Affinity Community Services

03/22/2026

Happy Burning Bowl Day! Here's the line-up in one place.

Starting at 1pm!!!

03/21/2026

: 📣 TGIF Special Announcement: Burning Bowl 2026

🙌🏾 We're excited to announce that this year's honoree of the Barbara "Robbie" Smith Award of Excellence is Sandi Byrd, a pioneer Affinity member, proud le***an, poet, and community-builder.

This award honors a community member who exemplifies leadership, perseverance, strength, compassion, and integrity- all the qualities embodying the essence of our beloved Robbie (1946–2015), an Affinity founding board member, activist, and wife and mother to two phenomenal women, Phyllis Johnson and Christina Smith, respectively, who are still active in our community.

It's almost impossible to think of Affinity and Chicago's LGBT community without thinking of Sandi Byrd.

From her participation in the Civil Rights Movement, the Women's Rights Movement, the Gay & Le***an Rights Movement to and beyond…

From opening her home for women and LGBT folks to gather when bars and other community spaces were shut raided and shut down...

From taking the mic at POW-WOW Poetry and WOMB to give voice to her many stories and experiences- some of which are as painful as they are profoundly beautiful...

From creating chosen family to cultivating affirming community spaces on the South Side where Black LBTQ women and their families could be themselves unapologetically...

Sandi's presence, advocacy, friendship, and impact are deeply felt and beyond appreciated.

She's a trailblazer, wife, poet, storyteller, friend, activist, community-builder, South Sider, and one of our fave Chicagoans.

For these reasons and many more, she is Affinity's 2026 Barbara "Robbie" Smith Award Honoree.

👏🏾 Congratulations, Sandi! You are so deserving of this recognition.

03/18/2026

: 📣 🙌🏾 We're over the moon to share that THEE E Nina Jay will be our featured performer at Affinity's Burning Bowl 2026: Waves of Resistance & Resilience on Sunday, March 22, at 1pm at UIC Student Center West!

📧 Only 13 spots remain, so RSVP ASAP at bit.ly/BurningBowl2026 (case-sensitive).

e nina jay is a poet who uses words to
break silences
speak pain, love and rage
widen the space/s for
womyn of color,
particularly black diasporic
gurls, womyn, humans
to find and create
different pathways to liberation
in the reach to live
as whole human beings
as we engage in the shifting
of our worlds.

she has published three volumes of poetry:

Body of Rooms
Bricks, Blood & Water
and De~stoning: Migrations From the Outpost

📧 You don't want to miss this, so join us on Sunday for this celebration centering reflection, renewal, and community connection. Only a few spots remain, so get yours at bit.ly/BurningBowl2026 (case-sensitive).

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📆 Sunday, March 22, from 1-4pm
📍UIC Student Center West, 828 S Wolcott Avenue, Chicago, IL
♿️ The venue is wheelchair accessible.
🚾 All-gender restrooms will be available.
🅿️ Metered street parking and paid parking lots on campus are available. You can view the location here: https://bit.ly/4hbUmVX

03/16/2026

📣 We're honored to announce that Drum Divas, Chicago's premier percussive collective, will join us for Affinity's Burning Bowl 2026: Waves of Resistance & Resilience on Sunday, March 22, from 1-4pm at UIC Student Center West!

🙌🏾 For many of us, there is no Burning Bowl without the Drum Divas, founded by Dr. Yaounde Olu. They are a thread weaving Burning Bowl gatherings of community members, family and friends, supporters, and stakeholders across decades and generations.

🗣🪘🪇 With invitation and incantation, their beats and vocals set the tone- literally and metaphorically- for the Burning Bowl gathering. They invite us and our ancestors- both recent and distant- into the space. Their original music heals us and connects us with our roots as we continue forward in the new season and next chapter of our lives. This is the very embodiment of "Waves of Resistance & Resilience," this year's Burning Bowl theme.

📧 So, join us on Sunday for this celebratory gathering centering reflection, renewal, and community connection. We're almost at capacity, so RSVP ASAP at bit.ly/BurningBowl2026.

See you soon!

📆 Sunday, March 22, from 1-4pm
📍UIC Student Center West, 828 S Wolcott Avenue, Chicago, IL
♿️ The venue is wheelchair accessible.
🚾 All-gender restrooms will be available.
🅿️ Metered street parking and paid parking lots on campus are available. You can view the location here: https://bit.ly/4hbUmVX

03/15/2026

: The look of joy on your face because you're *almost* at capacity for Burning Bowl 2026. (Reserve your spot ASAP at bit.ly/BurningBowl2026 (case-sensitive).)

The sounds of excitement and pure dedication planning a beautiful gathering for our Affinity community, friends, family, and guests. Props to the Burning Bowl Planning Committee, The Kaya Kollection, our fierce Committee Chair and Event Planner; Phyllis Johnson; Jo Lewis; and Kelly Suzanne Saulsberry.

The waves of joy, anticipation, and open-heartedness felt amid the "Waves of Resistance & Resilience," this year's Burning Bowl theme.

Please join us for this long-honored Affinity celebration on Sunday, March 22, at 1pm at UIC Student Center West, 828 S Wolcott Avenue.

In the meantime, we're rolling out the lineup this week. We've held you in suspense long enough. :-)

📧 bit.ly/BurningBowl2026 (case-sensitive)
📆 Sunday, March 22, from 1-4pm
📍UIC Student Center West, 828 S Wolcott Avenue, Chicago, IL
♿️ The venue is wheelchair accessible.
🚾 All-gender restrooms will be available.
🅿️ Metered street parking and paid parking lots on campus are available. You can view the location here: https://bit.ly/4hbUmVX

03/11/2026

: It doesn't say RSVP on the Statue of Liberty, but it does on Affinity's Burning Bowl 2026 Eventbrite. https://youtu.be/JhtQ4bPKaPk?si=gb41gaE6TZpnTddF

So, don't be clueless; RSVP stat at bit.ly/BurningBowl2026 (case-sensitive).

This year's Burning Bowl theme is "Waves of Resistance & Resilience," which can take on multiple meanings and manifestations for each of us. These acts of resistance, whether big or small, are our opportunities for strengthened resilience, spiritual renewal, and deeper connection with ourselves and others.

So, join us the afternoon of Sunday, March 22, for a celebratory gathering of affirmation and inspiration, delicious food, and live music. People of all ages and backgrounds are welcome!

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Background: Affinity's Annual Burning Bowl Ceremony is an inter-generational gathering centering reflection, renewal, and community connection. We clarify intentions, release old habits that get in our way, and set goals for our next chapter. We also recognize individuals for their outstanding service within Black LGBTQ communities with the Barbara "Robbie" Smith Award of Excellence, and community members share their aspirations and ideas for future Affinity programs and initiatives.

📆 Sunday, March 22, from 1-4pm
📍UIC Student Center West, 828 S Wolcott Avenue, Chicago, IL
♿️ The venue is wheelchair accessible.
🚾 All-gender restrooms will be available.
🅿️ Metered street parking and paid parking lots on campus are available. You can view the location here: https://bit.ly/4hbUmVX

Sharing the magic of Clueless quotes through the interwebs. Much thanks to Amy Heckerling (and a little bit to Jane Austen) for making this movie possible.

03/07/2026

: 📣 Today at 2pm at the MCA, Affinity's very own Phyllis Johnson, Board Member Extraordinaire, will share her experiences as a le***an activist and organizer in Chicago at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago's TALK | LGBTQ+ Activism in Chicago: Past, Present & Future.

🗣️🎤 This community dialogue is in partnership with "The LGBTQ+ Intergenerational Dialogue Project." Held in connection with City in a Garden: Q***r Art and Activism in Chicago, this gathering fosters storytelling, reflection, and exchange across generations to cultivate community, connection, and imagination for Chicago’s collective future.

See you there!

03/06/2026

: Good Evening, Affinity Friends!

In addition to March being Women's History Month, it's Affinity Burning Bowl Month! We posted a Save-the-Date slightly over a month ago, so we hope we're on your calendars!

Burning Bowl's theme this year is "Waves of Resistance & Resilience." Considering the unrelenting political violence and upheaval across our nation, resistance is often viewed in political terms, but it can hold many meanings and take on many forms.

Resistance can mean refusing to succumb to defeat and cynicism, declining requests and demands that drain us and trespass healthy boundaries, deciding to take a break during the workday instead of "powering through," and reaching out to friends and family instead of doom-scrolling on social media.

These acts of resistance, whether big or small, are our opportunities for strengthened resilience, spiritual renewal, and deeper connection with ourselves and others.

Burning Bowl, a long-honored Affinity tradition, centers reflection, renewal, and community connection that helps us clarify intentions, release old habits that get in our way, and set goals for our next chapter. We also recognize individuals for their outstanding service within Black LGBTQ communities with the Barbara "Robbie" Smith Award of Excellence, and community members share their aspirations and ideas for future Affinity programs and initiatives.

So, join us on Sunday, March 22, for a celebratory gathering with delicious food and music! We have a wonderful program lined up, so stay tuned. All people of all ages are welcome!

RSVP at bit.ly/BurningBowl2026 (case-sensitive) or at the QR code on the flyer by Thursday, March 19, at 5pm CST.

Thanks, and see you soon!

📆 Sunday, March 22, from 1-4pm
📍UIC Student Center West, 828 S Wolcott Avenue, Chicago, IL
♿️ The venue is wheelchair accessible.
🚾 All-gender restrooms will be available.
🅿️ Metered street parking and paid parking lots on campus are available. You can view the location here: https://bit.ly/4hbUmVX

02/25/2026

: The Affinity Team is heartbroken over the passing of Michael Aguhar, our Program Officer at Crossroads Fund, who passed away suddenly after a medical emergency on February 20.

Some of us knew Michael personally through not only Affinity but other advocacy, organizing, and community spaces. A few of us on the board were fortunate to see him in person last year at our site visit at Crossroads.

He was a beautiful soul- incredibly genuine; caring; curious; principled; committed to equity, justice, and social transformation; and a proud partner to Irina and papa to Zoya. Our heart goes out to them and all his loved ones and colleagues, especially our dear Crossroads friends.

Michael's family and friends have launched an online fundraiser in support of his immediate family, as they face an unimaginable loss and begin the long road toward healing, recovery, and stability. If you'd like to support and/or share with others in the community, you can do so here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/honoring-michael-aguhars-legacy-and-family

Rest in Power, Michael.

02/20/2026

: Affinity Friends, this week's news cycle has been especially heavy for many reasons.

The passing of our fellow Chicagoan, Rev. Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr., is top among them. He is Affinity's Black History Month Spotlight this week.

Some of us remember our elders calling us into the living room to watch Rev. Jackson on our TV screens as he held systems of power and people who abused them to account.

Some of us marched with him, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and thousands of others from Selma to Montgomery.

Some of us made a beeline to Operation PUSH on Saturdays to hear him speak, inspiring us to tap into our collective power and be part of local movements for racial, economic, and social justice.

Some of us organized alongside him with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to end desegregation in libraries, schools, restaurants, and other public accommodations.

Some of us built the Rainbow Coalition he founded in 1984 alongside him- creating a multicultural political movement to unite marginalized groups and promote social, economic, and political justice.

Some of us campaigned and organized for his 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns, and let it be known that he was the first U.S. political candidate to include LGBTQ people in their platform.

Some of us joined him in leading boycotts and buycotts against companies with discriminatory employment practices against Black people, other people of color, women, and other marginalized groups.

And maybe some of us did none of the above, but we know Rev. Jackson's name and feel the impact he made in Chicago, the U.S., and the world.

Those of us from younger generations are the beneficiaries of the battles he and countless others fought and won for us.

The work continues, and his legacy lives on. Thank you and well done, Rev. Jackson.

Rest in peace.

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For information on Rev. Jackson's Celebration of Life Services, visit here: https://www.rainbowpush.org/

02/16/2026

: 📣 Whoa, Affinity Village! Our "Be Our Sweetheart Brunch" on Saturday is now SOLD OUT! Well, it's free of charge, so not technically "sold" out, but fully booked. You get the point. :-)

🙏🏾 Thank you for your enthusiastic response! We're thrilled by this news and look forward to a joyful gathering over good food and good music with great people. As a reminder for those who RSVP'd, this gathering is for all types of sweethearts- family, friends, partners/spouses, etc.

ℹ For those who wanted to attend, we will let you know ASAP if anything opens up, as we'd be delighted to have you. If you'd like to be on the waitlist, please e-mail [email protected].

Thanks for being Affinity's sweethearts!