It's so nice to realize there's a network of LGBTQ folks in the corporate space," she said with a smile. "We can compare notes on what we're doing and together we can accomplish more."
The shared goal of the evening was a fundraiser for the Legacy Project—an outdoor museum and walk in Lakeview that immortalizes the historic work of LGBTQ icons like James Baldwin, Harvey Milk, Frida Kahlo and Dr. Margaret "Mom" Chung to advance society worldwide. Working with organizations such as the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance and consortiums such as Prevent School Violence Illinois, The Legacy Project is dedicated to fighting anti-gay bullying and sentiment through the power of education.
Legacy Project Executive Director Victor Salvo personally guides groups of students along the Legacy Walk and explains the rich and often surprising history behind the faces on each of the bronze plaques emblazoned on the North Halsted Street rainbow pylons. According to Salvo, British mathematician Alan Turing—the inspiration for the Legacy Project—is remembered in his hometown of Manchester, as a "victim of prejudice." But his plaque on the Legacy Walk is the only one in the world that states Turing was gay.
"We give kids who are struggling with self esteem issues—because they don't ever learn about anybody like themselves—something to hold onto by telling them inspirational stories about people who had to overcome tremendous obstacles in their lives in order to contribute to society," Salvo explained. "They didn't come from supportive environments but they still did amazing things for humanity."
Salvo said that each of the plaques costs $10,000 and requires a sponsor. The project is working on nine more for 2014. The names under consideration so far include composer Leonard Bernstein, astronaut Sally Ride, Father Mychal Judge and a plaque commemorating the Stonewall Riots. Even though this will max out the number of pylons available, Salvo said he has no intention of allowing the museum to remain static. Although the project is not making an official announcement as yet, he said he hopes to open a visitor's center in the fall of 2015. "The oldest plaques—which will have been on the street for three years by that point— will begin to rotate to the indoor facility," Salvo said. "This will make room outdoors for new plaques, keeping the museum dynamic. Our commitment to our donors is that the plaques will always be on display."
He also stated he hopes that—two years later—the visitor's center will have evolved into a full museum. "We want the 'L' of our logo to be like the Good Housekeeping Seal," Salvo said. "We want to be known as the creator of the only rock-solid, age-appropriate education materials that teach about the contributions LGBTQ people make."
For the present, Salvo used the evening to announce a unique partnership with the Equality House project. The rainbow colored building sits opposite the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, KS as a symbol of hope against hatred. The Equality House regularly draws hundreds of visitors who have their pictures taken in front of its façade while it also serves as a resource center for the international nonprofit Planting Peace. Founded in 2004 by Aaron Jackson and John Dieubon, Planting Peace is committed to a goal of "spreading peace in a hurting world." Among that organization's many projects is the operation of underground safe-houses in Uganda to provide a place of refuge for those facing terror and extermination due to the Museveni government's anti-gay policies.
Jackson spoke at a luncheon held by the Legacy Project last year and later contacted Salvo with a unique proposition. "He asked how we would feel about opening an installation in the Equality House so that people would have a reason to come inside," Salvo recalled.
Part of that installation includes 18 mock-ups of the plaques currently on the Legacy Walk. "On April 12—the day after the Day of Silence—there's going to be an anti-bullying march in Topeka and the grand opening of 'Equality House presents The Legacy Project.'" Salvo said with enthusiasm. "It's going to be amazing to be affiliated with them. We're going to bringing educational tools into the heartland for kids."
For more information about the Legacy Project, visit www.legacyprojectchicago.org . For more information about the Equality House, visit www.equalityhouse.org .
