Pride Of Color first issue

ISSUE ONE

Pride Of Color.

JULY | Pride Of Color

.IN THIS issue This is not a Magazine. We started this movement/project to see what we could develop and what the community could get out of it.

This project was started not to show how we could be more inventive and imaginative, but to find out how much we notice what were already apart of, and appreciate it and share it. Caring about those in our community, looking out for their welfare while looking out for our own. That’s it. So when we step away from this project we know we did our part.

We are looking for insight for the people of color community and their allies. To acknowledge we don’t have all the answers, but we are committed in finding them.

Pride Of Color encourages feedback from our readers.

For permissions and questions & share your comments at @ Prideofcolormagazine@gmail.com

For news considerations, events listings, letters to the editor and inquiries about freelance writing, email @ Prideofcolormagazine@gmail.com

For Photography submissions and inquiries, email Charles.bahri@yahoo.com

Send in Subscriptions inquiries, email @ Prideofcolormagazine@gmail.com

Cover by Mel Ash

Pride Of Color is looking to convey culture, civil rights and history that seeks to educate and challenge readers about issues facing African-Americans and other Communities of Color who are also QTPOC. We are looking for writers who are people of color, or allies who have an immersion in to the culture.

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TABLE OF

CO N T E N TS 6 7

New music

Big Lives : Barbara Jordan

12 19

Heroes Among Us, At The Vanderelli Room

24

AGENDA: July

24

In Our Own Words

26 28

Trans Womxn of Color

Poetry: Tiffany Mariie

End Notes: Inclusive News

@ TWITTER @ WEBSITE/BLOG

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Rahsaan Patterson

Music

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New EP Release “Heroes & Gods” and ew Single “Sent From Heaven”

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On Tour

“In creating ‘Sent From Heaven,’ I was reminded of how I have been schooled by all the greats and how grateful I am to have been schooled by them. Some songs might have a melody but how many will truly resonate with us 40 years later? As a songwriter and artist, it is important to insert that part of my creativity.”- RAHSAAN PATTERSON

Taylor Bennet -

New EP Release “The American Reject”

"The American Reject showcases my views on systematic segregation through my eyes as an openly bisexual African American from Chicago Illinois,"- Taylor Beenet

Jamila Woods -

New EP Release “Legacy! Legacy!”

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On Tour

Woods celebrates 12 of her heroes, along with the cultural lineage they have created for her. Each track is named after a forebear, like a single lit candle to their altar.

“I thought of it not so much as writing songs about these people, but thinking of the songs as self-portraits,” “I was looking through the lenses of these different people, their work, things they said.” Jamila Woods

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Pride Lives:

Profiles of LGBTQIA Americans Barbara Jordan was a renowned politician, attorney, and educator who broke through the color barrier by becoming the first African American woman to be elected to the Texas Senate. Although her career as an elected official was short, her impact was significant considering the political climate of the country during the 1960s.

She was a pioneer who paved the way for countless Americans to participate in the electoral process. Barbara Charline Jordan was born on February 21, 1936 to Ben Meredith and Arlene Patten Jordan. She was the third child of the couple and was raised along with her two older sisters in Houston’s Fifth Ward. Ben was a strict father and governed his house in a manner consistent with his fundamentalist Baptist religious beliefs. Arlene was a domestic worker and housewife heavily involved in the church. Arlene’s grandfather, Edward A. Patton, served in the state legislature after reconstruction and was one of the last African Americans to do so in Texas until his great-granddaughter, Barbara was elected in 1966.

Her maternal grandfather, John Ed Patten, was an influential figure in Barbara’s life. He encouraged her to forge her own path and validated her intellect as a means to succeed. Throughout her life, Jordan credited her grandfather for the encouragement he provided in her early years. Ben also received some of the credit for Barbara’s achievement. His strict parenting and emphasis on achievement resulted in all of his daughters being excellent students. He expected his daughters to participate in church activities at Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church. This is where young Barbara learned that she had a gift for oration. The community nurtured her gift and she often recited religious poetry or scripture at her church or at others within the community.

In the color-conscious black community, then and now, Barbara’s appearance as a big, dark-skinned woman prevented her from gaining popularity based on appearance.

However, her wit, intellect, and charm won over those who didn’t see her as “traditionally” attractive. At Phyllis Wheatley High School, she was awarded “Girl of the Year.” Edith Sampson, a black attorney who went on to become the Assistant State’s Attorney in Cook County, spoke at a Wheatley Career Day. Seeing this eloquent and successful black woman had a significant impact on Barbara’s decision to attend law school.

During this time, the University of Texas at Austin was embroiled in a legal battle over its segregationist policies. Instead of changing those policies, local politicians and the administration formed an alternative school, Texas Southern University, to accommodate black students who were not permitted to attend the University of Texas or its law school. Because Texas Southern was hastily assembled, the pre-law track was not established. Barbara spent her college years taking courses that were not related to the law necessarily. Ultimately, she spent an additional year taking pre-law courses before her graduation.

At university, Barbara pledged the Delta Sigma Theta sorority, as they were not as color-conscious as some of the other sororities.

Throughout her life, Barbara continued to be active, as an alumna, in the Delta Sigma Theta organization by speaking at Deltasponsored events. While at Texas Southern, Jordan also became involved in the debate team where she developed her oratory skills. Her debate team won against many schools around the country, black and white. Traveling with the debate team allowed Barbara to see how her community was insulated from the daily prejudices experienced by many blacks living in a racially segregated society. Tom Freeman, the TSU debate coach, encouraged Barbara to consider Boston University School of Law instead of attending the law school at Texas Southern. Her parents and sisters sacrificed financially so that Barbara could attend Boston University School of Law.

JULY | Pride Of Color

Through her experiences in Boston, Jordan was able to develop the interpersonal skills that would allow her to gain access to the predominately closed circle of white Texas politicians. Her grades in law school were just good enough to remain in school but not good enough to grant her access to any positions of prestige, such as the Law Review. Upon graduation in 1959, Jordan was admitted to the Massachusetts and Texas bar, making her only the third African American woman to be licensed to practice law in Texas.

Back in Houston, she set up a small law practice first in her parent’s home and then in a small office she shared with two other black attorneys.

Jordan’s law practice primarily served the members of her community and wasn’t the challenge that Jordan sought. In 1960, she volunteered at the Kennedy-Johnson campaign headquarters.

She began by doing basic office tasks, but when a speaker for the campaign was unable to attend an event, Jordan filled in. As a result, she began speaking at other campaign events. The district in which she campaigned had an 80% voter turnout. She later expressed feeling used in that campaign to secure the black vote.

However, she learned through that experience what encouraged people to take action.

After the presidential election, Jordan continued to speak at different events locally and around the state; this experience was the foundation for the voter support she utilized in her bid for the Texas Senate. One of the campaign organizers that worked with Jordan in the presidential campaign, Chris Dixie, suggested that Jordan run for a seat in the state legislature. Although initially reluctant, she agreed in 1962 and began utilizing the network of business owners, community leaders, union leaders, and ministers who had seen her campaigning skills in the previous presidential election. Jordan had two unsuccessful runs for the Texas senate.

Due to a reapportionment in Texas, in 1966 she was elected to represent the newly formed District 11 that was primarily African American.

Jordan served in the Texas senate from 1967 to 1972 and was the first black woman in the state’s history to serve. While in the state senate, Jordan cosponsored Texas’ first law ensuring a minimum wage and helped to create the Texas Fair Employment Practices Commission. To gain access to “the Club” atmosphere of the Texas Senate “Jordan deliberately set out to woo and win the Senate’s toughest members during the opening days of the four-month legislative session…Dorsey Hardeman was at the top of her list “(Rogers, 1998). Hardeman was a rural, conservative senator whose power was derived from his position as chairman of influential committees such as finance and state affairs. She was intent on forming alliances with those senators who wielded influence even if their agendas were contrary to her own. She was so successful in this endeavor that in her last year in the Texas senate, her colleagues selected Jordan as president pro tempore of the senate. As is customary, for that position, she served as Governor of Texas for a day. She was the first African American woman to serve in that capacity.

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She was intent on forming alliances with those senators who wielded influence even if their agendas were contrary to her own.

She was so successful in this endeavor that in her last year in the Texas senate, her colleagues selected Jordan as president pro tempore of the senate. As is customary, for that position, she served as Governor of Texas for a day. She was the first African American woman to serve in that capacity.

“If the society today allows wrongs to go unchallenged, the impression is created that those wrongs have the approval of the majority�

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From the Texas senate, Jordan was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1972 and was selected as member of the House Judiciary Committee. As such, she spoke at the Watergate proceedings, where she gained national exposure for her defense of the constitution and condemnation of Nixon’s actions. In 1976, she spoke at the Democratic National Convention as the keynote speaker. During her tenure, she supported legislation such as the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 that instructed banks to expand their lending services to those in poor and minority communities.

Member of the first debate team from an AfricanAmerican university to compete in the forensic tournament held annually at Baylor University.

During her final term in Congress, Jordan wrote her autobiography, Barbara Jordan: A Self-Portrait and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. After retiring, Jordan went on to teach at the University of Texas at Austin. In 1982, she became the Lyndon B. Johnson Centennial Chair of Public Policy. She continued to be politically active, serving as special counsel on ethics for Governor Ann Richards. She was invited to speak at the Democratic National Convention again in 1992. Two years later, Jordan was asked to head the Commission on Immigration Reform by former President Bill Clinton and was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in that same year.

First African-American state senator in Texas since the Reconstruction period following the Civil War.

Jordan was intensely private during her life and was never public about her sexual orientation or the relationship she had with Nancy Earl. In Barbara Jordan: American Hero, Jordan recalls meeting Earl on a camping trip in the 1960’s. Coupling this information with the known timeline of their relationship suggests that Jordan maintained this relationship in private for most, if not all, of her political career. Earl cared for and took care of Jordan as her health continued to fail. On January 17, 1996, Barbara Jordan died of pneumonia as a complication of leukemia. Her obituary in a Houston newspaper was the first public acknowledgement of her relationship with Nancy Earl.

The success of Barbara Jordan is testament to the achievement that is possible when supported by one’s family and community even when the social atmosphere in the American South opposed her success. She was adept at politics and it showed in the relationships that she nurtured with politicians of opposing political views such as Senator Hardeman. Her charm and intelligence could not be ignored.

Those who interacted with her professionally or personally attest that her staunchest opponents were “won over” by Barbara’s personality. More than a decade after her death, she remains a hero.

Served as administrative assistant to the County Judge of Harris County, becoming the first African-American woman to hold that position.

Author of the first successful minimum wage bill in the state of Texas.

Served as “Governor for a Day” while president pro-tempore of the Texas Senate in 1972, becoming the first African-American woman to serve as chief executive of any state in the union.

Along with Andrew Young of Georgia, first African-American Southerner to be elected to the U.S. Congress since Reconstruction.

First African-American woman from the South to be elected to the U.S. Congress.

First African-American Congress.

Texan

elected

to

First woman and the first African-American to deliver the keynote address to the Democratic National Convention First African-American buried in the Texas State Cemetery in Austin.

First female to be honored with a statue on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin.

Main Source Rogers, Mary Beth. 1998. Barbara Jordan: American Hero. New York: Bantam Books.

JULY | Pride Of Color

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H eroes Among Us, At The Vanderelli RRoom oom A Lisa McLymont

s the crowd picked up there was a blanket of friendliness that enveloped the room. A familiarity came across the attendees, as friends saying their hellos with other friends. As the drink were being poured and food served out to smiling faces, the tried and true songs where played by DJ. T.R.U.P.; Songs from the black family reunion song book and a few from the club kept the mood lifted and spirits higher. Small groups of people moving though looking at the art work of Art is Aqua, Lisa McLymont, Johnnie Ray Kornegay, Ernest Wicker/Charles Smith of Choxley Co. and Ludie Senatus. As the hours pass on the more people came in, with the majority coming in just before the fashion show, filling the space up to a packed house.

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T

Johnnie Ray Kornegay

he entertainment started with an ode to the past and the future with Wahru Drum Performance. The amazing and captivating performance having a centering aspect; which hush he crowd and got them to their seats. The drum performance was followed by Tiffany Mariie writer and poet sharing pieces of Herself in a piece named “Rebellion� she fantastically moved from the verbalizing her poetry to singing it with her angelic voice. The crowd woke with her encapsulation of the life of a black woman; she lined up the inequalities against her and then with cries of her rebellion she spoke of hope.

Uttering the hope that younger women will rebel.

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World of Agape

T

he fashion show opened with dramatic lighting, smoke and the burning of sage. The line “World Of Agape” by Agepa, debuting a performance piece that was part sacred ritual and dance that sent the crowd cheering. Agepa who specializes in pattern Design and Drapery states “My mission is to empower women and be a conduit for their perfect self-expression”. A taupe goddess dress with matching full scarf was the first piece of the night. The Dress, gold/ taupe color was accented by a long gold neckless, from around the neck it came down to the abdomen. An asymmetrical scarf was trimmed in tassels which framed the model’s face. The garment moved and flowed amazingly against the model body, like it held a grace of its own.

“The garment moved and flowed amazingly against the model body, like it held a grace of its own”.

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SOAPBOX Tees

he next in line “SOAPBOX Tees” by Stacey "Sun" Smith, a self-taught artist who started a creative, urban and socially conscious lifestyle clothing company whose commitment is raising social awareness and fundraising for national and global causes. The line featured graphic design and vibrant colors, such as neon yellow. A few of the styles contrasted with a white on black graphics, with the lines logos in red on the back and on the sleeve. Graphics consisted of their social conscious comments like “Protect Trans Women of Color” and ethnic messages that spoke to brake stereotypes.

T

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he fallowing line was “Glamour Coated Melons LLC” by Treva Tylana a Cincinnati Ohio creative who focus is “for a woman to feel and embrace her sexy”. Creating designs that are customized for every customer. The first aspect of this designers’ show was the confidence the models showed, they not only wore confidence, but they bathed the audience in it. The models wore encrusted fantasy brassieres with pearls and hand placed costume jewelry. With their multicolored Crystal Gems, Gold Rivets and luminous pearls the models flooded the room with sexy thoughts of carnival and the pride of the black female body.

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Glamor Coated Melons

T

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L

ast Line was Oliver Valdienne a young designer, born and raised here in Columbus. The models came out fast and with a raw swagger, wearing some highly deconstructed shirts, dresses, pants and even a kilt. There were flashes of metal, metallic decorate paint and blanched tie-dye. This vary urban take of streetwear was dark, moody and energetic. Oliver’s incredibly hip and urban line was brash as a punch to the stomach and made for the bold at hart. This ended the fashion show with cheers and applauses.

The event ended with small conversions, drinks and some dancing; with event goers moving out in to the night with a little more Hope and Pride than they arrived with. Hopeful signs of a great Pride Season

"People Fear What They Don\'t Understand!" “ Fashion Never Dies, People Do!"

- Oliver Valdienne”

JULY | Pride Of Color

Choxley

Urban Bag Co.

: is a modern artisan textile company, covering the intersection of craft and design.

Owner, maker, and designer founded Choxley in 2012 and begins each project with patterns of new or repurposed quality fabrics, cotton, and leather chosen for their unique qualities: high abrasion and durability. This process adds imperfections, charm, and character and makes each piece a limited edition. One of the traits of Choxley is the love of patinas or wear of hides and cloth.

7.1 Oz. Softened Linen Throw & Pillows in Graphite gray

Choxley Urban Bag Co. “We give a second life to objects or materials worn by history and by time. They are the sign of the authenticity of a past, and we try to repurpose these unique makings for the external decoration of the bags, quilts, blankets, and bedding�.

Choxley.wordpress.com ChoxleyBags@Outlook.com JULY | Pride Of Color

Columbus poet, writer,

Tiffany Mariie is known for her insightful, colorful portrayals of the life of black women in America and her important meaningful works is shaping the artistic ideals of being black in the community.

By Charles Smith contributor

How did you get started writing poetry?

I always tell people this art shit saved my life. If I’m being completely transparent. My first Poem was a suicide note. I’ve always been the underdog not in a pity “woe is me” type way but I’ve always been different. I didn’t really feel like I had anyone to talk to in that time that could comprehend the things i was going through or how I felt. I was a 14-yearold girl struggling with not having my mother in my life due to drugs and incarceration; As well as beginning to come into and owning my sexuality which came with a lot of bullying and turmoil in and of itself. It was rough but poetry and art literally saved and continues to save my life.

How long have you been writing and when did you start sharing your work?

Let my dad tell it, I’ve been writing riddles since I learned to write lol. I was in the 10th grade and I had a summer reading assignment that I wrote a short story for and my english teacher pushed for me to get into our high schools’ writers seminar glass. I met two amazing teachers (Shout out to Ms Feen & Ms McAllister) They showed us an episode of def poetry jam and we formed a poetry slam team to compete against other columbus city schools My first performance was terrible, but I fell in love. For the first time in my life there was a place where I felt like I was at home. Nerves and all.

What are your sources/ inspiration of you work?

“Inserts really deep inspirational messages” lol no, I’m inspired by life... by experiences. By the things and the questions, I don’t know the answer too. I’m inspired by people, and by simple shit. Recently I’ve been inspired by my shadow self. The more I grow as a human my art grows and flexes with me.

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“My first performance was terrible, but I fell in love. For the first time in my life there was a place where I felt like I was at home. Nerves and all�.

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Where do you do most of your writing?

Thats a tough question because I don’t necessarily have a space dedicated to just that. We live in the

Is there anything off limits?

Nope. I’m an open book. Anything you want to know I’ll tell you good bad and the ugly.

You have a great voice do you sing?

Thank you so much. Do I/ Can I sing, Yes. I love it I do it, often almost every second of my life because it makes me feel good. Am I a singer. Not necessarily.

What are the common themes of your poetry?

They’re all over the place. Lol I love...love, on all types of levels. So i have a few that are there. Mostly they come from the random things that happen or that I hear or see.

Someone can say something to me and an entire piece comes from it.

age of technology and smart phone (which I hate) but sometimes i’ll have a line and I’ll put it in my phone and two months later I’ll have another line that somehow reminds me of another line and then a poem is formed.

Theres so many notes in my phone lol My biggest accomplishment in my opinion is being able to be transparent. Each piece no matter the spectrum topic etc, is a piece of me left with a piece of them. The people that I touch, the people that want to love on me after a piece, the people who want to connect with me, or the ones who tell me Something i did made them feel good.

I hear a lot of hope in your poetry, what do you say to other people who are losing hope in these times?

Man! Keep going! Sometimes that is the easiest thing to say and the hardest thing to wrap your mind around but keep going. Light can not exist without darkness... Press in, Press Forward.

Peace & Love What are your accomplishment in poetry writing and what would be your dream use of your poetry?

-

MariieEXO

Heal from your shit. Love on yourself, the world is hard enough on us. I’ve been at my lowest point I've literally lost everything down to my mind... but if you keep going and deal with your demons is the only way is up and you’ll wake up in a whole new state of being.

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Entitled: “Dear Future Wife” Dear Future Wife, Imma tell you this now, so there’s no confusion in our next life...

Homie... Lover... Friend... that’s me Aight?? & I’m a fine believer that when you find my spirit will introduce me to you as wife I’ll appeal to the Queen and the King side and I might even test ya gangsta but you know I gotta keep you on your toes right?

Here Rest, Handle with care signs & you’ll take them indicators of the time, the time needed to peel back the layers of the heart beat that will soon fall into sync with yours so even on the days when I’m getting on your ever lasting nerves every single road leads you back to me.

There will be, no need for our ego trips in soul ties we’ve tripped and fell in love like the old heads did... it’s like that... “ you know what I’m really mad at you right now, so imma go to the other room & calm down and we can fix this shit It’s That I was up til 3am translating your love language to make sure all the pieces fit. Type shit.

You’ll ask me questions just to feel me speak And your vibrations will fluctuate in just the right frequency... for me to get confidently lost in you... & never even think to try to find my way out.

I’m... I’m... lost... in the mystery behind how you’ll ignite in me things that blessings are waiting for Your demeanor will be a little less princess a lot more king, I’ll even let you see the damsel in me... distress no more in my arms you’ll lay your armor... an when whirlwinds send you spiraling... I’ll be there holding your pieces in the aftermath with all the necessary tools for your reconstruction.

This’ll feel better than a situation-ship with the perfect side chick... you know like when shorty know all the rules she doesn’t call past 8 and when she sees you on a date with your main chick all of a sudden that’s your cousin and nem. Yeaaaah Wife feels better than alll dat -Tiffany Mariie

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Pride of C olor |

Maya Angelou suggests there are four questions that we're all unconsciously asking each other all the time.









Do you See Me? Do you Care that I’am Here?

Am I enough for you or do you need me to be better in some way?

Can I tell that I’m special to you by the way you Look at me?

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The State of Black Wealth Date and Time Wed, July 17, 2019 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM EDT Free Public

July 2019

Location Columbus Metropolitan Library 96 South Grant Avenue Columbus, OH 43215 Wealth—an individual’s or family’s financial net worth—can function as a generational stepping stone that older generations pass on and future generations benefit from and build over time.

However, due to racial discrimination and institutionalized bias that prevented the accumulation of black wealth: from slavery, then indentured servitude under Jim Crow, segregated housing and schooling, to the seizure of property — the median black family own just $3,600, just 2 percent of the $147,000 of wealth the median white family own. In fact, according to the Institute for Policy Studies, the wealth disparity between black and white families will take 228 years to close.

Join the Columbus African Council and other community partners for a conversation on the racial wealth gap and how we, as individuals and community leaders, can set a course for a more prosperous future throughout the African Diaspora in Columbus.

B.O.S.S UP COLUMBUS HOSTS "THE RECREATION OF BLACK WALL STREET" DATE AND TIME Sun, July 28, 2019 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM EDT Free - Public Tickets for Vendors - Eventbrite Location Genoa Park 303 West Broad StreetColumbus, OH 43215 DESCRIPTION On July 28th, 2019, B.O.S.S. Up Columbus members will recreate Black Wall Street in Columbus, Oh. We will p ack out the river front with 100 Black Owned Businesses from many different industries. We will compell patrons and command acknowledgement and attention from those near and far.

They will marvel at what we will accomplish in this city, on that day! We w ill be a part of a greater cause, which is the All DIsabilities Walk and Festival hosted by the legendary Nicole "Lady Xtreme Carter who so graciously afforded us this opportunity!

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Ohio Young Black Democrats Convention DATE AND TIME Saterday, July 27, 2019 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM EDT

Free Tickits – Eventbrite Location Columbus Metropolitan Library 96 South Grant Avenue Columbus, OH 43215 Description Please join the Ohio Young Black Democrats and its regional chapters at the 2019 OYBD State Convention. There will be break-out sessions and speeches from community leaders, activists, and public officials; Please note that everyone, even those who are not members of one of our chartered OYBD chapters, is welcomed to attend the OYBD Convention. However, only eligible members of chartered chapters will be able to cast votes during officer elections.

Soul Train 2: Joy, Love & Soul 2019 Date and Times: Sunday, July 21 (3:30pm) (7:00pm) $10 Tickits - Eventbrite Location Columbus Performing Arts Center 549 Franklin Avenue Columbus, OH 43215

Description Black Cultured Performing Arts LLC is presenting our summer dance theatre production of Soul Train 2: Joy, Love & Soul 2019. This is a continuous story from our first version of Soul Train that we presen ted on July 2, 2017.

This show is going to be a mixture of music and dance from the most popular African -American artists from the 1970's to today.

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In Our Own Words:

Adrienne Rison Isom - Juneteen Memorial

The Words Of Black LGBTQ Leaders, In Honor Of Jeneteenth And Pride Month

By Rachel Allen contributor

“Pride month, to be clear, is an extension of Black History Month,” says David J. Johns, Director of the National Black Justice Coalition. He cited the efforts of a transgender black activist who helped spark the Stonewall uprising in New York City 50 years ago — “one member in a long legacy of young queer people who fought for the rights of others.”

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“For me, Juneteenth is significant in that it highlights what was done centuries ago. But it should only be an initiating catalyst for the work that should continue because people are still not free.�

E. Taylor Doctor

Heal others

Self love

True self

Teaching

Hope Bulding

Witness

Truth

Purpose

Connect

True inclusion

Ask more then talk

True Inclusion

Truly Seen

Care

I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.

Audre Lorde

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When I first started, people would ask me: ‘Who are my opponents?'” she said. “At that point in time, I didn’t have any physical opponents, but I would say to people, ‘my opponents are racism, sexism, and transphobia …

HealJenkins Andrea Self love

others

Hope

True self

Teaching

Bulding

Witness

Truth

Purpose

Connect

True inclusion

Ask more then talk

True Inclusion

Care

To be a negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time.

Truly Seen

James Baldwin

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Heal others

Self love

True self

Teaching

Bulding

Truth

Purpose

How many years has it taken people to realize that we are all brothers and sisters and human beings in the human race? I mean how many years does it take people to see that? We’re all in this rat race together!

True Inclusion

Truly Seen

Witness

Connect

Help

Marsha P. Johnson

Hope

Ask more then talk

Trust

Care

I used to say that I did not believe that I would live to see the end of this epidemic. I don’t say that anymore. I believe that it is entirely possible that I will see the end of the epidemic, but we are at one of those deciding moments. Whether we end it now or not is totally up to us.

Phil Wilson

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Trust is to human relationships what faith is to gospel living.

It is the beginning place, the foundation upon which more can be built. Where trust is, love can flourish.

Barbara Smith <a href="https://www.freepik.com/freephotos-vectors/frame">Frame vector created by freepik www.freepik.com</a>

Heal others

Hope Bulding

Self love

True self

Teaching

Witness

Truth

Purpose

Connect

True inclusion

Ask more then talk

When an individual is protesting societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s refusal to acknowledge his dignity as a human being, his very act of protest confers dignity on him.

True Inclusion

Care

Bayard Rustin

Truly Seen

July

Pride Of Color |

Trans womxn of color

By Rachel Allen contributor

2019 span of approximately six months there has been 10 trans womxn killed in America and all were back. Additionally, according to HRC the deaths of Johana ‘Joa’ Medina on at Riker's Island and Layleen Polanco, and Medina, 25, died at a hospital in El Paso, Texas just hours after being released from ICE custody. Medina suffered severe health complications that went untreated while she was in detention, according to Diversidad Sin Fronteras. Her exact cause of death is not yet known. Polanco was found dead in a cell at Riker's Island on June 7. Her exact cause of death is also as of yet unknown.

According to the Human Rights Campaign, in 2018, at least 26 trans womxn were killed in America, and the majority were black.

This high death rate is not new, and shouldn’t be surprising. It is clear there is erasure happening here. The question is, are we willing to be intellectually honest enough to acknowledge that fact?

The murders of the aforementioned womxn are glaring examples of these intersections of identity.

Layleen Polanco died in solitary confinement just two months after being arrested. She was unable to pay a $500 bond. Incarceration is experienced at a disproportionately high rate in communities of color, which are also more likely to experience poverty. And those two factors create a toxic stew — a person without a job, or with a low-paying job, is less likely to be able to pay a bond or afford a lawyer.

All of these factors become a breeding ground for tragic circumstances.

The 10 black trans womxn murdered so far this year all starkly reflect the same intersections as Polanco, however their killings took place outside of government institutions. In at least seven of the 10 cases, the womxn were shot. Many were found in ditches or parked cars.

It is not a coincidence that a majority of these cases go unsolved, or that the victims’ names often appear in quotation marks in news articles, or that investigators often insist on using victims’ former names — “deadnaming” them.

In many cases, the assailants are members of their victim’s community. In Booker’s case, Kendrell Lavar Lyles, a cisgender black man from her neighborhood, has been arrested and charged with her murder and is a person of interest in the murder of Chynal Lindsey.

A trans person is also more likely to be a victim of violence in the prison system, especially considering the fact that trans womxn are routinely housed in male facilities.

According to a 2018 report from the National Center for Transgender Equality, federal data shows that “transgender people are nearly 10 times more likely to be sexually assaulted than the general prison population.”

July

Pride Of Color |

A 2015 survey by the National Center for Transgender Equality found 29 percent of transgender people live in poverty and 15 percent are unemployed — that last figure rises to 26 percent for trans people of color, according to the National LGBTQ Task Force. GLAAD reports that the average lifespan for an American trans woman of color is 35. All of this data is connected by one theme: the erasure of humanity — a failure to see those who wish only to be seen as the fully realized human beings they are. And this failure casts an insurmountable shadow over the light of each of these womxn’s possibilities.

Something must be done to help trans womxn of color. The conversation needs to shift to the origins of the systemic adversities faced by these womxn. The media must tell these womxn’s stories with a voice of genuine concern and dignity.

The days of casting aspersion due to lack of understanding are gone. Ignorance no longer is an excuse. This is urgent — a crisis, if the definition holds true.

Black Trans Lives Matter.

Dana Martin, 31, a Black transgender woman. Daroneshia Duncan-Boyd, an Alabama-based trans advocate, said that “she was a person that was loved by many.”

Jazzaline Ware, a Black transgender woman. “Our community in Memphis is mourning the death of Jazzaline Ware, a Black trans woman and beloved friend,” said the Transgender Law Center in a press release.

Ashanti Carmon, 27, a Black transgender woman. “Until I leave this Earth, I’m going to continue on loving her in my heart, body, and soul,” said Philip Williams, Carmon’s fiancé. “She did not deserve to leave this Earth so early, especially in the way that she went out.

Claire Legato, 21, a Black transgender woman. Friends and family took to social media to mourn Legato’s death, remembering her as someone who was “full of life.”

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Harumof ditDetroit’s ipsuntotaeEndiaecta cus event quunt“This litaquatem sin ped the mortal Paris Cameron, 20, a Black transgender woman. case qui illustrates danger faced members LGBTQ eicipsae vendemsaid. incil inus aut fuga. Caectem il qui aute nobis dolest porpore, community, including transgender women ofrempor color,"sitis Fairmolutem Michigan President ro Alanna Maguire nonserc itatur, sedi bero il ipitis eaque is autes alis id maiorerferum quis elictiis repero et audi ipitasp dolupti ipit accus di utem doluptatus corem nullentomos rehendelis dolorem rerumeChynal Lindsey, 26, a Black transgender woman. “She would do whatever itictotae. would Expliquis take to live her truth and she was willing to die tas quam, susda dunt. tur sitaqui doluptaquam, a ped quat provide ligent, behind it," Stephanie Houston, Chunal mother said.

"That's why it's well with my soul."

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Chanel Scurlock, 23, a Black transgender woman. “RIP baby,” wrote a friend on Facebook. “You [lived] your life as you wanted.

I’m proud of you for being unapologetically correct about your feelings and expectations of YOU.”

Zoe Spears, 23, a Black transgender woman. Transgender advocate Ruby Corado, the founder and executive director of Casa Ruby, identified Spears as the victim. “She was my daughter -- very bright and very full of life,”. “Right now, we just want her and her friends and the people who knew her to know that she’s loved.”

Brooklyn Lindsey, 32, a Black transgender woman. “I love you, Brooklyn Lindsey,” wrote a friend on Twitter. “I shall live on for you. Rest in power, sista.”

July

Pride Of Color |

End Notes

Charles Smith, contributor

This comes at a time when society needs and demands more inclusive news. It's been 190 years since the creation of the black press, and it's as relevant as ever. When we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have inclusive environment, the quality of story telling suffers.

Certain stories are simply not reported, or are told without the nuance or perspective the circumstances require. The black press has filled that void for generations. And with the advent of digital platforms, a baton has been passed to black millennial writers to continue presenting narratives, with underrepresented points of views, that would otherwise go missing -- and do not necessarily reflect the white men who dominate the industry.

Far beyond using social media for entertainment, shopping or communication, African-American, millennials have elevated Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other platforms to raise public consciousness about the issues impacting people of color. The hashtags #BlackLivesMatter and #OscarsSoWhite are prime examples of this phenomenon.

That online presence has translated into the creation of a network of black news outlets specifically creating content that will meet readers and viewers where they are. With the Pacific Islander and Latino outlets comeing into play in the last few years.

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From the start, the Black press has been a change need on the difficulty of blacks and giving them the power to write and testify on their own narratives. In New York in 1827, Rev. Samuel Cornish and John B. Russwurm began publication of Freedom's Journal, the first black-owned newspaper in America.

Ignored form the mainstream venues and often slighted in their absence, the black voices found the need to tell their own stories. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We Wish to plead our own cause. Too Long have others spoken for us. Too Long has the public been deceived by representations, in things which concern us dearly,â&#x20AC;? wrote the editors in their first edition.

When narratives are told from the perspective of a people of color lens, perhaps there are no two sides to a story. Perhaps there is only one side, or numerous sides with various textures and shades. What is certain is there is a sense of responsibility to the community, advocating for that community and telling their stories from their perspective.

A digital environment arms the millennial people of color writers with tools that enable them to carve out their own territory in their unique and innovative way -- exercising free speech and contributing to a healthy democracy. Ether they be Asian, Black, Latino, Pacific Islander they are staying true to the proud history of the black press.

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