Search form

Search form

Scroll To Top
Channyn Lynne Parker
courtesy photo
Educators

Channyn Lynne Parker

Meet some of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.

The Brave Space Alliance is the first Black-led, trans-led LGBTQ+ center on Chicago’s South Side. And this year, led by Channyn Lynne Parker, it launched a behavioral health initiative, offering on-site therapy and medical services. This initiative expands the center’s impact on the community, giving Chicagoans a new way to be empowered to reach a future where everyone can flourish.

Parker, in addition to being CEO of Brave Space Alliance, is a human rights advocate, public speaker, and community leader who has spoken at the White House. This tireless worker currently serves as a commissioner for the Illinois Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes and the Illinois Commission on Poverty Elimination and Economic Security.

“Being a trans woman has taught me that my identity is not a burden but a beacon,” she says. “I don’t have to prove my worth to anyone — I belong here, and my success is my response to those who doubted me. When the world tries to silence you, let your success be your voice. Justice without restoration isn’t justice at all — it’s our duty to restore dignity and opportunity to those who’ve been pushed aside.” @bravespacealliance

Jaymes Black
Erik Carter
Educators

Jaymes Black

Meet some of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.

Erik Carter

The Trevor Project — a national suicide prevention and crisis intervention nonprofit supporting LGBTQ+ youth — tapped Jaymes Black this year to helm the group’s vital work.

Black (he/she/they) is Trevor’s first Black and first nonbinary CEO. A former CEO of Family Equality who grew up in the rural South, they bring both an impressive résumé and lived experience to tackling the daunting challenges faced by today’s queer and trans kids. “To be in this role, to be who I needed when I was [a] young queer Black awkward kid in Texas, is…another dream come true,” they say.

Bullies manifest on the playground and in the political world. But through it all, Black is inspired by how many young people live openly and proudly, a resilience that comes with being part of the LGBTQ+ community.

“The way that we view the world is very different. And because of that, I think we come with…this innate strength that others don’t understand,” they say. “We’ll never give up. We’ll never give up the fight. We’ll never give up fighting for equality. We’ll never give up being ourselves.” @thejaymesblack