Join FORGE and community partners in marking the Transgender Day of Remembrance. The greater Milwaukee community will be honoring those who have lost their lives due to anti-transgender bias or violence on Wednesday, November 20, 2019. This is a COMMUNITY event — for the community, of the community, by the community. Part of joining together as a community this year and every year, is to hear multiple voices and diverse views.
We will be live streaming (and recording) the event.
Food and connection will round out the evening.
Time: 6:00 – 8:00pm
Location: Milwaukee LGBT Community Center, 1110 N. Market St., Milwaukee, WI

Speakers:

Elle Halo
Elle Halo, is a Black woman of trans experience, who is dedicated to the equity, visibility, and inclusivity of all LGBTQIA/QTPOC. She is currently an Americorps Public Ally serving as an Inclusion Health Program Assistant at Planned Parenthood of WI. She serves on the Advisory Boards of two Wisconsin Department of Health Services HIV programs and is a member of the National Black AIDS Institute Ambassadorship of Biomedical Prevention. She is also a member of the board of directors at Diverse and Resilient. She has experience as a public speaker and is a subject matter expert in areas of LGBTQIA health / Transgender health, safety, and social disparities. She is a recent recipient of the 2019 Rising Star Award for Volunteerism Recipient Black Trans Advocacy Coalition (BTAC), and the 2019 Milwaukee Pridefest Individual of the Year Award, as well as a Transfaith Bobbie Jean Baker & Gender Reveal podcast Grantee. Her mother, Evangelist Veronica Sears, is a minister and Elle’s community work honors her mother’s example of unconventional community leadership.

SunShine Ray Pop

SunShine RayPop
SunShine is a bright light who shines her wavelengths on Milwaukee as an activist, poet, artist, and supportive community member. She is a trans woman of color in the struggle who stands up for herself and others, always at the ready with a big heart and an abolitionist’s fervor. Active in social justice, poetry, art, music, and queer and trans communities in the city, SunShine spreads her light and positivity through her creativity and encourages others to do the same.

 

Beth Friedman
Beth Friedman is a passionate social justice advocate. Her oldest child MJ, who identifies as non-binary, gender queer with They/Them pronouns, has given her a fire to expand her support and passion to the Trans community and their plight. She brings a caring yet passionate voice as a loving parent to not only her own children but to those who are missing familial support or even more simply, a hug.

Spiritual Leaders

Rev. Jennifer Nordstrom
The Reverend Jennifer Nordstrom is the Senior Minister of the First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee, and where she preaches, teaches, and organizes for social justice. In 2018, the book she co-edited, Justice on Earth: People of Faith Working at the Intersections of Race, Class and the Environment, was published and chosen as the Unitarian Universalist Association’s national common read. Prior to ministry, Jennifer was a social justice organizer working at the intersections of gender, class, race, nationality, militarism and the environment.
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Rev. Jonah Overton
Rev. Jonah P. Overton is a community organizer and the founding pastor of Zao MKE Church. As a young, queer, trans (genderqueer) clergy person, Jonah has been called into ministry to build the church as queer space and organize communities and churches towards justice and liberation. Zao MKE Church is a new and growing church plant on Milwaukee’s East Side, which launched weekly Sunday services in the fall of 2019. Zao’s diverse leadership team is majority queer, trans, and/or POC under the age of 40. Zao MKE Church is emerging as a leader in the movement toward radical urban ministry among progressive Millennials. Jonah co-pastors with their husband Cameron.
 

Music

Cameron Overton
Cameron is a social worker and the worship pastor of Zao MKE Church. As a young, black, queer and trans person, Cameron’s ministry calling is to build the church into intersectional and queer liberated space. Zao MKE is co-pastored by Cameron and his spouse, founding pastor Rev. Jonah Overton.
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Addie Lipson
Addie Lipson is a community organizer, musician, and lifelong student. She is an AmeriCorps alumn and earned her Masters in Social Justice and Community Organizing from Prescott College. She currently works at The Work First Foundation as a labor researcher and case worker in the welfare system

Food

Attendees will enjoy the delicious food from Ono Kine Grindz, with vegan and gluten-free options.

ASL Interpretation

ASL will be provided by Jill Kenehan-Krey from Interpreting Solutions, Inc.

Partners

We are grateful for longstanding (and new!) partners, including:
ACLU
Wisconsin Aspergers Empowerment
Bricks
Bronze Optical
Center for Behavioral Medicine
City of Milwaukee Equal Rights Commission
COURAGE MKE
Corner House
Cream City Foundation
The Dezjorn International Foundation Inc
Diverse and Resilient (SHEBA and AVP)
Fair Wisconsin
First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee
FORGE
Gemini Gender Group
Health Connections
HRC-Milwaukee
Lesbian Alliance
City of Milwaukee Tobacco-Free Alliance
Meta House
Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division – Community Access to Milwaukee LGBT Community Center
PFLAG
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin
SHEBA
Sheperd Express
Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers
UU Church – West
UWM LGBT Resource Center
Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault
Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce
Zao Milwaukee Church