Last year I had the privilege of spending some time with the legendary Miss Major Griffin-Gracy and some of her loved ones, just a few months before she left this world. I was graciously invited by a loved one to come unwind at her compound and retreat space, House of GG, in Little Rock. That weekend was spent journaling outside, having conversations with one of her daughters, with her trusted team of carers, and with other Black trans and gender […]

We are so grateful for all of the people who joined us in person and online to celebrate Midwest Academy’s 50th Anniversary and the powerful organizing work of the award winners. As we’ve seen time and again, when we organize, we win! We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate half a century of building organizing capacity than by honoring the organizers and organizations whose efforts we’ve witnessed, from the 1960’s to today’s most pressing organizing campaigns. We kicked […]

We just posted a timeline of our last 50 years – it’s certainly not all-encompassing, but it gives you a very good overview of some of the organizational history as well as some of the major victories our training has helped support. Know of a victory that’s missing?! Drop us a line: info@midwestacademy.com! We’d love to include it.

^^(still a thing, right?) As we’re transitioning to a new site and cleaning up our YouTube, we came across this gem! In 2008, we were featured on Chicago Tonight, a show on PBS (WTTW). See clips from a training — along with some familiar faces!

Next year will be the 50th anniversary of the Midwest Academy. As its founder, first Executive Director and now Chair of the Board, it is a gratifying moment to celebrate. That is why I am excited to introduce our new co-director, Yomara Velez.

We had a fantastic evening with our live MC, Jitu Brown, leading us through an evening of stories from the field and music from activists. Relive your favorite moments here!