Why To Donate to WOCSHN Fundraising Effort

Aside from the FACT that Black women should be wherever they choose to be, and be there safely and experience all the pleasure they desire; there are several more reasons to donate. This post is about one reason: building community and building infrastructure.

When the WOCSHN (Women of Color Sexual Health Network) was established we had big dreams. We still do. Since many of us are all over the US, annual conferences are one of the only ways all WOCSHN members, including executive members, can be together, in 3D, and build.

Yes, we live in the "future" today, but skpe calls, emails, and texting are not the same as building in person. It matters that women of Color, especially Black women, can meet and build and support one another. This is especially imperative for those of us in the sexuality, sexual health, and reproductive justice field.

This fundraising is not just about helping 5 Black sexologists present their original research. It's also about helping WOCSHN meet to plan becoming a legitimate organization. An organization where we can fundraise on behalf of all members who wish to attend. An organization that will demand recognition from color-free spaces that have excluded us, and continue to do so, for far too long.

There are conversations that must occur in person and with as many WOCSHN members who wish to attend. This is what your donations will support. This is what all the donations we will receive will support. Please help us meet our goal.

UPDATE on WOC Sexual Health Network Fundraising

First, we'd like to extend our deep heart-felt thank you to everyone who has shared our call for funds, requests for donations, and who have been able to donate. Your time, support, love, and caring has fueled us during this process and reminded us we are a vital part of our communities and our work is needed.

We've raised $1180 thus far! We have also adjusted our fundraising goal because of some amazing supporters who have donated hotel rooms, frequent flyer miles, and food coverage to some members. The budget has also been adjusted because of room rates at the hotel being reduced from what was originally expected.

An updated breakdown of our fundraising goal is listed below. An asterick (*) is listed next to the items that have been adjusted and below them is an explanation.

• Plane: was $2050 UPDATED: $1550*
• Hotel: was $2000 UPDATED $1190**
• Transportation: $250
• Per Diem: was $1000 UPDATED $250***
• Registration: $1850**** (working on hopefully getting a further reduction update when that is confirmed)
• TOTAL UPDATED: $5090

*Plane was updated because our budget was projected and included an increase for waiting longer to obtain a plane ticket. Bianca was gifted a round-trip plane ticket from a friend who had frequent flyer miles and thus a reduction of $500 was needed in this total.

**Hotel was originally a projected amount of $250 a night as our fundraising efforts began BEFORE the hotel room rates were posted. As of today a double occupancy room is $139 a night including taxes. We still need 2 rooms for 4 nights and the adjusted amount reflects the new room rate including taxes of $1190.

***Per Diem, daily meals which was budgeted to include an estimate of: $10 breakfast, $20 lunch, $30 dinner for each member for each day of the conference. After speaking with folks who have attended AASECT conferences in the past we are told a continental breakfast is offered each morning, two lunch's are provided, and one executive member of WOCSHN will provide some groceries for members in need for dinner. The new per diem includes: $0 for breakfast, $100 and $150 for dinner for 5 people for 4 days.

****We are in discussion with folks at AASECT to gain clarification on a proposed reduction in registration. When/If this is confirmed we will update our fundraising needs. Our hope is to reduce this number to $1250 for a total fundraising goal of $4490.

As of now we still must raise an additional $3910. We know this is possible! We thank you in advance for your continued support and sharing of our fundraising!

In solidarity,
Women of Color Sexual Health Network Members

National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day April 10, 2013

via advocates for youth

Right now we have the very urgent requests for you. Please,  Follow, Like and SHARE the contents on the social media sites. We need to let people know that these channels exist and that NYHAAD is happening! You are welcome to share out this information on any email listserv as well.

Facebook Share Text: “Young people are determined to end this epidemic once and for all – but they can’t do it alone. Join us for National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day. April 10.” GRAPHIC: http://on.fb.me/ZIZSD9 (or graphic attached)

Twitter: “The first ever National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day is April 10. What are you doing to fight HIV and AIDS? @YouthAIDSDAY #NYHAAD”

Our entire social media suite for NYHAAD is: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Pintrest, Instagram.  

We’ve also created a press kit, for your use. It contains media how to’s, the press release, an FAQ on NYHAAD, and facts about how HIV & AIDS affects young people. Just an FYI – embargo means you can’t send it to press until that date.

Final note: The website is up and running, and Sulava already sent out a note for comments, but if there’s anything else that we’re missing or have left out, just let us know! We’ll fix the problem as soon as possible.

If you have any questions as it relates to media or social media, please do not hesitate to contact me.  Additionally, we encourage you to send any content or resources you would like to share.

Prose of a Poor Righteous Teacher

midterm grades bring midterm/midsemester emails to students

telling them their midterm grades do NOT reflect how intelligent they are. they do NOT reflect how great of a person they are. they do NOT reflect the amazing contributions/change they are going to create in our societies and in their communities. to remember this for our class and ALL their classes in the future.

i share this w/them, 97% of them students of color, 89% of them women of color because who else will tell them? who else will remind them their grades are not everything in this life? that the ways i am expected to “assess” their intellect in our class is so flawed?

i do this b/c our youth and our students need to know i see them. i witness their transformation in my classroom, i see them building, thinking, questioning, unlearning, and THAT is what is the real essence of knowledge and critical and analytical thinking may be that will save their lives and mine.

and mine. they will save my life too. they already do.

they need to know that. i’m not just here for them as a resource/educator/mentor/etc. but they are here for me too in the same capacity. they need to know that power is what they embody and they need to know that power is theirs wherever they go, especially outside of any “traditional classroom.” our youth need to know they are powerful.

My ONLY Response On NYHRA Teen Pregnancy PSAs

Many folks have asked me to writes something or respond to the NY Human Resources Association's latest ad campaign about teenage pregnancy.

Here's my thing: I'm personally and professionally not a fan of these posters, language, images, in the way they are presented and the messages they are sending to youth, especially young parents of Color.

What my concerns are and why I'm not going to comment much on this topic is the following:

1. I'm not, nor have I ever been, a young parent of Color. 
2. I'm clear my points of view are not ones that come from a space of being a young parent or a youth at all anymore. 
3. I do not know if youth were engaged in creating these images and messaging. 
4. I'm committed to doing the actual work directly with youth, helping youth strategize and build to create messages that represent them. 
5. I stand in solidarity with youth and not on top or over them.

I'm troubled that the NYHRA has created and implemented this program in this way when similar campaigns such as HIV Stops With Me have created amazing discussions around living positive with HIV. See for example the ads featuring AIDS educator and activists Kim and Jahlove (sidenote: I work with both Kim and Jahlove and I adore them both).

I wonder: what role youth had, if any, in this process. Perhaps they were included. What if youth were a part of creating these images and campagin? What say folks then? How may these responses be shaming those youth who participated? Is that our purpose at the end of the day?

See I'm more concerned with how youth are going to be treated in this back and forth. I'm concerned how folks may be isolating and targeting youth who participated and that is not useful. What are ways folks who are "organizing" around this campaign are already working with youth? Don't get it twisted there are TONS of folks who will come out of the "woodworks" and write about this who are 1. not youth, 2. not young parents, 3. not parents, 4. speak for/over youth who are parents.

And that's my main concern. I'm more interested in organizations led and run by youth responding to these. I'm interested in engaging youth first and foremost to respond to this because this is about them and targeting them. Being a mentor for almost 2 decades to the same young woman, I've learned a lot from her mentoring me as well. I've learned that we must support youth in many of their endeavors.  That we, adults, must be mindful of the space we take up in youth spaces. We must not speak over or for youth. We must instead make opportunities and build connections and relationships to actually have youth be at the center and at the table making decisions.

I know I'm here for helping youth. I see youth as important members of our society. They know what they want and they know what works for them. Are we, as adults, educators, providers, ready to listen to youth and let them lead? Or are we afraid of giving up that form of power too?

Support Sexologists of Color on this International Women's Day!

Since 5 of us from the Women of Color Sexual Health Network have begun fundraising to attend, present, and participate at the AASECT conference this year, I've heard from 5 other women of Color who have shared they cannot attend AASECT because of their lack of funds. Most of the women who have shared this have done so privately, and not online or in public forums.

I'm devastated by each story I hear from women of Color who are working class and working poor and in the field because I know for each one of them there are 2 more. And there will be more. So many of us do work that is unpaid and ignored as part of the field. One of my personal goals is to expand the idea of "sexology" and who can identify as a sexologist. Right now the definition and understanding is rooted in white supremacy and power.

Is AASECT as an organization (and not just the handful of individuals who say they want to stand in solidarity with people of Color in the field)) outraged by this reason why their conferences lack so many people of Color? What are they doing as an organization to change this, it at all?

It's so clear we are not wanted there based on the way the organization is structured. No matter how many individuals tell us they support us, the way the organization was established tells us we were not ever in mind or considered when creating the organization. This is structural bias. This is years of bias that impact our lives. That makes it even more difficult for women and people of Color to attend.

And not just attend, but also share our original research at a national conference. Do you know what it means to share original research? It means we are claiming our own voices, our own narratives, an working with our own communities. Can you imagine the number of stereotypes and misinformation that we can begin to debunk and challenge simply by being present and then sharing our work?

For this reason I urge you to consider donating whatever you may be able to in support of us attending the AASECT conference and present our original work. We matter and we deserve to be there.

About WOC Sexual Health Network Fundraising

We took MONTHS to figure out who needed funding, budgeting, and figuring out what we each needed to present our ORIGINAL research at a national membership association in the US for sexologists.

We believe that working as a collective means more access and more support in raising the funds. We knew this would be a collective effort. We know $7000 is a whole lot of money.

We also know we are worth it! Our life’s work is worth it! Our voices are worth it! And then some.

Folks have reached out to us and has asked us as INDIVIDUALS to share with them how poor we are and why we need the funds. The folks do not recognize we are a COLLECTIVE and in asking such questions are attempts to assess if each of us or all of us are worthy enough to be supported. They are attempting to separate us from the collective work we are doing. Pitting us against one another to see who is more “worthy” or the right kind of “poor” to fund and be present and seen and heard at the conference. They do not realize we work together. That their attempts were met with a collective response. They do not care and they do not understand this. Their white supremacy does not allow for such collective types of support to register for them.

That pisses me off.

I want to show those folks that there are people of Color who support us, who support the work of sexologists of Color, who recognize we are worthy and imperative to the field. That we are doing life changing and life saving work.

$1400 will fund one of us to attend in full. $2800 will fund two of us. $3200 will fund three of us. I want all of us to attend and the full $7150 to be raised.

We deserve to be there. We’ve earned it, we’ve worked for it, we’ve paved the way to mentor and support more of us in the field. We are worth it. Please consider donating whatever you can so that at least 1 of us may attend.