Black Trans Lives Matter
We believe in the livelihood of Black trans people and the importance of thriving, not just surviving!
Thank you to everyone who helped us exceed our fundraising goal of over $20,000 for Black Trans Futures. Chromat provided thank you gifts to the #ChromatBABES who donated towards our fundraising goal of $10k for Glits Inc and $3.5k + for Fierce Futures. Chromat also donated over $7,000 directly to four Black trans led organizations: Miss Major’s House of GG, Brave Space Alliance, SNaP Co and For The Gworls.
Photos by Demetrius Freeman for the New York Times
Read on for more info on how these crucial orgs are positively impacting their communities and lifting up Black Trans Lives and how you can continue to donate:
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GLITS INC
Ceyenne Doroshow of Glits Inc supports Black trans people who are leaving prison and need housing, and we are proud to have fundraised $10,000 towards their $1 million goal.
You can continue to donate here and here.
Over the course of the last few months, Ceyenne Doroshow and her organization, GLITS Inc., have been providing temporary housing to Black trans people recently released from Rikers Island. GLITS was presented with an opportunity to both sign two leases to provide housing for the upcoming year and buy two buildings to create a permanent place to house and support Black trans people in New York City. These leases will provide much needed security and housing stability in the forthcoming year for several Black trans members of our community, all of whom were recently released from Rikers amidst the COVID pandemic and systemic racism that still plagues our communities. The buildings will create a space that will allow Ceyenne to provide housing and support to community members for years to come.
We want Black trans folks to live a life filled with opportunities of joy that many of us take for granted when our existence is not defined by perseverance.
Ceyenne’s vision is giving Black trans people the opportunity to be in charge of their own plan and in providing housing, we are beginning to create not only stability, but a larger shared accountability to our community. These properties will allow Black trans folk to focus on other long term goals like education and mental health, as well as an overall feeling of support and stability during this unsettling time. In order to reach these goals, GLITS needs to raise $1 million dollars.
This effort is led by Black trans folk giving back to their community and prioritizing the safety of Black trans women.
Beginning on June 13th, Chromat offered special thank you gifts to everyone who sent us a screenshot of their direct donation to GLITS:
Donate $10 or more and we mailed fundraisers a special process Zine (50 available, first come first serve)
Donate $50+ = T shirt (20 available)
Donate $150+ = A pair of our Chromat x Reebok shoes (20 available) Donate $250+ = A swimsuit of your choice (10 available)
Donate $500+ = $500 Chromat gift card (10 available)
(Supplies are no longer available, as we completely sold out)
It was so incredible to see Glits Inc receiving their much deserved coins, meet their $1 Million goal and to see the 15k people at the Brooklyn Liberation gathering on June 14th, 2020 declaring #BlackTransLivesMatter loudly and proudly!!
But bittersweet that those wins exist in a time when Black trans people like #NinaPop #TonyMcDade #RiahMilton #DominiqueRemmieFells #LayleenPolanco #YahiraNesby #ItaliMarlowe are taken from us everyday.
There are still many Black trans funds that can utilize our support. Please consider continuing to lift up organizations like The Okra Project, For The Gworls, Black Trans Femme Artist Collective, The Martha P Johnson Institute and the Emergency Release Fund 💕
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FIERCE FUTURES
Together we can rewrite the futures for Black Trans organizers by raising critical funds!
Chromat fundraised $10k for Fierce Futures- a fund hosted by Cecilia Gentili split equally with four Black Trans-led organizations:
House of GG, based in Little Rock, AR and founded by Miss Major, a trans civil rights activist, and veteran of the Stonewall Rebellion. House of GG aims to support trans and gender-nonconforming people through safe spaces that foster leadership and empowerment in Southern communities of the U.S.
Brave Space Alliance, a Black trans-led LGBTQIA+ Center with a focus on cultural competency and for-us-by-us resources in the South and West Sides of Chicago. Brave Space Alliance strives to educate and liberate QTPOC individuals through community resources in an affirming environment.
Solutions Not Punishment Collaborative (SNaP Co) is a Black trans-led organization created to target the systemic racism within the criminal legal system. This Atlanta based organization's goal is not only to build safety within their community but invest, empower, and embody leadership.
FOR THE GWORLS provides rent and gender-affirming surgery funds to assist Black transgender people nationwide. They are fighting Black trans homelessness within the COVID19 unemployment crisis, as well as lowering risks of affirmative surgeries of Black trans people.
You can continue to donate via venmo to @FierceFutures, Cashapp $CeciliaGentili or Paypal.me/ceciliagentili (write Fierce Futures in the notes) or directly to the organizations above.
Beginning on July 15th, we offered special thank you gifts to everyone who sent us a screenshot of their donation:
Donate $10 to be entered in a raffle to win a one-of-a-kind Chromat NYFW lineup poster
Donate $25 or more and we mailed a special process Zine (50 available, first come first serve)
Donate $100+ = Chromat Hoodie (20 available)
Donate $200+ = A pair of our Chromat x Reebok shoes (10 available)
Donate $300+ = A swimsuit of your choice (10 available)
Donate $500+ = $500 Chromat gift card (5 available)
(Supplies no longer available)
See a beautiful video from Cecilia Gentili and the Fierce Futures team here. In total, they were able to raise over $120,000 for Fierce Futures, including $3.5k from #ChromatBABES like you!
Following the Fierce Futures thank you gift fundraiser, we began our End of Summer Sale with 100% of proceeds (over $7k total) going directly to Miss Major’s House of GG, Brave Space Alliance, SNaP Co and For The Gworls. Thank you so much to all the #ChromatBABES who shopped. Your orders directly supported and uplifted Black trans organizers who are doing the important work to provide food, shelter, gender affirming surgeries, covid mutual aid, safe spaces and so much more to our Black trans siblings.
Our goal was to fundraise $10k towards Miss Major’s House of GG, Brave Space Alliance, SNaP Co and For The Gworls and through a combination of Thank You Gifts for your direct donations and proceeds from our End of Summer Sale, and we reached that goal!
But the work is not over. Please continue to donate directly to these crucial orgs:
Brave Space Alliance is fundraising for a new community center on the South side of Chicago, a place where trans people can safely gather for support groups, provide a crisis food pantry and so much more.
For The Gworls is fundraising for a housing fund for Black trans people who are at risk of becoming unhoused, as well as assistance with gender affirming surgeries.
SNaP Co is fundraising for their community fund that directly supports the trans community in Atlanta navigating personal emergencies.
Miss Major’s House of GG is fundraising for safe and transformative spaces where Transgender women of color living in the South can heal from the trauma arising from generations of transphobia, racism, sexism, poverty, ableism and violence, and nurture them into tomorrow’s leaders.
