Planting Power & Perseverance
Your 2026 Partners in Dignity Soiree Recap
Thursday, May 21 | Venue West
Brave Space Alliance's second annual Partners in Dignity Soiree brought together trans and LGBQ+ advocates and allies from across Chicago to reflect on the past year of collective strength and the impact of investing in
for-us, by-us, informed community care.
"At Brave Space Alliance, our impact can be measured in how much higher folks heads are. How much more dignity straightens folks' shoulders. How much more possibility people see for themselves. And how much more human people feel when they leave us than when they first walked in."
— Interim CEO Nikki Patin
In Conversation with Dr. Angela Davis
Planting Power and Perseverance's Fireside Chat joined together BSA Board of Directors Co-Chair Maliyah Arnold and author, educator, and long time liberation activist Dr. Angela Davis to discuss past and present liberation movements, intersectionality in activism, protecting Black trans women, and more.
Maliyah Arnold (she/her) is a passionate trans advocate, model, and actress dedicated to uplifting and empowering the LGBTQ+ community. In 2020, Maliyah joined the Board of Directors at Howard Brown Health, one of the nation's leading LGBTQ+ healthcare organizations, and in 2023, Maliyah deepened her commitment to community service by joining the Board of Directors at Brave Space Alliance. Maliyah also serves on the LGBTQ+ advisory council for the City of Chicago, where she helps to platform and raise awareness around issues that impact the LGBTQ+ community to city government leadership.
Black, queer revolutionary Angela Davis is internationally known for her ongoing work to combat all forms of oppression in the U.S. and abroad. Her work as an educator — both at the university level and in the larger public sphere — has always emphasized the importance of building communities of struggle for economic, racial, and gender equality.
MA: We're living in a moment when many people feel exhausted, overwhelmed, uncertain about the future — especially those of us who are doing community work and liberation work. And yet, people continue organizing, people continue caring for one another, and people continue imagining something better. So I'd love to ask ... What gives you hope right now? And how do you sustain joy and momentum in difficult times?
AD: It's been really important, as an intellectual practice, to take trans movements seriously in a way that we were not allowed to before ...
The work that we do today is going to enable a more habitable future. And that's the work, I think, that's before us now. And I thank Brave Space Alliance for doing so much incredible work in this wonderful city of Chicago.
A Reflection on Your Impact
At this year's Partners in Dignity Soirée, we gathered in community, celebration, and resistance. We heard powerful reflections on courage, justice, and the ongoing struggle for dignity. The stories, speeches, and conversations from this year's Partners in Dignity Soirée celebrated something we know to be true: our community has always survived because we show up for one another.
Today, that commitment is being tested.
Across the country, LGBTQ+ organizations are facing growing political attacks, economic uncertainty, and shrinking resources. At the same time, the need for Brave Space Alliance's services continues to grow.
Every day, Black and brown trans and LGBQ+ people rely on us for housing, food access, healthcare navigation, HIV services, community support, and a place where they are affirmed and celebrated.
In a moment when so many forces are working to push our community to the margins, your support is a powerful declaration that we belong, we matter, and we will continue building a future rooted in dignity, safety, and liberation.
The clips, photographs, and reflections from the Soirée capture moments of joy, resilience, and hope. But they also remind us why this work matters. Celebration is important. Community is powerful. And neither can exist without the resources needed to sustain them.
In times like these, giving is more than generosity.
It is solidarity.
It is a refusal to abandon our most vulnerable community members.
It is a declaration that Black and brown trans lives deserve safety, dignity, housing, healthcare, nourishment, and joy.
When systems fail, communities step forward. That is how we have always endured. That is how we will continue.
If you believe in a future where every person can live freely, safely, and with dignity, we invite you to invest in that future today.
The challenges before us are real. But so is our power to meet them—together.
For those who couldn't be in the room, the work continues long after the evening ends—and there is still an opportunity to make a meaningful impact today. Join Angela Davis and the BSA team in solidarity today.
Continue to help Brave Space grow...
Join us in Planting Power and Perseverance
"A Second Home: Brave Space Alliance"
Partners in Dignity Awardees
Individual Partner in Dignity Awardee: Reyna Ortiz, an Indigenous Mexican and Caribbean Boricua woman of trans experience, has dedicated her life to advocacy and activism in the LGBT community, promoting HIV prevention, supporting LGBTQ+ youth, assisting homeless individuals, and advocating for the rights of trans and gender diverse populations.
Individual Partner in Dignity Awardee: “Brave Space Alliance reflects what it looks like when a community is supported in a truly holistic and transformative way. You can feel it in the authenticity, in the way trans lives are not just supported but fully celebrated. BSA shows up for people in ways that are practical, affirming, and deeply human. I am proud to support this work as a partner, and to be a partner in dignity is to recognize magic when you see it and treat it that way.”
Volunteer Partner in Dignity Awardee: “Being a Partner in Dignity means always listening and learning. Making assumptions is an obstacle to dignity. I try to always learn how to better support the team and serve the community.”
Volunteer Partner in Dignity Awardee: “There have always been cruelty, hostility, and bigotry in this world, but it feels like they have all skyrocketed in the last ten years. Or maybe they've just become far more acceptable, visible, and vocal. But the strength, determination, and, well yes, bravery that Brave Space Alliance embodies and embraces gives me hope and joy, and serves as an example of how to face, and exist within, this world."
Volunteer Partner in Dignity Award, Accepted on Behalf of Phil Hundley
Nonprofit Partner in Dignity Awardee: “A Partner in Dignity is a commitment to uplift trans voices, protect their rights, and invest in their leadership. At TaskForce, we are doing that work in partnership by supporting trans-led programming and advancing equity for LGBTQ+ youth across our communities.”
Corporate Partner in Dignity Awardee: “To us, being a Partner in Dignity means showing up with intention, investing in spaces that prioritize dignity, joy, and safety and aligning our values with action. Brave Space Alliance doesn’t just provide services; they create belonging and opportunity. Brave Space Alliance exemplifies what it means to build inclusive systems of care, and we are honored to support their mission and the communities they serve.”
Congratulations and a heartfelt thank you to each of our Partners in Dignity Awardees!
Thanks to the support of these brave and dignified individuals, we can serve our community with an efficiency and abundance of care that is only made possible by fierce support for Brave Space Alliance. Each of these awardees has shown an emboldened dedication to BSA's values and mission of building a braver world for us all.
Thank You To Our Sponsors
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Dywane Fontenette Jr.