The plaques are already going up along Halsted Street for the dedication of the Legacy Project's new Legacy Walk inductees this weekend.
The dedication event is Oct. 11, National Coming Out Day. The traveling ceremony, which will begin 3 p.m. at the corner of Buckingham Avenue and Halsted Street, will be conducted by youth participants from the Legacy Project Education Initiative.
Poet Audre Lorde's memorial is being sponsored by the Friends and Family of Chicago activist Vernita Gray.
Olympian Mildred "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias's memorial is being sponsored by Laura Angelucci and Jennifer Baker, Psalm One and Fluffy, Vic Richards, Chris Pritchard, Michael Shields and The Highfield Group.
Gregory "Blue" Pittsley sponsored composer Cole Porter's memorial in memory of his father, Robert Pittsley.
The only corporate sponsor for 2014, Stoli Group USA, is sponsoring the memorial for Ugandan activist and martyr David Kato Kisule.
The memorial for Fr. Mychal Judge—known to many as the "Saint of 9/11"—is being sponsored by a consortium of LGBT Catholic groups, with Dignity/Chicago coordinating.
The memorial for the United States' first woman in space, Dr. Sally Ride, has renowned WGN-TV meteorologist Tom Skilling as its backer.
This year's dedications will also feature a first for the Legacy Walk—the inclusion of an historic milestone. The bronze marker commemorating the Stonewall Riots has Paul Highfield, Myron Mix, Elizabeth A. Liechty, Ronald Puskarits, Emma and Quinn Seslowsky, Bill Wade, Steven Woods, Jeffrey Litzsinger, Joseph ( Joel ) Allen, Paul Desousa, Patrick F. Torres and Chris Pritchard as sponsors.
The seven new memorial markers will join the 23 plaques already affixed to the rainbow pylons along North Halsted Street.
The outdoor dedication event is free to the public. Following the ceremony; students, their parents and special guests will gather on the rooftop deck of the Center on Halsted for a pizza party. On Oct. 18, a dedication celebration will take place at Sidetrack; WGN-TV's Sean Lewis will host.
To purchase tickets, visit www.legacyprojectchicago.org/2014_Dedication_Tickets.html .
See www.legacyprojectchicago.org for more information .
