FIERCE Blog

Commitment to Our Communities

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 08:56:00 GMT

FIERCE is one of those organizations with which once you get involved and see how we are committed to the social justice movement you want to stick around. FIERCE is an excellent resource for LGBTQ youth. FIERCE has opened so many doors of opportunity for me, for which I am truly thankful. I appreciate what FIERCE has done for me, and I hope that you, yes you, will to be able to find a home at FIERCE.

Below is my graduation speech, which I gave upon graduating from the Education for Liberation Project Level 2 (ELP2) in August 2010. I hope that it will provide you with some insight as to exactly the type of organization that FIERCE strives to be. Thank you for reading, stay up and stay positive! =)

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"From the point of inception when I decided to involve myself with this organization, up until now at this very moment, I can truly say this has been an experience of a lifetime. I have no regrets and assemble myself to have a bright vision for the future. This organization to me means so much. The work that we do speaks volumes about what we as individuals believe in and what we as a group stand behind.

"After involving myself with FIERCE, I very quickly came to realize how important our work is to the community that we serve. As an active member and ELP 1 and ELP 2 graduate, I have learned so much. The skill set and preparedness that we discuss and practice here at FIERCE is truly priceless in my eyes, and I thank each and every one of you for being a part of such a wonderful experience for me, and I mean that sincerely from the bottom of my heart.

"I have dedicated myself to this social justice movement and I will continue to push my growing edge, step up step back and listen to all of those who have it in their hearts to share their experiences with me of being an LGBTQ youth of color. FIERCE has opened my eyes and captivated my mind. I stand today a proud ELP 1 & 2 graduate but not only that, I stand before you in a state of enlightenment which I feel could not be if it were not for the presence of this organization in my life.

"Thank you to the staff. You all have worked so hard and have been there for all of us. Thank you to my fellow ELP 2 graduates for making this an experience of a lifetime. And thank you to anyone and everyone who supports FIERCE in any way. I hope that we can all continue to put our all into this movement because it means so much not only for this generation, but for those to come as well. Thank you."

About the FIERCE E-Zine:

The E-Zine is an online publication by FIERCE Media Crew for other LGBTQ youth within and outside of NYC. The E-Zine will highlight FIERCE's work, programs and events; feature stories and reflections from LGBTQ youth about their experiences; member profiles; ally features; articles on fashion, music, movies; and videos, photography, art, and poetry projects produced by FIERCE members.

Lifting the Veil

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 08:31:00 GMT

FIERCE’s Education Liberation Project 1 (ELP1) is a program that primarily focuses on educating LGBTQ youth of color between the ages of 13 and 24 about the systems of oppression that they experience whether they realize it or not.

ELP is one of the first steps in supporting FIERCE Members in developing their political development, leadership and organizing skills in order to address the injustices that occur in their daily lives. These injustices include racism, homophobia, xenophobia, sexism, and others and their affect on low-income communities, LGBTQ communities and youth.

“ELP is a place where LGBTQ youth of color can find empowerment through learning and understanding concrete ideologies, how they connect to their personal experiences, and that LGBTQ youth have the power to change them,” said Emerson Brisbon, Leadership Development Associate at FIERCE.

Education Liberation Project Cycle 1 serves as a ‘veil remover’ of what really goes on in our society. Sam, an active member at FIERCE and media crew participant said, “I thought racism was over because I never felt like I really experienced it or saw it. But, ELP1 helped me start the process of questioning my ideas and how those ideas came to be.” ELP1 was truly a change for her and as she put it, “an eye opener in my questioning.”

“ELP1 has helped me become a better leader and public speaker. It helped me understand the oppression that LGBTQ youth of color go through,” said Michael Owens, an active member of FIERCE and participant of media crew and campaign steering committee. “As an LGBTQ youth of color, I have faced police brutality and the systems of oppression we endure. The work I’ve done at FIERCE has empowered me to continue fighting for our goals.”

It is no surprise that FIERCE’s ELP intensive program has positively impacted the lives of many members of FIERCE. Whether it was an eye opener or an empowerment to persevere, ELP1 has kept many members interested in working hard and fighting for the goals FIERCE has.

For Tyrell Gorton, ELP1 has definitely provided a change in his life. “ELP1 gave me a stronger desire to do social justice work, find tune my focus in problem solving and showed me the social problems that occur to people who are just like me.”

With ELP, he realized he wasn’t the only person who acknowledged how corrupt America really is. For him, being a young male of color, he already knew about racism and its oppressive mannerisms but ELP1 helped him understand the issues transgender, young women of color and gender non-conforming individuals endure.

As Michael, Sam and Tyrell said, “[FIERCE is like family with real connections and the bonds that it forms with people make it exciting to be a part of.]” There is never really an end to lessons learned in ELP1 since FIERCE’s work for justice must continue for the generations to come. We know we can count on the work our future members will bring to the table of our huge family.

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Ari is an Active FIERCE Member and graduate of ELP1 and ELP2. Ari is also a member of the FIERCE Media Crew.

About the FIERCE E-Zine:

Poetry in Motion: "Evenstar Ending"

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 11:46:00 GMT

Evenstar Ending

Two people, two lives,

Both strong, capable guys.

We saw each other one day here,

And I knew right there I would hold him dear.

His brown eyes shined so bright,

His skin danced under the light.

It was six months we two became one,

And our love kept growing under the glittering sun.

Our night to celebrate and relax,

And to remember why our love keeps coming back.

Eternal was playing as we lay in bed,

For the next morning all I felt was dread.

Lying beside him, listening to him breathe,

All I thought was how I never wanted to leave.

My back against his chest,

I knew his love was the best.

His hand touched mine, I began to hear,

Thunder and rain were the sounds that struck my ear.

The blue candle’s light danced upon his walls.

All this time, our love stood tall.

The perfect moment, for the perfect love.

Still the sounds of rain came from around and above.

The rain and Piano faded into night,

And Breath of Life became our new light.

The beautiful elvish words, so strong neat,

Danced with our hearts and their very beat.

We lay still, both trying not to cry,

But loving each moment, knowing we were nearby.

Our Breath of Life faded slowly away,

As our night turned into a new day.

The Evenstar begun to shine,

And her heartfelt words sung so fine.

Her soft voice sung to our hearts,

As the song brought our day to a beautiful start.

Still together, and still alive,

The only option was for our love to thrive.

I turned on my side to look at him,

Knowing that the candle-light began to dim.

He moved his hands, and gently touched my lips.

His finger slowly caressed each bump and rip.

Stuck in time, all I felt was this.

He pulled me in, and all I felt was his soft kiss.

And we were one, the Evenstar sung in my head,

Her words inside, gracing us as we lay in bed.

(Spelled)
Ú i vethed nâ i onnad. Si boe ú-dhanna. Ae ú-esteli, esteliach nad.

Estelio han, estelio han, estelio, estelio han, estelio veleth.

(Pronounced)
Oo ee veh-thehd nah ee ohn-nahd.
See boh oo-thahn-nah
Eye oo-ess-tell-ee, ess-tell-ee-akh nahd.

Ess-tell-ee-oh hahn, ess-tell-ee-oh hahn, ess-tell-ee-oh,
Ess-tell-ee-oh hahn, ess-tell-ee-oh vehl-ehth.

(English Translation)
This is not the end...it is the beginning.
You cannot falter now.
If you don't trust [this], trust nothing else.

Trust this, trust this, trust,
Trust this, trust love.

______________________________

Evenstar Ending was performed by Balder Rosado at the FIERCE Got Talent Event on Friday, March 26, 2010.

Summer of 2010: History in the Making!!!

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 11:14:00 GMT

FIERCE continuously strives to promote a safe space in and for our communities. We want to create a world where everyone is welcome and can just be themselves—a world where you can come as you are and not face discrimination or threats of violence.

In 2005, we launched our Safe Space Saves Lives Campaign to ensure the needs of LGBT youth of color were not forgotten in the wake of the development of the Christopher Street Pier. FIERCE members have worked hard over the past several years to gain a seat at table when it comes to making decisions on the pier.

In 2009, the screening of "Paris is Burning" and the first-ever Global Warming Mini-Ball marked important victories for the Safe Space Saves Lives Campaign. Until then, there had never been official programming on the pier for LGBTQ youth. And the Global Warming Mini-Ball featured performances by Vogue Evolution! Last year, FIERCE also became an official member of the Hudson River Park Trust Advisory Council.

This summer, we were excited to continue our free programming with three movie screenings on Hudson River Park's Pier 46, a series of wellness programs on the pier, and an Artistic Night.

On Saturday, August 28, we held our biggest Event of the Summer! FIERCE, the Kiki Coalition and Friends of Hudson River Park proudly presented A Night in New York ~ our 2^nd Annual Mini-Ball on Pier 46. Over 800 people turned out to this amazing event, which featured performances by LGBTQ youth and some fierce competition on the runway. The event was free and open to the public.

You can visit our YouTube channel and Flickr account to view highlights from our 2010 Summer Programming.

Our voice and our presence as members of the LGBTQ community are rising. There is much more work to be done! You can support our campaigns by:

1. Turn out to events. Be sure to stay tuned to our website and sign up for our mailing list to receive breaking news and updates.

2. Signing our petition of support for a 24 LGBTQ youth center on Pier 40

3. Make a donation to FIERCE to help support our work to build LGBTQ youth of color power

About the FIERCE E-Zine:

Get to know our Allies!

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 10:59:00 GMT

Tell us a little bit about GLOBE and what you’re about:

“GLOBE is a group of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and queer people primarily from communities of color in Bushwick, Bed-Stuy, Brownsville and other parts of central and north Brooklyn. Our mission is to empower our communities through organizing and education. Our membership is intergenerational, ranging from age 14-50+. Globe is one of the few New York City groups founded by, led and constituted by low-income LGBTQ people of color organizing around public policy issues that have impact at the city-wide, state-wide and national level. Globe is a project of Make the Road New York.”

(FIERCE Allies Table at our Queer Movie Series on the Pier!)

GLOBE and FIERCE have a strong relationship and long history of supporting each other. Tell us a little bit about that from your perspective.

“GLOBE supports FIERCE in your commitment to LGBTQ Youth of Color-Led Community Organizing and is happy to support FIERCE campaigns and programming, since we know the LGBTQ community needs the type of organizing that both GLOBE and FIERCE is doing to advance issues in our communities. Issues that look past marriage equality and focus in short and long term solutions to racial and economic inequalities and systematic oppression(s) that LGBTQ folks of color go through on a day to day basis.

The relationship that GLOBE and FIERCE members share shows the type of interdependence and movement building that we would like to see growing in our community. It speaks to the need of LGBTQ folks of color to connect in many levels: on the dance floor, at a rally, at meetings with our different targets, at marches celebrating our victories and defending our rights, or just at the Piers, sharing food and laughter ;) “

FIERCE Media Crew thanks Karina for taking the time to work with us on this community spotlight feature. We look forward to continuing to build and organize together.

Be sure to check out GLOBE’s Diva Bash on Saturday, September 11, 2010.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=150852184929747&ref=ts

You can find out more about GLOBE online at http://www.maketheroadny.org

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/New-York-NY/FIERCE/8585349931?v=app_2344061033&ref=ts#!/profile.php?id=1784777464

FIERCE also thanks GLOBE for their support of our 2010 Summer Programming! GLOBE helped organize and facilitate our Capoiera on the Pier Wellness Event.

About the FIERCE E-Zine:

Future Fridays // Budgeting 101

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 10:50:00 GMT

There were a lot of new members that came and learned how to budget their money, and I enjoyed pushing my growing edge and facilitating with Krystal. In the workshop members learned how to budget and learned about different definitions that pertain to budget. Members were paired into groups to understand how money works in our lives. Many people learned the differences between variable and fixed income as well as the definition of disposable income.

I feel like this workshop and other workshops like this are important because as a youth myself I need to learn how to budget my money. I know there are many other youth like myself that don’t budget their money properly and wind up having to look around for free things to do because with money being spent on food, clothes, and phone bills, they don’t have much left to spend when they want to hang out with other friends.

I also feel like learning how to budget will be a very valuable skill because as you get older money gets harder and harder to budget unless you know how to budget wisely.

FIERCE Future Fridays are part of our Youth Development Program.

Future Fridays // Cooking with Krystal

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 10:45:00 GMT

As youth and organizers in the mist of our daily lives, we forget to take care of ourselves with even a simple task of grabbing a meal. If we do remember to grab lunch or dinner, we try to convince ourselves that a granola bar and Gatorade is enough or that the next time we’ll have a meal to make up for the last one. During Cooking with Krystal, we talked about going days without meals because of situations we sometimes face. The workshop was meant to address the concerns of taking the time for yourself to sit, breathe and EAT! I shake my head now at how mundane the simple task of eating is to everyone but when closely examined, it’s something all to often forgotten in our daily lives.

All the youth who participated in the cooking class were busy shuffling in and out the kitchen. There was laughter, conversation, and of course, cooking: dicing tomatoes, stirring sauces, tossing salad and frying up chicken. And as it all came together, I was proud that we took the time to create a meal together that we could enjoy, plus it smelled really good.

It’s pretty safe to assume that Cooking with Krystal was a success. As we all got together in the conference room and talked about how we didn’t burn down the kitchen and how Krystal needed to learn how to properly dice onions, I looked around and made a promise to myself that I would try to have meals like this one more often.

Cooking with Krystal was a FIERCE Future Friday Event. Future Fridays are part of our Youth Development Program .

Focused Leadership ~ Reflections from the USSF

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 15:10:00 GMT

I attended the Queer People’s Movement Assembly, The Performance of Nightwind and Theatre of the Oppressed, Enough is Enough Basta Ya!, and two Rights To The City events.

All of those workshops were unique in their own way: The Queer PMA had such a power to it that none other workshop I attended had. I felt so empowered from seeing so many people come together and talk about real issues.

The performance of Nightwind was a good performance, the actor was well-trained and skilled and his sharing of centering and breathing techniques was helpful and useful to remember.

FIERCE is also part of Right To The City, so I was already part of the work of our local New York chapter. Seeing the national chapters come together at the USSF was a great experience.

(Rickke, Balder and Ahkia at the RTTC Member Assembly.)

One of my favorite memories of the USSF was back at the Weston Hotel pool. It was the first day of the USSF and we had just participated in the long, opening march to CoBo Hall where most of the workshops and assemblies were held. It was close to closing time for the pool when security came in saying that the pool was closing and that we all had to leave. Everyone in the pool starting doing chants like "Whose pool? Our Pool" and "Security needs a raise" to help keep the pool opened longer. It worked for about 15 minutes! I really enjoyed that moment most of all because it showed our unity whether we were queer or straight, we all chanted for our love of the pool.

As a FIERCE member who had the opportunity to be in Detroit for the USSF and the Allied Media Conference, I really want to bring a contagious momentum to keep everyone involved and the centering practices to keep us calm and focused as we lead and continue building our movements. I can use the breathing activities to help keep us calm in stressful times, and I can keep the thought of unity and remember we are all in this fight for social justice and social freedom for all people.

Photos and videos were taken by FIERCE Media Crew Members who travelled to Detroit for the USSF.

Click here to view our USSF photo collection on flickr.

Click here for video highlights from the USSF.

Widened Perspectives, Gained Inspiration ~ Reflections from USSF

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 14:45:00 GMT

The USSF sounded like an excellent opportunity to not only network, learn and grow from the absolute fabulousness of a variety of organizations, collectives, and leaders, but also to find a common ground from which a powerful and inclusive social justice movement can move from.

I decided, since I had connected strongly with the FIERCE leaders in New York, to ask them if I could join them in Detroit. Being the radical and beautiful people they are, they agreed to take me along with them. While at the forum, I did just what I hoped for and more. I grew closer to the national and international queer people of color community, widened my perspectives, met empowering folks, and gained information and inspiration that I know will help me back in Austin.

Plus I met many "attractivists" - a new word I learned at the forum meaning attractive-activists."

Gabi Padilla is a guest blogger. Gabi participated in FIERCE's LGBTQ Youth of Color Organizing Summit held at Creating Change 2010 and joined us in Detroit for the USSF.

Photos were taken by FIERCE Media Crew Members who travelled to Detroit for the USSF. Click here to view our USSF photo collection on flickr.

FIERCE Determination~Reflections from the USSF

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 14:34:00 GMT

In my lifetime, I aim to create change for my community, and part of creating this change is learning about social justice movements on a broad scale. We are all connected, and one fight for justice should not be isolated to just one issue, group or community. We must build together. It’s important to look at our community as one collective movement. We are one heart that keeps beating and pushing through all the obstacles we face. We have to break the barriers that exist for all of us. Often our communities suffer from oppression, phobias, and biases. We have to demonstrate that we are united and strong.

On June 21, 2010, I decided to face my fear of flying and go to the US Social Forum in Detroit, MI with a FIERCE team of fellow youth members and FIERCE staff. I stepped onto that airplane and went to Detroit with a positive outlook and determination to grow as an organizer.

(Chris & Emerson at the Opening March)

During the week, I went to several workshops. One workshop I attended organized by the Coalition for Immokalee Workers (CIW). CIW is a community-based organization of mainly Latino, Mayan Indian and Haitian immigrants working in low-wage jobs throughout the state of Florida (http://www.ciw-online.org). Workers were not getting fair wages for their work so they began organizing in 1993 and meeting in local churches to discuss how to better their community and their lives. Within a few years, CIW had managed to bring about significant, concrete change. In 1998, they won industry-wide raises of 13-25% (translating into several million dollars annually for the community in increased wages) and a new-found political and social respect from the outside world.

Another workshop I attended was one organized by Grassroots Global Justice (GGJ). In September of 2009, I had to opportunity to travel to Pittsburgh for the G20. The G20 is a group of leaders from "elite countries" who make decisions that influence the economy in different regions around the world.. The G20 makes decisions to make already wealthy peoples’ pockets larger. Due to capitalism many people are left impoverished. As a response to the G20, people mobilized to Pittsburgh in protest. At GGJ’s People’s Tribunal, testimony was given to show how different people/communities around the world were affected by the G20's policy. For example, an immigrant housekeeper had to work long hours everyday for low pay. One day she grew ill and didn’t come to work and she was fired. Capitalism has no mercy on humanity.

(Grassroots Global Justice @ the Opening March)

Part of why I went to Detroit was to continue to work with GGJ on solutions following the G20. People were split up into groups according to region. I was in the North East. I learned that the only way we will see a better tomorrow is if people take the power and fight for reform collectively. We must seek reform through mobilizing and sticking together.

Some of my other highlights from the USSF were seeing Detroit. Detroit was definitely a city hit hard by the economic crisis and at times, it felt almost empty. I saw tent cities and remember there were tent cities in Pittsburgh too. I had the opportunity to be there for in Pittsburgh and in Detroit. I am motivated to fight so that everyone can have access to their rights. We still have a lot of work to do!

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Photos were taken by FIERCE Media Crew Members who travelled to Detroit for the USSF.

Click here to view our full photo set on flickr.