Gaylon Alcaraz (born October 26, 1966) is an American community organizer and human rights activist in
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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. She is the former executive director of the
Chicago Abortion Fund. Her autobiography, ''Tales of a Woojiehead'', was published by Blackgurl Press in 2002.
Education
Alcaraz earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees from
DePaul University
DePaul University is a private, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul. In 1998, it became the largest Ca ...
. She completed one year of coursework at
Roosevelt University
Roosevelt University is a private university with campuses in Chicago and Schaumburg, Illinois. Founded in 1945, the university was named in honor of United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
The unive ...
towards a Doctorate of Education. She is currently attending
National Louis University
National Louis University (NLU) is a private university with its main campus in Chicago, Illinois. NLU enrolls undergraduate and graduate students in more than 60 programs across its four colleges. It has locations throughout the Chicago metropol ...
to earn Ph.D. in community psychology.
Career
In 1997, Alcaraz became a founding board member of Affinity Community Services, an organization dedicated to developing leadership skills for black lesbian and bisexual women. In 2011, she joined the board of directors of the
Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health and the Midwest Access Project. Alcaraz was Executive Director of
Chicago Abortion Fund from 2005 - 2014.
Awards
* The Chicago Reader Newspaper - The People Issue - "The Activist" - December 2014
*
SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective
The SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective, also known as SisterSong, is a national activist organization dedicated to reproductive justice for women of color. The non-profit defines reproductive justice as the human right to ...
- Women Warrior - November 2014
* City of Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame - Inductee - 2013
* NYU Wagner Research Center for Leadership in Action - IGNITE Fellowship - Women of Color in the Social Sector - 2013
* National Organization for Women - Women Who Dared - 2012
* Chicago Foundation for Women - Impact Awards - 2010
* Choice USA - Generational Award - 2009
* National Organization for Women (Chicago Suburban Chapter) - Fay Clayton Award - 2008
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alcaraz, Gaylon
American feminist writers
American writers of Mexican descent
21st-century African-American women writers
21st-century American women writers
21st-century African-American writers
American abortion-rights activists
African-American non-fiction writers
American non-fiction writers
Activists for African-American civil rights
Living people
1966 births
Activists from Chicago
DePaul University alumni
American women non-fiction writers
Women civil rights activists
21st-century African-American people
20th-century African-American people
20th-century African-American women