Chicago’s drag community will hold a protest march, “Drag March for Change,” in solidarity with the #BlackLivesMatter movement Sunday, June 14, at 5 p.m. The march will step off at Belmont Avenue and Halsted Street and end at Grace Street and Halsted, in Chicago’s Boystown neighborhood.
Organizer Jo MaMa aka Joe Lewis has called on the entire drag community and their allies to join the march. Among the speakers scheduled to participate are RuPaul’s Drag Race veterans Dida Ritz and The Vixen as well as local drag personality Lucy Stoole.
“I would like everyone to know that this is a peaceful march in support of the #BlackLivesMatter movement and that all Black trans lives matter,” Lewis told Windy City Times. “This is a protest, not a parade, and only together can we spur on lasting impactful change to end the plague of racism that has infected our world.”
Lewis also said that attendees will not need to be dressed in drag. However, he urged everyone to wear a mask due to the COVID-19 pandemic and to de-escalate any situation that might arise to ensure that the protest remains peaceful.
Lewis added he didn’t want to get into specifics about the march’s goals because things are changing every day.
To sign up as a volunteer, visit forms.gle/q4yUTpwZc28cd29aA. Lewis can be reached at jomamasayshi@gmail.com.
See facebook.com/events/s/drag-march-for-change/1168678863500128/.