"Fiesta! Day of the Dead" on Oct. 31 celebrates those who have passed from HIV-related illnesses

Chicago House and Social Service Agency is celebrating the lives of those who have fallen to HIV-related illnesses, with a tribute to their ongoing legacy.

On Halloween night, "¡Fiesta! Day of the Dead" will be held from 6-11 p.m., at the National Museum of Mexican Art (1852 W. 19th St.), themed after 'Day of the Dead,' which is held annually on Nov. 1. In Latin American culture, death marks a natural part of the life cycle and the holiday is not observed as a day of mourning, but rather, it is believed that fallen loved ones awake and celebrate too.

"I am extremely excited that we are able to host an event that celebrates Latinx culture while also celebrating LGBTQ identity," said Alfredo Flores, Care Coordinator at Chicago House. "The idea (for) the event came about when Latinx staff at Chicago House openly dialogued and critiqued the lack of space available to celebrate and even recognize the intersectional experiences of individuals and communities who are LGBTQ and Latinx. 

"The political climate has instilled fear in many immigrant communities, so Chicago House came together to develop a community event to bring awareness of social services that the Latinx community can access regardless of citizenship status or language barriers. 

"When thinking of death, one typically thinks about sadness. (But) Day of the Dead is not meant to be somber, instead a celebration of life. It is meant to remember those who have passed and to commemorate their continued contributions and legacy to the world. We want to honor Latinx individuals who have passed due to HIV-related illnesses in a way that celebrates their life and their impact in our community."

Flores, 24, who lives in Archer Heights on Chicago's south side, added that the goal for the event is to celebrate Latinx LGBTQ culture in the context of community development. "This means investing in Chicago House's relationship with Latinx, LGBTQ community members and allies by enacting a fun and spiritually-engaging event, while extending programmatic services: providing sexual health screenings, condoms, educational materials, and referrals to PrEP and treatment," he said.

At the event, in tradition with Day of the Dead, there will be an altar – and people will be allowed to place an ofrenda, a collection of objects that hold specific meaning to the person's diseased, intended to welcome them to the altar. "The altar will pay tribute to those who have made an impact in the Latinx, LGBTQ community who passed from HIV-related complications," Flores said. "We also seek to create opportunities for community members to speak about their loved ones who were impacted by HIV.

"The mixing of LGBTQ identity with Day of the Dead is not very common. HIV/AIDS is stigmatized within the Latinx community. This event will highlight stories of those who have passed, but their identity or HIV status (will not be) talked about. Trans people have often been misgendered after their death by their own families; people who passed from HIV-related complications have been shamed and those identifying as LGBTQ have had their stories erased at the time of their death. We want to share their stories and embrace their identities and struggles. We want to make it known that LGBTQ individuals exist in Latinx culture and should not be erased. The event will mix the cultural festivity of Day of the Dead to create visibility for stories that might have never been embraced."

Flores' work for Chicago House is intertwined in the HIV community, as he links individuals who are newly diagnosed with HIV or whom have fallen out of care to primary medical care and HIV treatment. He also links individuals to PrEP – the daily pill that protects against HIV. "I mainly work with individuals who are undocumented and/or monolingual Spanish-speakers," he said.

Chicago House & Social Service Agency is the lead organization for the event with sponsorship by CALOR, FLUX, LOUD, Esperanza Health Centers, League of United Latin American Citizens, and Revolution Brewing. Chicago House also will be partnering with Corazon Community Services. These organizations have an incredible history of working with and for the Latinx community.

"This inter-organizational collaboration came about after partnering for National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day on October 15. Every organization, plus the Puerto Rican Cultural Center, took part in our Taco Tuesday and HIV Screening event. Each organization stationed their mobile testing van in front of a local Mexican restaurant and provided free HIV screenings," Flores said. "Stationed in four different locations throughout Chicago (Pilsen, Little Village, Humboldt Park, and Logan Square), we offered free tacos to those who received an HIV screening.

"For this (upcoming) event, it is very important to highlight the stories of the individuals who have been erased due to stigma against HIV and the LGBTQ community. This event is highlighting individuals who have been impacted by HIV status, Latinx and LGBTQ identities and experiences. 

According to data from Chicago's Enhanced HIV/AIDS Reporting System in 2017, Latinxs accounted for 22 percent of new HIV diagnoses and 19 percent of all prevalent cases in Chicago. Amongst Latinxs, the majority of new diagnoses comprised MSM between the ages of 30-39, representing 34.3 percent of all new diagnoses, with age-groups 25-29 and 20-24 trailing at 26 and 11 percents. 

Neighborhoods such as South Lawndale and the Lower West Side, and the surrounding suburbs such as Cicero and Berwyn, encompass some of the Latinx communities hardest hit by HIV, yet encounter noticeable gaps in HIV services, sexual health screening sites, PrEP providers, and infectious disease specialists, Flores said.

"This event will allow Chicago House to invest in building a relationship with the Latinx LGBTQ community in the West and Southside of Chicago, an often neglected area in the provision of sexual health services," Flores said. "Furthermore, Chicago House intends to show that eradicating HIV means ending racism and other oppressive structural factors that influence peoples' social determinants of health. Paying attention to the realities of how race, sexuality, gender, and class determine health outcomes for people who identify as Latinx LGBTQ, Chicago House intends to build on anti-oppressive practices in social work and community development."

This year's "Fiesta" is a follow-up to the 2018 event that had the theme, "Noche de Estrellas" (Night of Stars), in which Chicago House paid tribute to Latinx celebrities with live performances.

"During the planning process (for this year's event), we wanted to make sure to hire individuals who represented the LGBTQ Latinx community. We expect to have LGBTQ youth and/or LGBTQ Latinx individuals attend, but all community members are invited to celebrate," he said. "The event will be deemed a success (if we are) able to screen 50 individuals for HIV and providing referrals to PrEP. This event is meant to be fun for the community, but we also want to encourage people to access services and sexual health conversations."

The event will be hosted by Paulina Roe from 1035 KISS FM and Margaret Y Ya from La Mas Draga (finalist). There will be performances by Naysha Lopez, Tatiana Hazel, Valentine Addams, Chamilla Foxx and others.