I Have Always Been Me | Book Talk

Join us for a Discussion & Reading in-store or online by Author, Precious Brady-Davis, on her book, I Have Always Been Me, moderated by Kim L. Hunt.

About the Book:

A powerful memoir of independence, releasing the past, and living the dream by award-winning trans advocate Precious Brady-Davis.

Precious Brady-Davis remembers the sense of being singular and grappling with “otherness.” Born into traumatic circumstances, Davis was brought up in the Omaha foster care system and the Pentecostal faith. As a biracial, gender-nonconforming kid, she felt displaced. Yet she realized by coming into her identity that she had a purpose all along.

In I Have Always Been Me, Brady-Davis reflects on a childhood of neglect, instability, and abandonment. She reveals her determination to dream through it and shares her profound journey as a trans woman now fully actualized, absolutely confident, and precious. She speaks to anyone who has ever tried to find their place in this world and imparts the wisdom that comes with surmounting odds and celebrating on the other side.

A memoir, a love story, and an outreach for the marginalized, Precious’s sojourn is a song of self-reliance and pride and an invitation to join in the chorus.

About the Author:

Precious Brady-Davis is an award-winning diversity advocate, communications professional, and public speaker. She currently serves as the associate regional communications director at the Sierra Club. She served for three years as the assistant director of diversity recruitment initiatives at Columbia College Chicago, her alma mater, implementing the campus-wide diversity initiative and providing leadership and oversight of national diversity recruitment and inclusion policy initiatives. She also served as the youth outreach coordinator at Center on Halsted, the largest LGBTQ community center in the Midwest. During Precious’s tenure, she launched a $1.6 million CDC HIV prevention grant, which provided outreach, education, youth programming, and testing services to over three thousand young African American and Latinx gay, bi, and trans youth. Precious is married to Myles Brady and lives in Hyde Park on the South Side of Chicago, where they are raising their daughter, Zayn. In her free time, she enjoys online shoe shopping, travel, and fine dining with friends. I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ME is her first book.

About Kim L. Hunt:

Kim L. Hunt is a lifelong learner who continues to hone her skills in organizational leadership, advocacy for Black and LGBTQ+ people, and storytelling. Hunt is the executive director of the Pride Action Tank (PAT), a project of AIDS Foundation Chicago, where she also serves as the Senior Director of Policy & Advocacy Operations. Hunt is the recipient of numerous honors and awards and serves on multiple boards and advisory councils. She is a facilitator for the Aspen Young Leaders Fellowship program and is also a founding co-host of OUTSpoken LGBTQ Storytelling, a monthly show in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago.

(Online Streaming will be recorded for later viewing on YouTube)