Legacy Walk inductees named, fundraising begins

Wed. October 26, 2011 3:55 PM by GoPride.com News Staff

victor salvo (center) with cleve jones

photo credit // frank failing
Chicago, IL - NAMES Project Creator and LGBT activist Cleve Jones delivered the keynote address at the Legacy Project celebratory kick-off gala luncheon Tuesday at the Palmer House Hilton in downtown Chicago.

"I am so impressed by the work that has been done and how it is all coming together," Jones said prior to the event.

The luncheon, which was attended by over 100 LGBT leaders and community members, served as the official kickoff to the one-year campaign to bring The Legacy Walk to Boystown. The permanent memorial will feature bronze plaques affixed to the 22 rainbow pylons along Halsted St. The memorial plaque will bear the likeness of an inductee along with a 300-word paragraph describing their life and accomplishments.

The first 36 inductees were revealed as part of the luncheon program, which was preceded by a VIP Reception that included a preview of the organization's 42-piece display and tribute to those who will be inducted onto The Legacy Walk in 2012.

The nominees included people as diverse as social justice pioneer Jane Addams; Bayard Rustin, Dr. Martin Luther King's speechwriter; Mexican artist Frida Kahlo; and British mathematician Alan Turing, the "Father of Computer Science" who broke the Nazi's "Enigma Code" to defeat Adolph Hitler.

According to The Legacy Project's creator and Executive Director, Victor Salvo, the project has been endorsed by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and dozens of community activists and business leaders.

"We are delighted to have their support" said Salvo. "It means the world to us to know all of these people recognize the importance of remembering and honoring the contributions GLBT people have made."

The Legacy Walk will be dedicated on October 11, 2012, which coincides with National Coming Out Day. 

2012 Legacy Walk Inductees

James Baldwin

Harvey Milk

Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas

Jane Addams

Barbara Jordan

Audre Lorde

Margaret Mead

Josephine Baker

Christine Jorgensen

Walt Whitman

Oscar Wilde

Virgina Woolf

Barbara Gittings

Harry Hay

Bayard Rustin

Sappho

Dr. Margaret Chung

Michel Foucault

Frida Kahlo

Dr. Alfred Kinsey

Two Spirit People

Allen Ginsberg

Rudolf Nureyev

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz

Lorraine Hansberry

Alan Turing

Federico Garcia Lorca

Alvin Ailey

Quentin Crisp

Keith Haring

Leonard Matlovich

Reinaldo Arenas

Dr. Antonia Pantoja

Kukai

The Stonewall Riot
 

MORE CONTENT AFTER THESE SPONSORS