Reverend Alfreda Lanoix is a spiritual leader, community advocate, and artist who champions spiritual healing, LGBTQ+ inclusion, and HIV/AIDS awareness. Based in Los Angeles, her work focuses on the intersection of love, spirituality, trauma, and healing, particularly for underserved and ignored populations.
Advocacy and Leadership
- HIV/AIDS Awareness: She has served as the Chief Operations Officer of the Minority AIDS Project (MAP) in Los Angeles, a nonprofit agency that provides services to Black, brown, gay, and transgender individuals affected by HIV/AIDS.
- LGBTQ+ Inclusion: As the pastor of the Unity Fellowship Church in Los Angeles and a Black queer artist, she advocates for spiritual spaces that embrace diverse identities.
- Spiritual Community: She leads the Inspire Spiritual Community, which is described as a spiritual community for LGBTQ+ individuals and others, focused on themes such as "stepping into your greatness."
- Sex Education: She has advocated for churches to lead frank discussions on sex education and values to prevent young people from only learning about these topics "in the streets."
Artistic Mission
Now in her late 60s, Lanoix uses abstract art as a primary way to commune with her community and "hold space for others to heal." Her work is driven by:
- Reflecting on life experiences, including pain, joy, and the reality of racism.
- Eliciting reflection and creating a sense of peace for the viewer.
- Serving as a refuge and a reminder that "life is beautifully beautiful in spite of it all."