Uchechukwu Onwa
Uchechukwu Onwa (he/him/his) is the Co-Director of the Queer Detainee Empowerment Project and Coordinator of QDEP’s Community Organizing Program. At QDEP, he focuses on building and strengthening the membership base while maintaining partnerships and coalitions with other organizations and leads QDEP’s Leadership Development Program for Cisgender Queer and Trans Women and Gender Non-Conforming People. A Nigerian-born organizer, trainer, abolitionist, and movement strategist, he fled his home country due to the repression and persecution he faced as a gay man. He is a member of the Black LGBTQIA+ Migrant Project (BLMP) with over 9 years of experience working in community outreach, public health, and human rights. He is a high-impact voice for the LGBTQ+ community and a social justice advocate, health advocacy and human rights work. Uche’s work has been featured in numerous outlets including Windy City Times, Shonderland, Buzzfeed, Pulitzer Center, Advocate Magazine, Vogue Magazine, Gay City News, PoliticsNY and AMNY.