Liberatory Medicine, QTPOC Healing Histories, and Online Knowledge Shares

**Cross-post from QueerHerbalism blog**

May has been a busy month. I returned from a few weeks in Puerto Rico building with some amazing co-visionaries: Maria Reinat-Pumarejo (Colectivo Ile- Africa en mi piel, Africa en mi ser), a phenomenal organizer and Raul Quinones Rosado (C-Integral), a liberation psychologist. Both do anti-racist trainings with PISAB and also facilitate Latino Challenges Toward Racial Justice workshops. We talked about anti-racism, liberation, colonialism in PR, decolonization, psychology, organizing, health and healing, and so much more. So needed and nourishing! I also got to spend some time with brilliant herbalist, organizer, and author Maria Benedetti of Botanicultura (FINALLY!) We ate and sang and she discussed her new novel, Dolores y Milagros. I also went to Finca FlamboyanT, a queer land project in Sabana Grande. It is a sanctuary, artist retreat and home with so many fruit trees and medicinal plants. Speaking of retreat- I stayed with Michelle of the Nietas de Nono in Patio Taller- another amazing artist retreat space (and space for youth organizing and so much other amazing work) with a beautiful herb garden and fruit trees. Hers is located in Carolina. We shared such insightful conversation about community, organizing, art, herbs, you name it. I also hung out with some created family members who really helped me out when I was living in PR last year. Without them I would not have survived. En serio. I restocked my zines and added some new ones at La Chiwinha, a fair trade ecotienda in Rio Piedras. And last but not least, I revisited Casa Mucaro high in the mountains of Las Marias. This communal land houses musicians, puppeteers, and artists of many persuasions. I stayed there in 2014 and was able to really focus on the Queering Herbalism Encyclopedia and I did a talk for the Sistah Vegan Conference (organized by genius, diversity strategist, scholar and critical theorist Dr. Breeze Harper) "The Vegan Praxis of Black Lives Matter" entitled Transvisibility, Survival and Solidarity which was part of a joint talk “ALL Black Lives Matter: Exposing and Dismantling Transphobia and Heteronormativity in Mainstream Black ‘Conscious’.



Yes! My trip ...no...journey...was as inspiring as it sounds. I am so grateful for the amazing people in my life who are doing such tremendous work. My heart was so full. I was so nourished during my journey this month.

When I returned I began working on two new zines and I put together the Liberatory Medicine Collection which contains the 4 second edition volumes of your decolonial herbal favorites: Queering Herbalism 1, Herbal Freedom School 1 and 2, and the new Partnering with Plants guide. Through this Sunday 5/29 the collection which has a $40 value is $25.

You can purchase here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/281840666/liberatory-medicine-collection

Partnering with Plants is also only $5 through Sunday 5/29. Use the code: PWP2016. <3
https://www.etsy.com/listing/290061139/partnering-with-plants


You can email me at queeringherbalism@gmail.com for sliding scale discounts on the collection or to barter/trade medicine, knowledge, techy skills, etc, etc...I really need help designing flyers, websites and online courses and on making audio and video courses more accessible to those with different abilities.

In June I will be at the Philly Trans Health Conference sharing on QTPOC healing histories and your purchases will partially go toward making that happen.

So what's this about online knowledge shares? Well, after much ado and some folks asking to be my "students" I decided to finally put together a little something online to see how it goes. A couple prototypes if you will. I won't reveal too much yet but I will say that one accompanies the Partnering with Plants guide and will be 4-6 weeks long and is a mini-program of sorts, while the other online knowledge share is a longer course- a full 3 month program- that explores all the volumes of the Queering Herbalism Encyclopedia. Ok. Cats out the bag. Hold me accountable to rolling these out this summer. Send me some messages and emails letting me know of your interest so I know all this hard work is going to resonate with some of you out there.

Well- I guess that's "it" for now. Be on the lookout this month for the mini-program/online knowledge share. I'm working on the flyer as we "speak". The registration page will be up soon.

Healing and Justice,


Toi

A Note on my perceived anger and bitterness. Silence, Release, Conviction and Standing in my Power

After a note from a friend, I decided to respond to a woman who sent me an email through my website. At first I wasn't going to write back because of the tone and level of assumption, but then after reflection and a chat with my friend about comunity to write back. Usually I wouldn't think it necessary to address a person's assumptions about me, but I felt it a good exercise for my future as a writer who writes about issues that may make me seem "angry" and "bitter" to many folks. I feel many of us bloggers, journalists, writers and artists who use our work as a form of expression come into contact with folks who might misunderstand our work or who may write us off because of their perceptions of us. 

There are a lot of assumptions made about writers based on the tone of articles. I'd like to challenge folks to be mindful of your assumptions and expectations. A few articles and your perceptions on who that person must be does not allow for the reality of who that person actually is. We shouldn't be so quick to write someone off or assume that they are "just angry". I am glad that she wrote me though because in writing her back, I felt self-affirmation of who I am and what I'm here to do and how I'm here to do it.


M's email:

" Hey Doll, I think you are so cute but why are you so angry.I really think living in Texas would make anyone bitter.I am a Certified Herbalist,have been since 2011.I am also a Certfied Personal Trainer and soon to be Raw Chef.Adopting this lifestyle has made me a lot calmer.As a black woman I know of the pain and suffering my people had to go through.It's time to let go.It's HISTORTY not our FUTURE.Let's heal ourselves mentally...Be safe and Take care...I would love to make a donation to your site... M"

My Note back:


"Hi M...,


Thanks for taking the time to reach out. At first I was hurt by words I'd never expect to see from a person in our community...words that confirmed the stereotype of being an "angry black person." But then, I sat in reflection and thought about the fact that you may not have read many of my other writings where I talk about healing, community, and empowerment. I also thought about the fact that you may not have read about my own personal healing journey and the fact that you don't know about my committment to a plant-based diet.

I have spent much time working on ancestral healing and understanding my history and my place as an organizer within marginalized communities. There is much trauma in our communities and I believe that the mere act of letting go is not enough. Though it is key, there is much to work through spiritually, emotionally, psychologically and physically. There are patterns deep in our DNA that we must work through and release, as you've expressed. We also need to understand systems of oppression and the ways they affect us physiologically, emotionally and psychologically and what we must do to heal internally from external oppression and childhood and ancestral trauma.

Writing is a form of healing for me and I write with conviction. Some of my writing is fiery and some is soothing. I've reflected on some folks' reaction to my writing, and I believe that a lot of it is rooted in how we have been socialized to speak (or not speak) about our oppression. If we do decide to speak about it, we must sugar coat it- so as to attract bees with honey. Dr. King didn't do this. Malcolm X and the Panthers didn't do this. Gandhi and Mandela didn't do this. We have to be real and speak our Truth, regardless of what others may think of us. Many white folks and even our own people thought that the leaders I mentioned were angry and bitter and disturbing the peace. Maybe even rocking the boat.

Despite what some may think or assume, I am not a person brimming with anger. I am a person who sits in meditation and goes to annual silent retreats. I am a person who sits with plants and trees and spends time cultivating inner peace. I am a mediator, I believe in non-violence and peace activism (and understand the need for other tactics). I am a child of Obbatala and Oshun. I'm also a person who was voiceless for many years, like many other female-bodied people of color. Part of this letting go that you speak of, for me, is the healing inherent in writing the Truth and speaking out, which culminates in taking action against injustice. There is no liberation in suffering in silence. Audre Lorde speaks about that. Sometimes the "letting go" folks speak about really has to do with not holding space for the expression of our anger or sadness caused by violence committed against us. And this is disempowering and damaging. Lorde said that this silence will not protect us. This idea of not acknowledging what systems are externally causing us pain and being expected to just release emotions tied to our oppression seems anti-liberatory.

I believe there is a place for anger (and sadness). Thich Nhat Hanh talks about this. Many spiritual leaders have. Anger can move us to action, as long as we don't remain in this state for prolonged periods. It can consume and destroy us if we do so. But we can't remain in a state of bliss either. As with anything, there must be balance. We can choose how to channel our emotions toward liberation.

Thank you for your email which has caused me to really reflect on others perceptions, and in doing so, remain firm in my convictions about the work I'm here to do and the ways I do it: with compassion, conviction, and unapologetically- all the while hoping for, and taking action to co-create the healing of our communities.


Healing and Wisdom,

Toi "

Putting Down the Master's Tools

It's been a minute since I've had time to actually put together the number of blog entries floating around in my head. I've been traveling off and on since October. I've kept one foot in Austin and the other in the southwest and west. It's been a tough winter in more ways than one but I feel like I've weathered the storm and have come out the other side if not unscathed, at least with a new found determination. Thanks to all the folks who have supported me in a myriad of ways these past few months and through 2013. Time to take 2014 by the horns.

In other news, your friendly, neighborhood afro-genderqueer has the honor of presenting/facilitating a workshop/skillshare at an LGBT confernce in Puerto Rico in March! It's titled, "Putting down the Master's Tools: Using your words,stories and Art to Queer Social Justice." I'll also be sitting on a panel on race, racialization and sexuality. 
*See more about University of Puerto Rico- Mayaguez's ¿Del otro la'o? Coloquio de sexualidades queerhere.

I actually just facilitated a workshop last weekend on Healing Ourselves from Internalized Oppression at allgo's annual retreat for QPOC organizers after going to a two week permaculture design training in Cali. 

What a year and we're only two months in.

I'm reaching out to folks since there's little to no funding for us presenters since it's a free conference.  I've got some writings and an online presentation to give you in exchange for your love offerings. 

The work I'm presenting is very important as it is designed to not only create dialogue but also to incite us to action toward ways that we can use our art and skills to heal ourselves and each other from both internal and external oppression (racism, homophobia,etc.)

Find out more about what I'm doing for the workshop on my gofundme page. I'm raising $500 to get to Puerto Rico here:
http://www.gofundme.com/Masterstools

If you can't contribute, please spread the word! 

New posts coming soon.

Toi

AGQ

Genderqueer Files: La Qolectiv@ Part 2

Guess what...

Genderqueer Files: La Qolectiv@ Part 2:
The Group Journey
is available now!

Know some awesome folks who may want to bring in the New Year with a story about some rad, brown queers reclaiming and resisting? Not only will you be providing them with some awesome entertainment, but you'll also be helping in funding the making of this into a full-length book and helping to sustain the author.

*You can get a $5.00 discount off the combined amount of Part 1 and 2 by using this code: JOURNEY2014.
*If you've already bought Part 1, you can message me for a separate discount code!

You can buy Part 1 and 2 at my online store:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/afrogenderqueer

They will only be available for a limited time before I go back to the lab to make edits and emerge with the novella!

Read more about Part 1 and 2 here:
http://www.afrogenderqueer.com/#!genderqueerfiles/c160u

Please don't hesitate to message me about sliding scale discounts if you are experiencing economic hardship.

Thanks everyone! And as you think of holiday gifts please keep supporting art written by and centering the experience of queer and trans folks of color! It's just one way to confront the growing disparities that we face.

Healing and Solidarity,

Toi

AGQ

Philosophactivist

Queer. Brown. Stories.

So...


Remember that play Genderqueer Files: La Qolectiv@ that had a dope reading this year in Austin at the historic Victory Grill with amazing community members?

Just to refresh your memories-

Genderqueer Files: La Qolectiv@ is a brown, genderqueer story of Rebellion, Resistance, Reclamation, Revolution, and espíritu/Spirit. A collective of brown, radical gender/queers find that to continue to protect and heal their community that they must discover their innate super powers tied to their indigenous spirituality and the wisdom of their ancestors.

And now you can buy Part 1 in downloadable "E-episodes" (a total of 3) for $9.99 (yep, 3 episodes in all for the Part 1) here.

I am selling these episodes to raise funds so that I can complete the Genderqueer Files: Qolectiv@ "novella".

(A novella is not as short as a short story but not as long as a novel). I will essentially be converting the play to novel format, for your viewing pleasure and I want to have it completed by February 1st.



The goal is that it will be available a few episodes at a time at indy bookstores, zine distros, college libraries and community centers, online, and hopefully...your home library! Eventually you will be able to purchase the whole sha-bang.


Here are some details:

• There are a limited number (*51) of Part 1 available for a limited time. 

     *Sales for part 1 end 12/14. Episodes from Part 2 will be available 12/14. 

• Email me at gqstreetpoet at gmail dot com for prices on printed versions. Shipping and handling will be added.

If you know of any bookstores, libraries, schools, gender studies departments, community centers or groups, etc who'd be interested in purchasing this work or having a workshop on it's major themes of race, gender, sexuality and spirituality please let a brown, genderqueer know!

It's difficult getting stories that are relevant to our experiences out there. Publishers are not trying to publish stories about resistance or revolution with all brown, queer characters so it's up to us to support each other in challenging the literary status quo and getting our stories heard.

                                                 


You may now return to your regularly scheduled program♥

Words from the West

Saturday 10/19/13

In San Francisco I was called to read my pieces- 'The Master's Tools' and 'Visionaries don't need to dream'. I also read my poem Survivin' and my piece 'My Healing Story'. A friend recommended the last two and it was just what needed to happen, even though she wasn't there.

I needed to read about how we can't use the master's tools to dismantle the master's house, I needed to read about our internalized oppression and why we are not "progressing" as a people though the dominant culture wants us to believe that we are. I needed to read about what visionary organizing looks like and how our internalized oppression makes us turn on each other and not trust the radicals and visionaries that are here to co-heal with us and return us to our rightful place as the descendants of kings and queens, spiritual royalty.

I needed to talk about how we needed to heal. I also needed to read my story about being diagnosed with lupus and my battle to be heard and to find holistic care. I needed to get it out even though it was a little difficult baring my emotional and spiritual scars and being raw in front of folks I didn't know.

But...that's why I started reading my poetry out loud so many years ago, in the first place. It's kind of like that term "speak truth to power". I felt myself healing and regaining power over my story as I told it. In talking about my illness, I opened the storybook for all those who share it and I invited people to take a look at their chapters.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prologue...

10/16/2013

Los Angeles was a challenge. Emotionally. I'll explain more after I've processed. USC's QPOC group was so amazing. We were so tired after driving from AZ and their spirit breathed new life into us. We were recharged upon meeting them. As two tour members and I picked beautiful flowers around campus for the altar, I was truly happy to be there. I knew that we were appreciated and I wanted to honor this. I recruited the two tour members to read some monologues from Genderqueer Files and the audience liked it and thoroughly enjoyed everyone's pieces.

10/17/13

UCLA stood in stark contrast. We performed in a meeting space in the library and it was just more "official" feeling. There were less POC in the space. The vibe was different. I was happy to run into a good friend that I'd met years ago in NYC at an Audre Lorde Project community organizer training (Daring to Be Powerful- check it out if you're in the area). The organizers of the show booked it the same time as another POC event and to be in solidarity, some of the tour members walked over to the event with a few folks from our event. I'm not sure how effective that was but...at least something was done, I guess. 

To be honest, my memories of LA are foggy because of breakdowns in communication, hostility, and just an overall feeling of discomfort as interpersonal conflict escalated on this particular part of the tour. I was fortunate to get a break from all this and to ground myself and drive up the coast on the 1 with someone I trust and respect. 

When we got to Oakland we went to queer qumbia and in the morning we had brunch with some of my fav people from when I lived briefly in the Bay. It really restored my faith in brown community. Sometimes the microcosm of the macrocosm- femmephobia, transphobia, internalized racism, colorism, anti-blackness, xenophobia,etc. can be even worst in our little brown bubbles where we seek asylum. Sometimes solidarity isn't so solid or solidifying. There are still tokens and problematic dynamics as we try very hard to "decolonize" and de-assimilate. As soon as I have time to process...I'll write more.

Notes from the South/West

Indigenous People's Day (October 14th)- Tucson, AZ

This morning, I sat in the golden rays of the Arizona sun praying for healing of ancestral wounds and for continued guidance on this path I'm on. Though today is a day for mourning of the violence and genocide against my indigenous ancestors' whose names I'll probably never know, it is also a day of reflection on our innate power and connection to that energy that is the essence of all that has made sure that we as a People survive. We are not less than. We are not weak...we are not broken. We are beautiful spirits that need only realize the rich soil and strong roots from which we come from. And as black and brown people who share many of the same roots, it's important for us to learn about our suppressed histories together. That's the message I got in deep prayer and meditation today. No one can be liberated while anyone is subjugated or exploited. No one can live with ease while others suffer. And we cannot know our own complete histories without acknowledging those of our brothers and sisters We cannot be whole without realizing we are only a part of the whole. A drop in the sea.

October 15th- Tucson, AZ

What an amazing day. Spent some quality time taking a stroll through downtown Tucson with OG zinester (we're talkin 90s punk predecessor) Mimi Nguyen- creator of Slander, the Race Riot series, The Gift of Freedom, and other writings. We saw this ironic, gem of a billboard that said "You belong here." With some light-skinned Latino man. Ummmmm?

We moseyed to Antigone, a feminist radical bookstore, with huge lesbian and gay fiction sections and an indigenous spirituality section with white shaman authors. Womp womp. We ate delicious Ethiopian food at a place called Cafe Desta with some of the dope collective members of MalintZine. Performed with Anna Vo (Author of Fix My Head) and Nykky Gomez (Founder of Brown Recluse Zine Distro and author of Skinned Heart zine) at Skrappy's Youth Collective. (How awesome is that? A space for youth!) There were sooo many rad black and brown folks that attended. I read a piece on Black and Brown Solidarity and organizing for immigrant rights , some poems on my heritage and "For the Descendants of the Freedom Fighters and Riders" and a piece entitled "The Master's Tools". Tucson has really felt like a home away from home.

October 17th- Los Angeles, CA

Watching the sun rise over LA from a cliff in Echo Park I am realizing that I needed this tour more than I could ever know. Already I am inspired to do and be so much more. And this is more than an opportunity...it IS the Path. Sometimes we spend so much time looking for it or trying to walk on it and it's already here. We're walking it- no- we actually ARE the path. I not only embody the tears, pain, and joy of my ancestors but I also embody all that they ever wanted for themselves and their descendants. I am the inner peace that I've sought since childhood. I already have the freedom I've been searching for.   

As the sun comes up over the mountains, our ancestors, I see in the amber dawn my own inner transformation - all that I am experiencing on this trip. My own dawning. I know that I can never return as the person who walked onto this trailer/tour bus- overpacked, slightly burnt out with organizing and white folks tokenizing, and transitioning through the next steps of this so-called adult life. I'm nearing the end of this transition with a new take on purpose and new inspiration from the others on this trip/that we encounter on this trip who share many of my ideals. People I never dreamed could exist, let alone all be on the same bus together co-creating radical safe spaces for brown folks and dialogue, city to city.

In one week it's even clearer to me now that there are certain things I'm here to do (in Life). I can't be distracted by society's expectations for me or people's projections or insecurities. I know who I am and that I'm capable of more than I ever could have imagined. I will no longer subject myself to limitations from myself or others.  I have to live my life in alignment with my ancestors' deepest aspirations- and I guarantee it wasn't to assimilate into white supremacist, homo/transphobic, sexist, ableist ideals. It wasn't to perpetuate the "othering" of whole communities or to turn my back on those who are suffering while others live in excess. 

In all honesty I don't care about the "1%". I'm tired of talking about white privilege and whiteness but unfortunately, in this world we have to care because until we come together in solidarity and actually decide we will no longer abide by racist/homophobic/sexist/ableist laws, policies, and societal standards- until we decide to create brand new systems and paradigms- we must continue to mind our p's and q's and "shuck and jive" for our own survival.   

You know what the sunrise taught me? It taught me that there is a such thing as a beautiful, silent (but not as in voiceless), burning resistance. It is patient and persistent. Assertive. Omnipresent. Though we think the sun has set or disappeared, it's still there, burning with the same intensity...ready for the next upRise. Like clockwork. We, as a people, should take notes from the Sun.

Race Riot! POC Zine Project Tour

Well folks-

I'm having an amazing time on the Race Riot! Tour. I don't have instagram and I barely use tumblr or twitter so I'm going to try and document a little bit here with other peeps' photos. So, photo credit to all the coordinators with awesome cameras and social media prowess.

I hopped onto the tour in Austin after the kickoff in New Orleans and a few events in Houston and College Station.

Puro Chingon Collective hosts us in Austin, TX

Our Altar 

 

Me reading a piece about "Food Forests" historical racism and the displacement of POC in Austin

More Photos HERE.

Albuquerque, New Mexico

 Above: Me, Jodi, Anna Vo, and Chula Doula/Pati Garcia
Tabling at the Tannex

 Me reading "The Thing about Poverty" and "Post-Racial Who?" from Notes from an Afro-Genderqueer 2

On the way to Tucson...

    Anna Vo and I play Afro-Speed with Afro-centric playing cards. 

Driving through Texas took forever and a day and we experienced much racism during the few stops we took. I can't say I felt much pride in my state. But then, there are very few moments when I do anyway.

The first morning in New Mexico a white man in a huge red truck saw me from the highway access road and turned in as he saw me walking through the motel parking lot to our trailer. He knocked on the door and another tour member answered since I was in the back and he said..

"I know this might seem crazy but the Lord gave me a message for you..."

And they slammed the door on the man. I can't help but think about how many times this is how people get assaulted, kidnapped, etc. We beefed up on security a bit (asking our driver to defend us with some of her top secret weaponry) and headed out to Albuquerque.
I can't believe how cold it gets at night.

The Tannex hosted us and it's a really rad space with a zine library. The local performers were amazing. Waylaid was a percussion-y-zapateando-y-singing/poetry trio experience. Then this badass chicana feminist from the border took the stage and just lit it on fire with her poems. Her name's Jessica Helen Lopez and she is the founder of La Palabra- The Word is a Woman, a female writer's collective that celebrates and empowers femininity through creative endeavors. She's also author of the book of poetry "Always Messing with them Boys" (on West End Press) which we had the pleasure of hearing her read from.

Anna Vo read from her Fix My Head zines and Chula Doula let us in on the literature (Hot Pants, Radical Doula and Freeing Ourselves) she's selling for different groups/organizations. Last up was the founder of the Tannex and the Albuquerque Zine Fest, Marya Errin Jones, who read from her zine about the first black female pilot-Bessie Coleman.

What an honor to be a witness to the performers in Albuquerque. We just got into Tucson late last night with no qualms at checkpoints. We avoided I-10 like the plague and here we are after a frosty night, basking in the sun and catching up on our blogging/writing/rest. We have 2-3 events here in Tucson and then we're off to L.A. next week!

Stay tuned for more...

and find out more about our tour dates here.

RESISTENCIA: FINAL DAY OF FUNDRAISING

  

Me and TasZlin from Blaxploitation at my Book Launch/Benefit

What can I say? It's been an interesting ride this past month fundraising in various ways for Resistencia: Sangre.

Notes from an Afro-Genderqueer 2 Book Launch/Punk Show/Benefit at MonkeyWrench Books

These past couple weeks of the indiegogo campaign have been interesting. Crowdfunding can be a real challenge, especially when you are talking about race, gender, sexuality, ancestors and the reclamation of heritage, and sovereignty. It dawned on me that the very reasons I am writing this play- to talk about suppressed brown, queer history and resistance- are probably the very reasons that make raising funds for Resistencia: Sangre difficult. 

Liberatory art is in a league of its own. As much as folks want to be all "hip" and "in the know" and supportive of "radical" art, the truth is- it's got to look a certain way most of the time. And that look is not usually brown or queer. That look also isn't about dismantling systems of oppression and helping folks to find their innate power and work toward sovereignty.

When you use the word "anarchy" in a description- you can't use it lightly. It attracts a certain crowd. Right? It conjures up a certain image. Probably a white male with a mohawk, living in a housing cooperative on one of the coasts. Am I right? 

That's exactly why these brown radicals had to be committed to a similar philosophy. So that the audience can see that before anarchy was anarchy,our brown ancestors were committed to independence and freedom from colonization. Resistencia: Sangre will explore slave revolts and indigenous (Taino) rebellions and, though it is set in Puerto Rico, it's all of our story. This resistance happened all through the Americas and the history has been suppressed. In order to understand ourselves, our present and move toward the future we've got to understand our past. White allies included. Understanding our past and reclaiming our heritage is a form of healing and resistance.

     

So why are the main characters punks? Punks are white. Punks are racist. Punks are about fashion...they're not really rad. Some people may already be aware that punk music actually has some roots in Jamaica. Yep. Punk culture took its cues from rudeboy culture and rocksteady and ska music. During the 60s the Jamaican diaspora to the UK led to influence in fashion and music. The social and political commentary in punk music was definitely influenced by this Jamaican subculture...at least until it became black nationalist. Can't be white and influenced by and talking about black power...can you? Perhaps that's why some of the skinhead culture became neo-nazis and all about white power. Who knows. All I know is...I've seen brown folks in other countries talking about white power and heil hitler and I find it a little strange...but that's just me. Also, did you know there was an all-black punk band, called Death, that was around before the Ramones? 

There were also other influential black and brown punk bands in punk's early days who many don't hear about.

 

So, reclamation. Reclamation. Reclamation. 
It's a form of healing and resistance. No more suppression. No more appropriation. Resistencia: Sangre seeks to talk about our ancestors' resistance. It seeks to talk about present day resistance to the still existent colonial powers. The same colonization. This story is about decolonization in its deepest sense. It's about regaining autonomy and realizing our inherent power. It's about looking to our ancestors' struggle and healing all of our wounds.

So this is the final day of the campaign and I hope that those of you who are inspired or curious will invest in this liberatory art that will create some powerful dialogue about race, gender, sexuality, spirituality and so much more. 

Malcolm X said that the future belongs to those who prepare for it today. This is my contribution to that preparation and to a future where we know our histories of resistance and our capacity for justice and freedom today and in the future.

Here is the indiegogo campaign page:
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/resistencia-sangre

EVERYONE who contributes will have online access to the play. For a $10 donation you'll get a 50% discount on the novel/play and for a love offering of $20 you'll get physical copies.
Will you be a co-creator and a co-visionary?

I want to give a COLOSSALTHANK YOU to these co-visionaries for walking with me on this journey:

                                           

Elisha Lim
La Loba Loca
Lizanne Deliz
Chelsea
Anika Fassia
Lisa Schergen
two Anonymous folks
Lotty Ackerman
Leila Plummer
Bunny Burrows
Markilous07
Angel Gonzalez

Shane Whalley
Isaac M.
Kit Yan

and offline contributors:

Kevin Thomas

Naya Jones

Matt R.
Lyndon
Bob J.

and

All those from the Austin community and beyond who came out to the Notes from an Afro-Genderqueer 2 Book Launch and Resistencia: Sangre Benefit at MonkeyWrench Books.

and

BLAXPLOITATION
our very own awesome, local POC punk rock band












I am so moved by the support I've received from friends and created family and even folks who don't know me at all, but that believed in this vision. I have such appreciation for all the co-creators of Resistencia: Sangre and I can't wait for you all to continue on with me during this journey to creating a radical, liberatory, brown, queer play and novel about the reclamation of heritage, resistance to colonization, and rediscovering our inherent power as a community.

I'm leaving to Puerto Rico to begin my research and writing on August 8th. I'll be documenting my visits to taino villages, pueblos with people of predominantly African descent, conversations with professors, espiritistas and healers, farmers, independentistas, anarchists, students, and others. I'm so excited! If you'd like to be a part of the creative process of developing this play and novel please contact me at gqstreetpoet at gmail dot com.

Healing and Solidarity,

Toi

** Though the indiegogo campaign is finished, you can find out more and continue to donate at the Resistencia:Sangre webpage HERE**

RESISTENCIA

Hello, Hello

It’s been a few weeks since my last entry but for good reason. I’ve been artivisting, organizing and food justice-ing.  I’ve been helping coordinate a farm stand run by predominantly youth of color farmers in a marginalized community with limited access to food, protesting  and calling for the closing of the Polk Detention Center in Livingston, TX, protesting the assault on women’s reproductive rights here in our state capitol, organizing with other brown, holistic healers here in Austin to address wellness in our community, and last but not least… finishing up Notes from an Afro-Genderqueer 2 and starting an indiegogo campaign for my upcoming radical, queer play centered around  activists, musicians and independentistas in Puerto rico called Resistencia: Sangre!

Here’s the scoop:

Resistencia: Sangre takes you, the co-authors, deep into exploration of Afro-Boricua and Taino identity and spirituality while also exploring liberation- Puerto Rican independence and anarchy. We follow a group of radical, queer independistas involved in Puerto Rico's underground movement and music scene who are interested in the dismantling of the current exploitative system and the collective liberation of the island's People. The group find out that their current story is the continuation of a much older story told in a parallel by their ancestors and predecessors.

About Resistencia: Sangre

In Resistencia:Sangre you'll listen to the silenced voices of Afro-Puerto Ricans, Tainos and their ancestors through the story of queer musicians, organizers and visionary community members committed to their liberation. While searching for their own autonomy and independence they stumble upon suppressed histories, tragedy, triumph and Truth.

                                                                             

Cancilio Taino Guatu-Ma- Cu

'    

The Characters:

A few of the main characters are part of a punk band, some are anarchist or anti-government , some socialist, some anti-capitalist, some are organizers and activists, some are artists, some are community members and visionaries, and a few are not political but one things for certain, the majority are about ending decolonization, "the Struggle", and their oppression and reclaiming theirbirthright: Freedom.

There will be scenes with their African, Taino, and even Spanish, ancestors and scenes with anarchist, feminist, and other radical and powerful predecessors. And the play will integrate the following themes...

Main themes:

• Liberation
• Independence/Interdependence
• Autonomy/Sovereignty
• Trans and Queer identity and injustice
• LGBT/Queer Rights
• Afro-Puerto Rican Identity-*in spanish, see above link for english 
• Taino (indigenous) Identity
• Land rights
• Environmental Justice
• Economic justice
• Gender justice

I'm super excited about the birth of this play as all of these themes contain elements of my personal history and I know that you, too, will be excited and satiated by the outcome.

Why Resistencia: Sangre is important

This play is all about reclamation and resistance. For far too long, we've been denied our histories and forced to forget our roots and expected to assimilate. Afro-Boricuas and Tainos, especially those inhabiting queer bodies, have a rich history of political and cultural radicalism that is seldom told. Weaving together the stories of characters that embody contemporary countercultures, feminist and anarchist historical figures, and African and Taino ancestry, Sangre: Resistencia will help us uncover the more hidden side of the Island's rich culture of dissent.



Reclamation is healing. Healing is resistance.

Who is Resistencia: Sangre for?

This isn't for broadway or fancy, inaccessible bookstores with coffeeshops in fast gentrifying areas. This is for the People. I want to bring this to queer communities of color, our families, friends and allies.

Sangre:Resistencia is meant to inspire dialogue that recognizes the significance of incorporating our spiritual roots, cultural ancestry and political heritage into our collective struggles to create a world free from exploitation.

While Sangre:Resistencia focuses on a specific group of Black and Brown Puerto Ricans, the themes addressed within are relevant to peoples of all racial/ethnic identities who are engaged in a struggle to dismantle oppressive hierarchies of power and reclaim their humanity.

Indigenous, Australian (Murri) artist and activist Lilla Watson once said:

"If you have come here to help me, you are wasting our time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together."

Our liberation is bound up together. And as Martin Luther King, Jr. said:

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

When we listen to each others' stories we begin to understand the complexities that have led to our oppression, our roles in the oppression of others, and what it will take as a larger community to heal from and transform a system based on suppression, invisibilizing, and invalidation.


Just as it took hundreds of years of careful crafting for this ridiculous system to dominate the world, it will be a slow process to dismantle it.

It starts with compassionate and transformational dialogue and blossoms into strategic action.


I know I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired...aren't you? Good! Please contribute to a liberatory play and novel about the by, for, and about the People!

Yes, YOU!

What's Needed to create Resistencia: Sangre

•         Airfare - Roundtrip Austin- San Juan=   $350
•        Lodging- $40-60 (avg $50)/nt. (hostels,paradores, etc) @ 10 days ~  $500
•         Transportation  (cheap rental car -$200/wk, bus, metro) = $300

   (to Taino villages, pueblos of predominantly folks of African descent, University of PR campuses to speak with professors, sustainable farms and farms ran by women-"agro-mujeres" and visits to other sustainable projects, major cities: San Juan, Mayaguez, Ponce and mountain villages)

•         Gas $200
•         Food   $200
•         Emergency Funds $250
•         Fees charged by Indiegogo and Paypal- $200

Total: $2,000

What You'll Receive

As a co-creator of this work here are the amazing perks you will receive:

$5- Shout outs on the Afro-Genderqueer and Genderqueer Street Philosophactivist webpage
$10- above PLUS a shout out in the novel and play
$20- above PLUS a copy of either the novel or graphic novel and monologues from the play.
$50- above PLUS you get to name a character!
$100- all above PLUS you get to name the main characters' band or select scenes!
$250- all above PLUS a chance to contribute your art (poetry, drawings) to the novel and play
$500- All above PLUSautographed everything
two copies of play and novel
free tickets to closest show for you and your friends/fam
$750- All above PLUS you get to help construct a scene in the play!
$1000- Everything above PLUS
invitation to special Areíto (ceremony),
invitation to pre-show
invitation to pre-release of novel.

YOU are truly an integral part of this work! Let's build this together.

The Impact

It's not easy to fund brown, queer liberatory art projects. There are few plays produced by and centered around queer people of color that are addressing similar themes with the intention of co-facilitating discussion and workshops around personal healing for collective liberation. You can contribute to this and be a part of the R/evolution.

Every single dollar toward this work is important and I can't wait to collaborate with those of you who are interested in collectively creating this story.

Can't Spare the Change? Here are Some Other Ways You Can Help

•        Get the word out on facebook, twitter, tumblr, and even beyond social media! Please share this page with anyone and everyone!
•         If you know of any community spaces, theatres, classrooms, etc. that may be a great place for this work, please get in contact with me so we can make it happen!
•        If you'd like to be involved with production, readings, or artwork for the novels, please contact me: gqstreetpoet@gmail.com.

When Will We See The Fruits of Y/our Labor?

I'd like to have a first draft of the play done by 2014 and a draft of the novel by May 2014.

But have no fear, I'll be blogging about my time in Puerto Rico and giving monthly updates on the play and writing process regularly between now and March and I'll be releasing scenes online for all who are interested in how Resistencia:Sangre is developing.

 

 

Thank you all for your support! Let's do this!