Meta Ellis
Director -Montgomery Pride United
Meta is Director of Montgomery PRIDE United and Co-founder of the Bayard Rustin Community Center in Montgomery, Alabama. She has been a lifelong activist for human and animal rights in Alabama, California, Arizona, Ohio, and Washington D.C.
Montgomery PRIDE United is a 501(c)(3) umbrella organization that represents many local LGBTQ and allied advocacy groups and has been responsible for reviving PRIDE events in Montgomery for the past three years. They advocate for the rights of LGBTQ people & others and make certain that our voices are heard in the political arena whenever LGBTQ and other rights are being threatened or denied. They also bring attention to the many issues the LGBTQ community and others face on a daily basis by speaking and presenting at conferences and seminars and working with Mental Health Counselors and Social Workers helping to bridge the gaps in the treatment of LGBTQ persons. Our hope is to create a better understanding between people and to bring change.
She has organized many rallies and events at the Al. State House, the Al. Capital Building and the Al. Supreme Court Building. Advocating for the homeless and victims of discrimination she is a frequent speaker on many statewide panels representing the voice of the LGBTQ community. She is especially adamant about the mistreatment of transgender persons, noting that transgender people of color are especially vulnerable.
She worked for many years as a Certified Nurses Aide, Home Health Aide, and Psychiatric Technician. Her specialty was working in hospice care. “We need to find more innovative and inclusive ways to care for our elderly and disabled without warehousing people in places that isolate them from the rest of the community. It does take a village.”
She was recognized in the June 30, 2017 edition of USA Today as being Alabama’s representative of PRIDE forces across the nation.
“Days after the Pulse nightclub shooting last year in Orlando, Meta Ellis marched through Montgomery, Alabama alongside other members of the LGBTQ community. The crowd of several hundred may have looked small compared to pride celebrations that draw thousands in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles or New York City, “but it’s a big deal here in the Bible belt,” said Ellis, director of Montgomery PRIDE United.”
She and her wife Ms.Emma McDaniel-Ellis were also awarded the 2018 Billy Jack Gaither Humanitarian Award in March 2018 at the 20th annual Vigil for Victims of Hate and Violence on the steps of the Alabama State House.
635 Madison Ave, Montgomery, AL 36104
Office | 334-356-2464
Cell | 760-219-4898
[email protected]
www.montgomeryprideunited.org
Emma McDaniel-Ellis
Educational Outreach Director – Montgomery Pride United
Director – South Eastern Queer Arts
Emma McDaniel-Ellis ( Ms. Harvey McDaniel) is a Human and Civil Rights Advocate and Activist who is a recognized voice when speaking about LGBTQ issues in Alabama – using her voice to raise awareness of discrimination against gender and sexual minorities, especially the transgender community. She serves as Educational Outreach Director for Montgomery PRIDE United, is the Director of South Eastern Queer Arts, and is also Co-Founder of the Bayard Rustin Community Center in Montgomery, Alabama. Some of her past projects include speaking on behalf of the North Alabama Coalition for the Homeless about the importance of the acceptance and inclusion of transgender persons in Homeless Shelters, addressing the lack of Health Care for transgender persons within the Medical Profession, and has advocated for LGBTQ rights before the Alabama Senate Health Committee. She was also recognized and honored in HRC Alabama’s Celebration of LGBTQ History Month in October 2016. “ HRC Alabama would like to celebrate #LGBTQHistoryMonth by honoring Harvey McDaniel. Miss Harvey is a known human and civil rights activist for the LGBTQ community! Miss Harvey McDaniel is an instrumental force in the Huntsville community, advocating for equal rights for all, not some. She believes that President Obama’s bathroom guidelines are a step in the right direction but she will continue to fight until the U.S. reaches equality for all. “We’re no different than anyone else. We’re your fathers, your daughters, your cousins, aunts, and uncles,” McDaniel said.” Thank you for your hard work, it definitely does not go by unnoticed! #LGBTQHistoryMonth #LGBTQAlabama She has represented the LGBTQ community as a regular speaker at political rallies and PRIDE events, has addressed classes of multicultural Fulbright students at ASU about the struggles LGBTQ persons in Alabama face, and has addressed LGBTQ issues with the media many times. She and her wife Meta Ellis were awarded the 2018 Billy Jack Gaither Humanitarian Award in March 2018 at the 20th annual Vigil for Victims of Hate and Violence on the steps of the Alabama State House. The vigil was held for those who have lost their lives to bias-motivated violence based on their sexual orientation or gender identity and the award recognizes exceptional work done advocating for human rights. She is also the first transgender person to address two Alabama state conferences – the 2017 Alabama Coalition for the Homeless annual conference sponsored by HUD, and the 37th annual Conference on Aging sponsored by the Alabama Gerontological Society in April 2018. Both conferences were the first of their kind to be presented by a transgender person addressing LGBTQ issues on a state-wide platform for those agencies. Ms. Ellis currently works within the Mental Health Counseling and Social Workers community in addressing issues that affect the LGBTQ community – especially transgender persons. As Educational Outreach Director for Montgomery PRIDE United, she also serves on the Board of Directors and facilitates support groups for the LGBTQ community and is also invested in changing legislation that denies LGBTQ rights.
Emma McDaniel-Ellis (Ms. Harvey McDaniel)
Educational Outreach Director – Montgomery Pride United
Director – South Eastern Queer Arts
[email protected]
www.southeasternqueerarts.org