Rachel: You ready?

Miyonnee Chanel: I’m ready.

Rachel: Okay. So first, please tell me like your name—your name in Ballroom, your pronouns and what categories you walk.

Miyonnee Chanel: My name is Miyonnee Hickman. Um, my name in Ballroom is Miyonnee Chanel, my pronouns are she/her/hers. And the category that I walk is ... I originally started walking Drag’s Realness, but now I’m walking Fem Queen Realness, or you can just call it female figure realness.

Rachel: Period. Amazing. Okay. And tell me a little bit about where you come from, how you grew up.

Miyonnee Chanel: Um, I was born on the west side of St. Louis. Um, and I grew up in Jennings. Basically, I kind of grew up a little bit of, you know, all over. But the most—mostly the west side, mostly Jennings. I was living in Colony North for a long time, which was like a place within itself. It was an apartment complex in Jennings Country Club Hills, if you want to call it, and it was like a little world of its own. It was like a place inside of itself. Then, I moved away for a couple of years, and then I came back. So I basically grew up in Jennings. And uh yeah.

Rachel: Cool. So what is your Cinderella story, Miyonnee? How did you get to the ball? Run it all the way back for me.

Miyonnee Chanel: Miyonnee Chanel: Um, okay, so back then it was this house called the House of Envee. And it was a local house, like they were only here in St. Louis. And it was a house full of like, fab ass members, like they were so fab—Akassi, and Morgan, basically the It people were in the house.

And so they asked me to be in the house. And like, the only way you could be in they house is if they asked you to be in their house. And so they asked me to be a part of the house and hence how I came up with the name Miyonnee, I need—because you spell Envee E-n-[v-e-e]. So I wanted to stick with that. And so when I came up with the name Miyonnee, I wanted to have the two E’s at the end, you know, because of Envee. Miyonnee Envee, like it was just, you know—

Rachel: I never knew that. That’s so—

Miyonnee Chanel: Yeah, like, it went perfect together. So yeah, that’s how I got that name.

And like, that’s how I started, was in 2008 Meko was having their sixth annual—wait, I want to say either the sixth or the eighth annual Bloody Valentine Ball. And it was at the G-Spot. The G-Spot was thee club on east side that we used to go to. And I walked First Time Up in Drag’s Realness, and Drag’s Realness, and I won both categories that night.

And it pretty much was just up from there. Like I just started walking consistently all the time, and it was up from there. I was the person to beat when I first started walking balls, I was the girl that you had to beat and it had not been done. So like my first three years of walking, I was undefeated.

And then, I met Toniya Chanel. And she said, “Sit down little girl.” And she sat me down five times, back to back to back to back to back, every city. I’m like “oh, I’m gonna get you in my city” and baby, it didn’t matter. She sat me back to back. And I did finally get her once she got deemed Legendary but that’s another story. But yeah, that’s my Cinderella story. I was an Envee and they were a local house. And that’s how I got the name Miyonnee. And my first ball, in 2008 at the G-Spot, Meko’s Bloody Valentine Ball. After that I became a member of the House of Ebony.

Rachel: So when you were younger, I’m just like, I want to know—like when you were younger, and you first started getting involved in Ballroom, like, who first got you involved? Or like, how did you? Did you just naturally come into the world of Ballroom? What was it like back then?

Miyonnee Chanel: Well, it took them a long time of convincing because like, when I first met my granny Meko, she told me “You’re going to be a girl.” I was furious. I was not having it. “No, I’m not going to be a girl. Please don’t say that. I’m a boy.” And so they kept trying to tell me “you should get in drag, you should get in drag.”

And I’m like no, I’m not doing it, you know, but then I finally was. the mother of the Hoiuse of Envee Akassi was like, “I want you to walk if you’re going to be in this house. And you’re going to have to walk,” you know, or whatever. And she was like—um, she said “I’ll do your hair, we’ll take you to a Mac to get your makeup done.” You know, and stuff like that.

And I knew she’d do good. I knew she’d do good hair, or whatever. I just so happened to be in a really bad car accident a year prior and I had just got my settlement check this year. Right—literally, I think I got it on Valentine’s Day. I think it definitely was Valentine's Day. So like oh, this is perfect. You know, I can go to the mall, and I can look exactly how I want to look, you know, because without a limit being put on it.

And so I did it. And I looked like Faith Evans, and I was so excited. And I’m like “oh my god, I look so pretty as a girl.”

And this, it just started a whole little conundrum. And that’s why it took me so long to actually start transitioning. Because at first I liked the fact of being able to, I could just put on a wig and some lashes and now I’m a girl and then back then I could just get out of it. And now a boy, I liked that at first. But then I started transitioning literally when I was 31-32. So it’s only been like, six—six years since then I’ve been transitioning. And, um, yeah.

Rachel: Wow. Thank you for sharing that.

Miyonnee Chanel: My pleasure.

Rachel: Can you talk a little bit about ... your role, not only as someone who’s been like—who’s walked in Ballroom, who’s won, you know, time and time again, like—but also like becoming a leader in the space and in the community? Like, what has your role been as a leader in the community? Like—yeah, how does that look and feel day to day for you?

Miyonnee Chanel: For me, I’ve—what—well my role now, they call me Mother St. Louis. So you know, they call me Mother St. Louis because of the fact that I’ve always been a community leader—honestly, like from when I was a kid and I was supposed to be out here being a kid—you know, I was, but I was still a leader back then. Because I was helping people, housing people, you know, whose parents weren’t accepting of their sexual identity or orientation and they, you know, put them out or whatever. I will let them stay at my house, you know, and it caused me to get put out of a bunch of apartments and stuff like that. However, I just couldn’t not, you know, help these people. So I kind of came into that role because everybody looks at me as like mother of the community. Like I’m somebody mama, auntie, grandma, something in the community, and I am the example. I am what I wish that I had, like the leader that I wish that I had.

Now my dad Don Juan, he was an—he was an exceptional father. He did whatever he could for his kids. He made sure that we were great, made sure that we were well taken care of. We didn’t want for absolutely nothing. However, the way he went about everything—stealing and stuff like that—was all wrong. You know? But like I said, we didn’t need for nothing. He was a good—you know, he was an exemplary father. He made sure we had everything that we needed—clothes, we had different shoes, and different outfits for every single day of the year. We didn’t have to repeat clothes at all because he got it for us, you know. He made sure we stayed—all stayed at his house together, in a one-bedroom just like how I did, you know. We all stayed in his house together. And you know, we all ate together, we all broke bread together.

So that’s where that mentality come from. However, I—I am the parent you get the whole package, you know, I’m not having sex with my kids, and I’m not, you know, stuff like that. I’m not saying—he wasn’t either. But you know, I’m just not encouraging them to steal, or encouraging them to quit. Y’all go—they all went to school, they all graduated from high school. You know, like all of my kids graduated from high school, anybody that stayed at my house, you getting up and you’re going to school, sweetie. So, um, yeah. And that’s how I just got into that.

And then it made me get more into community work. I started getting into like HIV, STD prevention and care, I want to say like 2013. And then I volunteer—I volunteered at Writers, Planners, Trainers (WPT) for a couple of months, like six, seven months there. And then I went back on my little out-of-town hiatus, was back and forth from different cities and stuff. So 2019 is when I came, you know, I got hired at the Community Wellness Project as an intervention specialist. Transgender intervention specialist. And that’s when I really got into the community, I guess you want to say legally-working-wise, like not—not saying I was going to illegally, but you know—

Rachel: I know what you mean—

Miyonnee Chanel: —I actually became a community liaison.

Rachel: Mother.

Miyonnee Chanel: Period.

Rachel: Okay, wonderful. Can you answer like, two more questions? Can you talk a little bit more about the—like your role at CWP, and then the work that you’ve been doing since then with community organizations?

Miyonnee Chanel: Absolutely. So while with the Community Wellness Project, I was the transgender intervention specialist. My job was—I had deliverables to meet. I had to test a certain amount of trans women within a certain amount of time, I had to get a certain amount of trans women to participate in like, you know, a certain amount of interventions or implementations you know, whatever you want to call them.

Um ... and it was rough in the beginning, because as soon as I started—basically a few months after that COVID hit, you know. So it kind of really put a monkey wrench in everything that we were doing. Like I started my first—I did my first—and completed my first project, which was the NIH project with Dr. Sheila Grigsby at UMSL, that November or December of 2019. Then COVID hit March 2020. So it kind of like put a stop to all my stuff, the following year I implemented my first and my second T.W.I.S.T. Implementation. The first Twist Project in the end of 2020, like November, and or October. And we had to have at least have five girls come. I had seven, two girls ended up leaving on the second day, so then went back down to five, but, you know, I eventually, you know, got promoted to Senior Intervention Specialist. And we got funds to where we could increase our trans-specific programming. we were going to do the Girls Like Us program, which they do have going now. But how—however, I no longer work with them. But we actually did get them the million dollar grant, 1.5 million dollar grant, and that’s what they are doing now. Since then, I have been working as a lead consultant for Miyonnee Sateek LLC—the Miyonnee Sateek Consulting LLC—as an identity consultant, and providing organizations all over the world gender-affirming services to their organization and how to bring them to their organization and present them. I have worked—

Rachel: I know that’s right. Miyonnnee Sateek Consulting, LLC.

Miyonnee Chanel: [Laughs] Yeah. Period. I was working closely with San Francisco Community Health Centers (SFCHC). If it wasn’t for Tatyana Moaton—God, thank God for her, because she is a blessing. I actually met her while I was working at CWP, and she told me “If you stick with me, and you stay by my side, I’m gonna make sure that you go far, and I’ll take you everywhere I go.” Dr. Tatyana Moaton, my bad. I’m gonna make sure I put the doctor in front of my sister’s name. She gotta get her respect because she’s definitely earned it, and meant every single word that she said. And I will always praise, and be grateful for her.

Rachel: Yes.

Miyonnee Chanel: Because she—she provided me this opportunity as a consultant, making more money than I ever made in my life! Doing what I am meant to do. I am very grateful for her. I am also the community engagement lead with my favorite people at MO Ho Justice Coalition, and I’ve been there for almost four years now—

Rachel: That’s crazy—

Miyonnee Chanel: It is—actually, maybe ... it has been four years already, uh, the 6th was yesterday. Yeah, so it’s been four years since I’ve been with MO Ho. Um, I love MO Ho Justice. I love what we do here. And I’ve also been a part of a whole bunch of other shit, y’all. Like seriously, my businesses like with my sauce, the 2024 Free Her cohort with the National Council—shout out to the National Council and all of my sisters fighting the good fight!

I was a part of a documentary about Ballroom in St. Louis called Tens Across the Board. I have been highlighted as the Legend of the City award. It’s like it’s just been a bunch going on. And it’s a lot more coming. I’m working on my EP, and everything is just coming into fruition. And I’m so excited. I’m happy.

Rachel: That—the CV is long girl, the CV is … yes.

Miyonnee Chanel: Thank you so much. [Laughs]

Rachel: I just ... I love hearing you run down all the things that you have accomplished and all of the roles that you have in our community and everything that you do. Because, you know, it’s so often that we just see one piece or one aspect and it’s like, when you really consider all of your work and all—everything you do as a person, like—you are an institution. Like you really are.

Miyonnee Chanel: Thank you so much. I appreciate that.

Rachel: Mother St. Louis. Okay. So ...

Miyonnee Chanel: Mother.

Rachel: [Laughs] Literally. Where—okay, where do you see yourself in ten years—ten years from now? What is Miyonnee doing?

Miyonnee Chanel: Oh my god, in the next 10 years I see myself somewhere really, really rich! I’m somewhere still advocating and fighting for my community. No matter what I do and how much money I make, I’m always going to make sure that my community is taken care of. I see us in a much better world. I see us being in a much safer world.

I see me ... I see me successful, I see me happy, and I just see me with—with kids. Like actual kids of my own and um, you know, healthy and happy and financially and mentally, all the way together. I definitely see that in my future. I see me creating music, and really healing the world in more ways than one. I see a big bright future. And I’m excited and I can’t wait for it to come.

Rachel: Big and bright. Yes, I see all of that for you.

Um, wow. Well, this is incredible. Like, as well as I know you, it is still—always feels like an honor and a blessing to be a part of your life, be a part of your story and hear your story in its fullness. And I know this is just like a little snippet, you know, like a very—a summary. And even then, like I’m just always stunned and awed at what an incredible person you are. And a community leader for sure. So thank you so much. I love you and you know it’s gonna be a dope-ass project. I’m so glad that you have like been down to curate it. You’re a fucking boss.

Miyonnee Chanel: Thank you so much. I love you so much. You’re an—amazing as well. And I’m excited and it is like, we—it’s us and I love you and it’s always us and never them.

Rachel: Period.

Miyonnee Chanel: Thank you for doing this for me and with me.