What I love most about Riley’s philosophy concerning liberation is the humility that rests in its core. As someone who has centered their life around intellectual and emotional freedom, he admits he still has his off days. “I still have so much unlearning to do,” he said, after sharing about his recent battle with razor bumps on his chin. He asserts that the small things are connected to the big things, and that even he, a liberatory-inclined educator, is not exempt from the influences of a culture fueled by self-loathing. He stresses that the ways we think of ourselves and others are heavily dependent on the skeletal framework of our society. “Some people cannot do that self reflection, but without it I think so much of our work is null and void,” Riley says.

Elijah McKinnon and Kristen Kaza are the founders of Reunion Chicago. They are forward-thinking individuals that cherish the chosen family they’ve fostered in a space created for those left behind and forgotten in creative enterprises and industries. They engender the feeling of home and belonging, and they work on their relationships as business partners and, in a sense, siblings to each other as they endeavor in a labor of love for the culture. Armed with a red-orange pen, Director of Programming Kristen Kaza let her hand fly across the page when someone’s said something noteworthy. As she does, her medium-sized gold hoops dance from side to side. She is alight with the vision of a world in which people are held accountable and marginalized voices are serviced. Sunlight filters in on her right side, illuminating the golden fire she possesses.