| Richard Lee Gray was born November 24, 1944. He is a Chicago native who, until his retirement in 2001, was a social worker for the State of Illinois. During his nearly 30 years of social work, Mr. Gray has been very active in many areas of art and social justice. A product of the 60's, Mr. Gray passionately believes that the personal is the political. He was the co-founder of Kapuna Network, one of the first African-American AIDS organizations in the country in 1984 at the beginning of the AIDS pandemic. During that time in the late eighties, he created and still maintains a strong affiliation with John Marshall Metro High School by leading a medically affiliated program called "AIDS and Other Matters." He was the Volunteer Coordinator of Support Services for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender youth at Marshall High School. In 2004, Mr. Gray received the City of Chicago Commission of Human Relations Award for his work at Marshall High School. In 1992, he was inducted in to the Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame of the City of Chicago. Chicago is the only city in the country with such an award. Mr. Gray is also a poet and has been taking pictures since he was a teenager, capturing Martin Luther King in color in 1966 when Dr. King visited his south side neighborhood to give a speech. Since retiring, Mr. Gray has been writing poetry, including his Afro-centric gay response to 9/11 called "911 etc.", and taking photos which he has sold. This is his first exhibit. It is being co-sponsored by the City of Chicago Commission on Human Relations. |  |
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