The Legacy Project held its Spring Gala Luncheon in the Empire Room of the Palmer House Hilton May 10.
This year's luncheon theme, "The Legacy Project: Making a Difference in the Lives of LGBT Youth," was an introduction to the candidates nominated for the Legacy Walk's 2013 Phase II on the rainbow pylons of Halsted Street, and a promotion of the launch of the Legacy Project Education Initiative (LPEI). The event also served as a celebration of the October 2012 Dedication of Phase I of the Legacy Walk.
"The goal for us personally, is to give kids growing up today what we did not have growing up, and that was a sense of cultural relevance and a context for their lives for people like them. Because even still today in spite of all the changes we see around us, they still go through their entire school day and don't hear a single positive thing about any gay person," said Victor Salvo, Legacy Project founder and executive director.
"Whether they come to Halsted Street or they experience it virtually, to just come and explore, and actually see that people like them, almost all of them came from very difficult circumstances without the benefit of any kind of community around them still manage to overcome their circumstances and achieve. That's the message we want to send to those kids," Salvo said.
The Legacy Walk serves as an "outdoor classroom" celebrating the contributions LGBT people have made to history and culture throughout the years.
Keeping with the educational theme, LPEI, which is co-sponsored by Illinois Safe Schools Alliance (ISSA), is part of a comprehensive effort to use the LGBT community's contributions to history to address LGBT youth self-esteem issues by challenging the ignorance from which anti-gay bullying is born.
"The truth of the matter is LGBTQ youth have very unique needs because not only do they have to deal with all the other high school stuff that everybody else has to deal with, but they have that added layer of social isolation placed upon them," said Salvo. "For every kid that's out there and proud, there are 20 that are struggling that are not coming out. We're only seeing the tip if the iceberg when we actually see gay kids. I think LGBT, they're incredibly underserved and this is not to take away anything from the challenges that school systems already have to deal with a whole variety of problems."
A display of bronze plaque mock-ups celebrating the 36 candidates for the next induction for the Phase II dedication of the Legacy Walk occurring next October lined The Empire Room.
"I love the idea of taking people who have committed so much of their own lives to create these legacies and then putting them on pylons," Salvo said. "It basically turns the pylons into totem poles and totem poles are celebrations in the Native American culture of your ancestors, so that's really what we're doing."
Sean Lewis of WGN-TV emceed the event. Legacy Project Board Treasurer Barb Silnes, 44th Ward Deputy Alderman Bennett Lawson, Legacy Project Board President Ralph Kennedy, LPEI Co-Director Dr. Gerri Spinella, Lawrence Carter of ISSA and Legacy Project Plaque Sponsorship Committee Chair Amy Maggio all spoke at the podium throughout the luncheon.
Aaron Jackson, co-founder of Planting Peace, was the event's keynote speaker. Jackson, a straight ally, purchased the house across the street from anti-gay Fred Phelp's Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan. Jackson decided to paint the house the colors of the gay rainbow flag, and Equality House was born. It reminds the Phelps family that their actions toward the LGBT community will not be tolerated.
"It's an incredible time for living," said Jackson. "I think roughly 83 percent of people under the age of 30 believe in marriage equality. Times are changing and changing fast. Especially with all these anti-bullying campaigns out there that are in our school system, I think people are recognizing that it really is time to change the message and that being gay or transgender, or whatever, we should just be accepting to all."
The house was established two months ago and Jackson's initial thought when painting it, he said, was that the house looks good, elaborating that he did not want to misrepresent the gay community.
"We're humbled by it," said Jackson. "Just all the people from around the world that have offered their support and good will whether it be financially, and or just a note saying, 'we believe in this; good job.' We receive letters every day. We didn't know the community itself would embrace it. Gay and straight alike—we're very humbled by that."
This event was the first time Jackson has formally spoken about Equality House at an LGBT event. His speaking engagements usually center on poverty and environmental issues as it relates to his organization Planting Peace, along with its deworming initiative, which sets out to deworm children in poverty stricken areas around the world. When invited to speak on behalf of Equality House, he said he was happy to offer his support, especially for a non-profit.
"To me, the whole, LGBTQ issue, the rights of the gay community, it's always been important to me," Jackson said. "I didn't necessarily know what I was going to do or what I could do, until the opportunity presented itself through the house. One thing I'm very passionate about—especially young gay youth that are … killing themselves due to a message out there that they're less than and that really resonates with me. That's where I feel like our house, sending out a counter message, 'where there's hate, there's love' [fits in]. Just that forever, now, when a picture is taken of that church, there will be a picture taken of the pride house. So that's really important to me. I've been working on changing the message."
Salvo's inspiration for the Legacy Project came in the LGBT March on Washington in 1987. Through a combination of experiencing the march, seeing the AIDS Memorial Quilt the first time it was on display and being part of the first recognition of National Coming Out Day, Salvo was consumed with the idea he was living history and it needed to be remembered along with who came before that time.
"History is not sexy," said Salvo. "For a lot of people, their high school experience kind of defined what their knowledge of history actually is and it's taught in such a horrific way. Especially older gay people, they've gone through an entire lifetime of schooling never actually having history contextualized in a personal way because anything that related to people like them was removed from the heading. What this project seeks to do is reinsert that sentence back into these biographies. We're not changing the accomplishments or anything that these people did. We're simply readjusting the lens on them to bring them into focus and in that way. It's not really about the history of gay people, it's about world history and what we've contributed to it because I think on that very fundamental level, as society advances, what we'll be missing ultimately is where we fit in history all along."
Salvo hopes the project begins to connect the dots at a fundamental level and events like this raise awareness and influence people to support the cause at hand.
"We hope that they're motivated by the education program because that's where the rubber meets the road," said Salvo. "It's when you really take this directly to youth and try to change their outlook, because they have their whole world ahead of them."
The Legacy Project is looking for sponsors for this year's plaques. See legacyprojectchicago.org .
Videos by Tracy Baim for Wimdy City Times:
Victor Salvo speaks at The Legacy Project 5-10-2013, here: www.youtube.com/watch .
Aaron Jackson of Equality House at The Legacy Project 5-10-2013 PART 1 here: www.youtube.com/watch .
Aaron Jackson of Equality House at The Legacy Project 5-10-2013 PART 2 here: www.youtube.com/watch .
Aaron Jackson of Equality House at The Legacy Project 5-10-2013 PART 3 here: www.youtube.com/watch .
