Gaylon B. Alcaraz is an activist, organizer and champion of human rights. As the current Executive Director with the Chicago Abortion Fund, she works within the reproductive health movement to advocate for low-income women seeking to control their reproductive freedom. Among the many social justice accomplishments credited to Gaylon, she served as a founding board member of Affinity Community Services, a community organization that advocates for the rights of black lesbian and bisexual women in the Chicagoland area. During her board tenure at Affinity, she assumed increased leadership roles, across all areas of the organization’s functions including the role of Vice-President of the board, prior to the end of her final board service.

For more than ten years, she has worked on behalf of sexual minority women, anti-violence, gender equity, health prevention, reproductive rights, as well as race and culture issues. Gaylon has consistently applied her knowledge in practice towards quality improvement, increased access, and by challenging frameworks that do not allow for the exploration of diversity across multiple dimensions when working with, and on behalf of diverse constituencies. These passionate beliefs have led her to advocate on behalf of all women, black lesbians and children.

Also a published writer and poet, Gaylon’s first book publication, “tales of a woojiehead” was released in 2002. She has been previously published in the Sun Times, Tribune, Defender, Streetwise and Venus Magazine out of New York.

Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois she was awarded her BA from DePaul University June 2008 and currently is working on her Master of Arts in Applied Professional Studies. She has received awards from Northwest Suburban NOW and Choice USA for her work in the reproductive rights/health and justice field. Gaylon is the proud mother of two.