[Chicago, IL] — On November 30, the Association of Latinos/as/xs Motivating Action (ALMA) will present Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) Secretary Dulce Quintero with the inaugural ALMA del Líder (Soul of A Leader) award in recognition of their groundbreaking appointment as the first nonbinary individual to helm a state agency.
Quintero was appointed Secretary of IDHS by Governor JB Pritzker in September 2023. Prior to this, they served as Assistant Secretary of Operations for IDHS since 2019. Quintero, a Mexican immigrant born to migrant farm workers, has dedicated their life and career to serving and advocating for the LGBTQ+ community. Their impact in Chicago includes being one of the first Latinx organizers of the Dyke March in 2008, a founding board member of Orgullo en Acción, the lead of the Chicago Latino Pride Picnic, founder of Casa Corazón Youth Drop-in Program at La Casa Norte, and proud board member of ALMA. In recognition of their contributions, Quintero was inducted into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame in 2017.
"Secretary Quintero is the embodiment of Latinx LGBTQ+ leadership that my co-founders and I envisioned when we started ALMA nearly 35 years ago," shared Julio Rodriguez, ALMA's co-founder, and board president. "To have their voice and values leading our state's largest agency is a gift to our community and to the people of Illinois."
The award will be presented at ALMA's 2nd Annual Community Reception on November 30 at La Celia Latin Kitchen. This event is expected to draw approximately 200 attendees, including community leaders and elected officials, all coming together to celebrate the brilliance of the Latinx LGBTQ+ community and the advocacy efforts of ALMA Chicago. Sponsors include Hispanic Federation, Comcast, and Equality Illinois.
This event is free and open to the press. More information at tinyurl.com/3cjhs4ht .
The Association of Latinos/as/xs Motivating Action (ALMA) Chicago was founded in 1989 to fight for the rights of the Latinx Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, and Gender-expansive community by advocating for fairness and equality and affirming Latinx LGBTQ culture. With nearly thirty-five years of service focused on advocacy, leadership and pride, ALMA is one of the longest-serving Latinx LGTBQ+ organizations in the United States.
