Gaylon Alcaraz (born October 26, 1966) is an American community organizer and human rights activist in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. 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