Lori Cannon with a Damski photo. Ald. Shiller, Newfeld and daughter Julia. Faces of Jon-Henri Damski. Rep. Feigenholtz with Newfeld. Photos by Andrew Davis_____________
Charlotte Newfeld, an activist and conservationist who has been an outspoken friend of the GLBT community for over three decades, was honored at Sidetrack, 3349 N. Halsted on Nov. 1 when she was presented with the Jon-Henri Award. The award, given at what is an annual event, is named after gay writer and raconteur Jon-Henri Damski, who passed away Nov. 1, 1997.
'Nine years [ after his passing ] , here we are, honoring [ Damski ] as well as his dear friend, Charlotte Newfeld,' said Lori Cannon, a longtime community advocate herself who organizes the event every year. 'They argued, they made up and they taught each other, so what I want to do on his anniversary is to say thank you to someone who's dedicated her life with the same ethic Jon-Henri had.' In addition, Chicago Ald. Helen Shiller read a resolution that honored Newfeld and that had been passed in City Council earlier that day.
In accepting the award, Newfeld quipped, 'It's been a long time since I've been at a loss for words.' She went on to say that her father, who came over to the United States from Poland, repeatedly said to her, 'I got here. I was lucky. You owe this country. You pay it back.'
'Hopefully, that's how I've lived my life,' she said.
She also stated that 'I'm not going anywhere, and thank you so much. I'm going to continue to speak out. You don't always win, but remember that you can make a difference.' Newfeld concluded by acknowledging her daughter, Julia, and her husband, Greg, 'who mean more to me than anything else in the world.'
Among the others who attended were Ald. Tom Tunney; Rick Garcia of Equality Illinois; State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz; and Sidetrack co-owners Pepe Peña, Art Johnston and Chuck Hyde.