Sept. 21, 2020….Washington, DC…. The National LGBTQ Task Force and Creating Change will hold a day-long event ( 12:30 ET to 6:30 ET ) exploring how Queer/Trans People of Color ( QTPOC ) activism is leading the resistance to state sanctioned violence. The day will include a plenary, speakers, skills building sessions and discussion of community organizing strategies for collective liberation.
"The National LGBTQ Task Force is honored to convene this day for community discussion, planning and organizing focusing on the violence we face as queer people of color," said Kierra Johnson, Deputy Executive Director of the National LGBTQ Task Force. "The national reckoning we are witnessing and the uprising of people of color and allies against state sanctioned violence, police brutality and institutional racism must include Queer people of color in the conversation and the work," Johnson continued. "As we move into a national election season, the on-going disproportionate impact of the pandemic and economic crisis on communities of color and the continued epidemic of violence against trans people of color, in particular trans women, it is vital we come together to discuss, organize and support each other in the work ahead," concluded Johnson
Schedule:
Plenary: Resisting/No More State Sanctioned Violence
The last 4 years have brought us more state sanctioned violence and militarization of the police than ever witnessed before. While colonialism and structural racism have been the building blocks of our economy for centuries, the current violent military force and imprisonment against BIPOC and queer communities has given rise to queer and people of color led resistance.
Join us for a powerful and engaging plenary to hear from three tremendously courageous and strategic leaders. From Seattle to South Dakota, Nebraska and DC — these leaders are working towards collective liberation for us all. Speakers: Candi Brings Plenty, ACLU of South Dakota;
Dominique Morgan, Executive Director, Black and Pink; Monserrat Padilla, Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network; Moderated by Kierra Johnson, National LGBTQ Task Force, Deputy Executive Director
Additional programs:
Caucus spaces at the 2020 Queering Racial Justice will provide containers for processing, disruption, and healing. Imani Yasin will facilitate a Black caucus that serves as a safe and affirming space to discuss the challenges of experiencing anti-Blackness and how those experiences can manifest in LGBTQ+ communities. Elif Cadoux will facilitate a white caucus focusing on accountability to BIPOC LGBTQ people. Kareen Coyoca will facilitate an Asian-American caucus that will center on solidarity against anti-Blackness as well as celebrate queer experiences and triumphs. Other caucus spaces include a First Nations Caucus and a Latinx caucus.
The day will also feature 10 breakout sessions, including:
White Queer Colonizers: Presented by Elif Cadoux. Queer Colonizers looks at the specific toxic ways that white queer womxn and gender expansive people uphold white supremacy. We will follow colonial logics and histories into modern day queer culture, address common dynamics, and refect upon the impacts of white queer racism.
Organizing Towards Queer Racial Justice: This 2-hour session offers a tool to analyze LGBTQ+ issues from a racial justice lens. We will take up relational organizing principles and tactics with which to apply the lens and mobilize for broader racial justice in LGBTQ+ spaces and issues. This session will be facilitated by Kareen Coyoca, non-binary Filipinx who uses they/them/theirs pronouns.
Decolonizing Gender, A Curriculum: Presented by Malcolm Shanks. The first recorded act of transphobic violence in the modern world was inflicted by a Spanish conquistador in Panama in 1513 on unarmed Indigenous people. Since that attack, parks, cities, and monuments have been built in that conqueror's honor, while transgender and gender non-conforming people continue to be targeted by the regime of violence that he and others like him brought to our world. Have you ever wondered why mainstream society reduces the full diversity of humanity to "two genders"? The answer has more to do with white supremacy and colonialism than you might think. This workshop is an introduction to the past and present connections between race, colonialism, and the gender binary. Through a race-explicit lens, participants will learn and discuss:
how racial hierarchies have evolved over time through gender violence
the stories of transgender and gender non-conforming African/Indigenous people who resisted colonialism and gender binary, beginning at least 400 before the Stonewall riots
educating and agitating to dismantle these systems through a Black queer feminist lens
We will close the day with an End of the Day Community Sing: Led by Imani Yasin. After a day full of learning, accountability, truth-sharing, and healing, we will close the conference with a song circle. This will serve as an open space for artists to join and share their creativity - using music, poetry, or any other form of artistic expression. Imani Yasin will close out the song circle with Baltimore based producer and artist, Mateyo - performing a preview of her upcoming project entitled "Too Soon."
Registration information: www.thetaskforce.org/creatingchange.html .
Registration fees: Student/Independent: $10;Organizer: $50;Change Agent: $100;Movement Builder: $250 *No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
For more information go to www.creatingchange.org .
The National LGBTQ Task Force advances full freedom, justice, and equity for LGBTQ people. We are building a future where everyone can be free to be their entire selves in every aspect of their lives. Today, despite all the progress we've made to end discrimination, millions of LGBTQ people face barriers in every aspect of their lives: in housing, employment, healthcare, retirement, and basic human rights. For more information go to www.thetaskforce.org .
