Human-rights officials and activists gathered the morning of Dec. 13 to share experiences and advice in observance of International Human Rights Day. The event, "Human Rights: More Than a Movement," took place in the headquarters of State of Illinois Department of Human Rights ( IDHR ).
IDHR Director Rocco J. Claps started the discussion by speaking of how Harvey Milk served as his inspiration.
"Even as a young kid I found what he was doing to be fascinating. He was doing what I wanted to dobringing himself to a job that he was elected to but serving a specific community," Claps said. "…Being director of the Department of Human Rights, I worked with a lot of you to make sure that LGBT people are reflected in the Human Rights Act."
Much of the discussion centered on widening the scope of inclusivity with LGBT civil rights, and acknowledging many persons within the community face battles beyond discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Owen Daniel-McCarter, legal director and staff attorney for TransLife Center and co-founder of the Transformative Justice Law Project ( TJLP ), said, "When we don't have an inclusive model, we often leave communities behind. … At TJLP we think of inclusivity as being more than just the 'LGBTQ alphabet' but how that intersects with classism and racism, and how we need to be prioritizing LGBTQ folks who are living in poverty and experiencing other systemic oppression at the same time as homophobia and transphobia."
"We have an enormous amount of work to continue in our state," added Rick Garcia, senior policy advisor for The Civil Rights Agenda. He said one priority should be enforcing anti-discrimination laws that are in place, while the second needs to be getting a handle on the needs of LGBT citizens facing inequality in any realm.
"[LGBT] people transcend every religious, economic, social class that we have, and that's where we see so many of the problems. ...Those are the things we have to look at," Garcia said.
Dalila Fridi, board chair for Equality Illinois' Education Project, added that, after the marriage equality victories in the state, there would be the temptation for many people to no longer engage with activism.
"There are organizations that are turning away the homeless and youth because there is no funding," Fridi said. "We can't just say 'we're done.' Travel 20 miles outside of Chicago and you'll see discrimination."
Kim Hunt, executive director of Affinity Community Services, discussed the difficulties of remaining engaged in struggles for improving human rights conditions.
"Forty-five percent of nonprofits have a budget of under $100,000," Hunt said, adding that many doing work for LGBT community and persons of color have no tax exempt status either, making it difficult for them to fundraise.
"When you look at the work these organizations are doing on the fringes of the LGBT community, it's mind-blowing," Hunt said. … In the midst of doing work that is already difficult, it is sometimes hard to hold on to your sanity and a sense of who you are as you deal with these issues on a day to day business."
Emmanuel Garcia, project coordinator for Project Vida's RAICES initiative, added that it is important to reflect on the work that has been come before one's own.
"Connect with people who've done the work and get advice from them. …When you get excited about an issue, [don't] forget that you are part of that thread or fabric of the movement," he said.
The event was moderated by Ebonie Davis of Illinois Department of Human Rights and featured an interpretive dance by ASL interpreter Phyl "Shisha" Thomas.
International Human Rights Day was Dec. 10.