PrEPárate is a campaign to promote PrEP among Latine communities in Chicagoland. The campaign name was selected directly by local youth and adults who participated in a crowdsourcing contest on social media. Our team was inspired to launch this campaign to support access to PrEP among Latine communities, as our community continues to be unfairly impacted by syndemic infectious diseases such as HIV, COVID-19, and Mpox.
The PrEPárate campaign was co-developed by the Chicago Queer Latine Collaborative (CQLC NFP), a local community-academic HIV research partnership originated between Cook County Health, Northwestern University, and the University of Chicago.
Our community partners include:
Our funders and administrators include:
Verónica Martínez is a queer artist, muralist and Illustrator based in Chicago. Her work has been featured in the Chicago Reader, and the Latinx Identity Podcast. In 2021, she received an award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts and Humanities from the Office of the Illinois State Treasurer.
Her illustratration works appear in multiple newspapers and magazines, including the Cicero Independiente, Injustice Watch, and The Trace. Her work appears alongside articles that focus on voting rights, police misconduct, and education issues. She has created murals in support of the Black Lives Matter movement at three Alivio Medical Center locations across Chicagoland. In 2021, she created "Flourish" together with Edgar Sosa, a 2,430 sq. ft. mural at the Yorktown Center. She continues to seek projects that allow her to tell visual stories through a social justice lens.
Alejandro Muñoz is a queer Mexican-American illustrator and designer. Alejandro was our web design and social media lead for PrEPárate while in his role with the Department of Research at the CORE Center of Cook County Health in Chicago, IL, where he contributed to LGBTQ+ HIV and COVID-19 health research.
"As a queer Latino immigrant, I feel it's my duty to uplift and create social sanctuaries for the many voices of undocumented and or folk who fear seeking public services, no matter the reason." - Alejandro
André Perez is a Puerto Rican and trans educator, filmmaker, social impact producer, and community organizer with over 15 years of experience using storytelling for social change.
He has produced multiple feature-length films including American in Transition, A Run for More, a documentary about a Latina fighting to become the first openly transgender elected official in Texas, and Desire Lines, a film exploring historical and contemporary experiences of trans masculine people in gay sexual culture.
"As a photographer, my goal is for my photos to transport both the subject and the viewer to a bold, colorful and exciting world. With photography you can create a whole fantasy around yourself. When designing a set for a picture, I try to create an entirely new reality in collaboration with the subject, one that both reflects and highlights the person's identity." - Daniel
José is a Queer Boricua graphic designer, and is based in Chicago. José focuses on social justice issues and concepts related to Latinx communities and identities. José uses branding, photography, and typography as a vehicle for creative expression.