“This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.” ~ Toni Morrison
Holding Each Other in the Wake of the Election
Thanks to an incredible worker-led grassroots campaign, and thanks to the support from everyone who helped to #CRASHtheVOTE for NO on California Prop 60, Pink and White Productions will continue to exist. However, there is more work to be done.
Many in the our community — CrashPad cast and crew included — are overcome with intense emotions following the results of the presidential election. In this time of uncertainty and hostility, we encourage performers, employees, members, everyone, to continue to uplift and protect one another.
The work we do at Pink and White might be said to be the antithesis to the values the president elect represents: queer, trans, people of color loving each other! Our company’s founder and director is a queer Black filmmaker. Our small team is employed of people who are queer, people who are trans/gender-variant, and people of color. We are anti-racist and culturally inclusive, body-positive and anti-ableist, sex-positive and welcoming of kink/BDSM, and pro-sex worker and labor rights. We strive to create a safe and sustainable work environment where our desires are not only respected, but celebrated. Queer and marginalized adults are capable and deserving of happy and healthy sexuality.
And we plan to continue doing just that.
We share the below list for those in need of organizations for support, and for those who can support these organizations through donation and involvement.
10 Organizations to Uplift Queer, Trans, and POC
1. American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
Mission: To defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the constitution and laws of the United States.
Learn more and donate.
2. Planned Parenthood
Mission: A nonprofit organization that provides reproductive health services both in the United States and globally.
Learn more and donate.
3. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
Mission: A Muslim advocacy group working to promote a positive image of Islam and Muslims in America.
Learn more and donate.
4. TransLifeLine
Mission: Trans Lifeline works to end transgender suicide and improve overall mental health of transgender people through education, advocacy, and direct service. We empower trans people to help one another, and to shape our collective efforts by drawing upon our wealth of individual experiences.
Learn more and donate.
5. Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ)
Mission: SURJ organizes white people for racial justice, through community organizing, mobilizing, and education, to act as part of a multi-racial majority with passion and accountability.
Learn more and donate.
6. NAACP
Mission: The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination.
Learn more and donate.
7. Sylvia Rivera Law Project
Mission: The Sylvia Rivera Law Project (SRLP) works to guarantee that all people are free to self-determine their gender identity and expression, regardless of income or race, and without facing harassment, discrimination, or violence.
Learn more and donate.
8. Transgender Law Center
Mission: Transgender Law Center works to change law, policy, and attitudes so that all people can live safely, authentically, and free from discrimination regardless of their gender identity or expression.
Learn more and donate.
9. The Movement for Black Lives Matter
Mission: In response to the sustained and increasingly visible violence against Black communities in the U.S. and globally, a collective of more than 50 organizations representing thousands of Black people from across the country have come together with renewed energy and purpose to articulate a common vision and agenda.
Learn more and Take Action.
10. Campaign Zero
Mission: Campaign ZERO was developed with contributions from activists, protesters and researchers across the nation. This data-informed platform presents comprehensive solutions to end police violence in America.
Learn more and Take Action.
(If you have more organizations to recommend, please link them in the comments below.)
