# Wanda Alston

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{{Short description|American feminist, LGBTQ activist and government official}}
'''Wanda Alston''' (April 7, 1959 – March 16, 2005) was an American [feminist](/source/feminist), [LGBT](/source/LGBT) activist, and government official. She was born in [Newport News, Virginia](/source/Newport_News%2C_Virginia).

In the 1990s, Alston served in the [National Organization for Women](/source/National_Organization_for_Women) (NOW) as an executive assistant. She was also a co-leader in 1995 at the [UN World Conference on Women in Beijing](/source/UN_World_Conference_on_Women_in_Beijing). She was a political organizer for five marches in [Washington, D.C.](/source/Washington%2C_D.C.), and [San Francisco](/source/San_Francisco). She was an elected member of NOW's National Board of Directors. Alston also worked as a political consultant and was active in the [Democratic Party](/source/Democratic_Party_(United_States)). She also worked as an events organizer with the [Human Rights Campaign](/source/Human_Rights_Campaign). She was active in the recovery movement in Washington, D.C. Alston was an active member of her local church, [Unity](/source/Unity_Church) of Washington.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.womeninthelife.com/wanda.html |title=Women In The Life Association<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2008-02-11 |archive-date=2007-12-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071201151551/http://www.womeninthelife.com/wanda.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Alston was also a leader in the [LGBT](/source/LGBT) community and was the acting director of the Washington, D.C., Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Affairs from 2004 until her death.

Alston died on March 16, 2005, as a result of a homicide in her home in Washington, D.C. She was stabbed to death.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43577-2005Mar17.html Arrest Made in Alston Slaying (washingtonpost.com)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Her killer, William Parrott Jr., pleaded guilty to second degree murder and was sentenced to 24 years in prison.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cauvin |first=Henri E. |date=2005-07-30 |title=D.C. Man Given 24 Years in Activist's Death |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2005/07/30/dc-man-given-24-years-in-activists-death/1a420b50-00a7-4bb1-93b8-c304c2c53568/ |access-date=2025-06-25 |work=The Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>

In June 2019, Alston was one of the inaugural fifty American “pioneers, trailblazers, and heroes” inducted on the [National LGBTQ Wall of Honor](/source/National_LGBTQ_Wall_of_Honor) within the [Stonewall National Monument](/source/Stonewall_National_Monument) (SNM) in [New York City](/source/New_York_City)’s [Stonewall Inn](/source/Stonewall_Inn).<ref name=":23">{{Cite web|url=https://www.metro.us/news/local-news/new-york/stonewall-inn-lgbtq-wall-honor|title=National LGBTQ Wall of Honor unveiled at Stonewall Inn|last=Glasses-Baker|first=Becca|date=June 27, 2019|website=www.metro.us|access-date=2019-06-28}}</ref><ref name="SDGLN">{{Cite web |last=Rawles |first=Timothy |date=2019-06-19 |title=National LGBTQ Wall of Honor to be unveiled at historic Stonewall Inn |url=https://sdgln.com/news/2019/06/19/national-lgbtq-wall-honor-be-unveiled-historic-stonewall-inn |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621091646/https://sdgln.com/news/2019/06/19/national-lgbtq-wall-honor-be-unveiled-historic-stonewall-inn |archive-date=2019-06-21 |access-date=2019-06-21 |website=San Diego Gay and Lesbian News |language=en}}</ref> The SNM is the first [U.S. national monument](/source/National_monument_(United_States)) dedicated to [LGBTQ rights](/source/LGBT_rights_in_the_United_States) and [history](/source/History_of_LGBT_people),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ebar.com/news/news//272833|title=Groups seek names for Stonewall 50 honor wall|website=The Bay Area Reporter / B.A.R. Inc.|language=en|access-date=2019-05-24}}</ref> and the wall's unveiling was timed to take place during the [50th anniversary](/source/Stonewall_50_%E2%80%93_WorldPride_NYC_2019) of the [Stonewall riots](/source/Stonewall_riots).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sachet |first1=Donna |title=Stonewall 50 |url=http://sfbaytimes.com/stonewall-50/ |website=[San Francisco Bay Times](/source/San_Francisco_Bay_Times) |date=4 April 2019 |access-date=25 May 2019 |quote=This summer, New York City hosts Stonewall 50, commemorating that fateful weekend...the [International Court System](/source/Imperial_Court_System) [partnered] with the [LGBTQ National Task Force](/source/National_LGBTQ_Task_Force) on a Wall of Honor to be installed at the Stonewall Inn and unveiled on Thursday, June 27.}}</ref>

== The Wanda Alston Foundation ==

The Wanda Alston Foundation is the only housing program in [Washington DC](/source/Washington_DC) solely dedicated to offering pre-independent transitional living and support services to homeless or at-risk LGBTQ youth ages 16 to 24 in all eight wards. The foundation is dedicated to ensuring that LGBTQ youth have access to services that improve their overall quality of life. This is achieved through advocacy and programming. The Wanda Alston Foundation advocates for increased resources for youth while providing programs including: housing, life skills training, linkages to other social services, and capacity building assistance for other community allies.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://wandaalstonfoundation.org/us/ |title=About the Wanda Alston Foundation (wandaalstonfoundation.org) |access-date=2014-12-31 |archive-date=2024-10-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241008061039/https://www.wandaalstonfoundation.org/us/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The organization provides temporary housing of up to 18 months to LGBTQ youth in need through Wanda Alston House, a transitional housing program. The organization's Capacity Building Assistance program focuses on four key areas to improve the lives of LGBTQ youth: working with LGBTQ youth of color, understanding the transgender community, utilizing and understanding interventions and public health strategies for LGBTQ youth, and working with LGBTQ youth and their families.<ref>[http://wandaalstonfoundation.org/services/ Services From the Wanda Alston Foundation (wandaalstonfoundation.org)]</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://wandaalstonfoundation.org/ The Wanda Alston Foundation]

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alston, Wanda}}
Category:American women's rights activists
Category:American feminists
Category:1959 births
Category:2005 deaths
Category:American LGBTQ rights activists
Category:People from Newport News, Virginia
Category:Deaths by stabbing in Washington, D.C.
Category:People murdered in Washington, D.C.
Category:Violence against women in Washington, D.C.
Category:Women in Washington, D.C.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Wanda Alston](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanda_Alston) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanda_Alston?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.