Since 2007, PrideIndex.com's Esteem Awards has honored local and national organizations and individuals for their continued efforts in supporting the African-American and LGBT communities in the areas of entertainment, media, civil rights, business and art.
This year’s cocktail reception will take place in Chicago on Saturday June 30 at Sidetrack 3349 N. Halsted from 1PM-4PM. The event is free and open to the public.
Esteem Awards Finalists
These honorees were selected by a committee of past honorees who reviewed an array of nominations.Chicago Finalists
Outstanding Service, Male
Lamont Robinson, Jr.
Business OwnerMr. Robinson made history as the first openly gay African-American person to win a primary for the Illinois General Assembly. He’s currently running for the 5th Congressional District.
Outstanding Service, Female
Maria Hadden
Social ActivistMaria Hadden, Social Activist. Ms. Hadden is currently the Executive Director of Our City Our Voice, a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to support civic engagement processes.
Outstanding Service, Transgender
Vanessa Sheridan
Author and AdvocateSheridan is the Director of Transgender Relations and Community Engagement at The Center on Halsted.
Future Leaders / Outstanding Millennial Award
Derrick Clifton
Journalist and Communications ConsultantHis work has appeared in many publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Windy City Times.
Outstanding Social Services/CBO
The National LGBTQ Task Force
The uncompromising voice for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer freedom, justice and equality for over 40 years.
Special Recognition Award
Reeling The Chicago LGBT Film Fest
The second-oldest festival of its kind in the world, Reeling showcases a variety of LGBTQ+ films, including both features and shorts.
Outstanding Podcast/Internet Based Video or Audio Show
The Sip
The Sip unites three gay black men from diverse occupations and life journeys to embark on a quest to discover and report on everything from world headline news to pop culture; all from a Black LGBTQ perspective.
Artistic Expression
eta Creative Arts Foundation
eta Creative Arts Foundation was created to provide training and performance opportunities for
youth and adults. In the past 47 years, eta has evolved to become a recognized cultural
treasure not only in the city of Chicago, but nationally and internationally.
National Finalists
Outstanding Service, Male
Dr. Eric Prichard
AuthorEric Darnell Pritchard is an
assistant professor of English at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He
writes and teaches about literacy, rhetoric and their intersections with fashion, beauty,
popular culture, identity, and power.
Outstanding Service, Female
Dr. Wilhemenia Perry
ActivistPerry is the
Cofounder of LGBT Faith Leaders of African Descent, and has worked with other
churches to provide space for homeless LGBTQ young people.
Outstanding Service, Transgender
Christina Kahrl
Writer and ActivistMs. Karhl is
currently writing and editing for ESPN.com. She is an avid activist on civil rights issues
for the transgender community.
Future Leaders/Outstanding Millennial Award
D'Ontace Keyes
Artist and PhilanthropistMr. Keyes is currently the content producer for Mobilizing Our Brothers
Initiative (MOBI), where he works to promote health and wellness in Black gay and
transgender communities.
Outstanding Social Services/CBO
The National LGBTQ Task Force
The uncompromising voice for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer freedom, justice and equality for over 40 years.
Institutional Award
ONE Archive Foundation and the National Gay & Lesbian Archives
The archive, which is located at the USC Libraries, is the largest repository of Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) materials in the world.
Artistic Expression
My True Colours Festival
Their mission is to fight for social justice and to
promote cultural diversity through the arts by promoting works by and for LGBTQIA+
(lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex and asexual) individuals and
persons of color.
Artistic Expression Spoken Word
Jessica Holter
Orator and ActivistJessica Holter is
best known as founder of The Punany Poets. She created the group in 1995 after the
untimely death of Eric “Eazy‐E” Wright of AIDS. Her theater group, The Punany Poets,
has appeared on HBO's Real Sex, Black Entertainment Television, Playboy TV, London's
Channel 5 and Cinemax.
Outstanding Web Series
Brown Girls
An American comedy web series created by
Fatimah Asgher and Sam Bailey it follows two friends, Leila and Patricia, who pursue
their dreams in Chicago. Two women of color, a queer Pakistani-American writer and an
African-American musician, lean on each other to get through the difficulties of their
mid-twenties.
Outstanding Newspaper/ New Website Reporter/Columnist
Gerren Keith Gaynor
JournalistGaynor is currently Homepage Editor at Fox News digital. He is formerly the
Homepage/Opinion Editor and Digital Host for theGrio.com. He has been published in
the New York Times, ESSENCE magazine, EBONY.com, and other publications.