For the past 15 years, The Miami Foundation has been grateful to partner with the National LGBTQ Task Force to provide grants that strengthen the LGBTQ community in our region. The Task Force, the nation’s oldest LGBTQ advocacy group, has donated a portion of the proceeds from its annual Gala Miami and Winter Party Festival back to the Greater Miami community, making it the only national organization to do so. More than $3.3 million has been donated to the Foundation’s LGBTQ Community Fund. Dozens of local LGBTQ advocates have served on the Fund Committee to annually make grants that improve quality of life for LGBTQ residents in Greater Miami, and strengthen organizations seeking to make a difference in the lives of LGBTQ people
HOW DO WE CREATE LGBTQ-INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP? MEET THE MAVENS.
Editor’s Note: The LGBTQ Community Fund is a unique partnership between The Miami Foundation and the National LGBTQ Task Force to improve quality of life for LGBTQ residents in Greater Miami. Maven Leadership Collective is a 2018 grant recipient. The 2019 LGBTQ Community Fund grant cycle is open through July 12th. All 501(c)3 organizations serving Miami-Dade County may apply. “Unless … Read More
USING DANCE TO CREATE A STAGE FOR EQUALITY
I measure time through dance. One of the best memories I have of my mom is standing on the tops of her feet as she danced in the living room. After she passed away, I would stand in the middle of the living room, close my eyes and try to recreate our waltz. Everything I knew about dance came from her.
I used to think dance should be kept in a studio or on stage – places where people were prepared for dance, as if dance required a setting. My 13-year-old self agreed with that when my dad and I were to scatter his father’s ashes in the lake behind our house. After minutes of silence, standing there, my dad turned to me and said, “Give us a little soft shoe, son.” There I stood, holding my grandpa Lou’s ashes in a cardboard box and, appalled but obedient, I tapped out Tea for Two in a pair of clogs. I felt highly inappropriate, believing the ceremony required more solemnity. I noticed for the first time since dancing atop my mom’s feet, though, just how cathartic dancing was for me. The tapping out of the rhythms brought me back to my best memories of her, and suddenly, this was not so much about duty or estrangement as it was about celebrating life.