For #BlackHistoryMonth, I wrote about the interconnectedness of Black and Queer histories. I want to reinforce that message, especially during this Pride Month, as we see Black, Queer and Trans people marching nationwide for dignity and justice. gaycitynews.com/black-history-…
We follow in the steps of the Black & brown trans folks who led the Stonewall Riots. As stated in my piece, “For some, courage has to be summoned. For others, bravery comes without choice. For the Black queer community, our leadership has so often been tethered to our survival.”
This #Pride, let’s remember that Black folks have always put their bodies on the line—not just for our own liberation, but for that of all people. Now is the time for everyone else to fight for the true liberation of Black people, and particularly Black trans women.
🚨Today, I received a DM from a neighbor that I haven’t met before, and I am completely aghast. He told me that his wife received my absentee ballot, which had me so confused...because I just received my ballot in the mail. How could he have my ballot when mine just arrived?🧐 1/
So I called him & opened all 3 of my family’s absentee ballots, and here’s what I found:
🗳My ballot envelope had my mother’s ballot in it.
🗳My partner’s envelope had another neighbor’s ballot.
🗳My mother’s envelope had yet another neighbor’s ballot. 2/
So let’s recap—my neighbor’s wife has my absentee ballot; he has his wife’s ballot; and his is missing, along with @ahujie’s. These neighbors also shared that they are immigrants & are very excited to vote in their first presidential election as citizens. 🥺
September is #HealthyAgingMonth! All NYers should be able to age in place with dignity, & in their communities. As a caregiver for my mom who is living with Alzheimer’s disease, I know firsthand the challenges facing seniors & caregivers & how they’ve been exacerbated by COVID-19
I’m running for City Council because I want to ensure that this city does all it can to support a care economy that is made up of mostly women, people of color, and immigrants. More here from @CaringAcrossGen: caringacross.org/carepaper/
There is so much more to #HealthyAging than simply growing old — safe, affordable housing without fear of deed theft or displacement; accessible & adequate healthcare; & an industry of care workers with real protections for the very folks we rely on to provide compassionate care.
Over the last few months, we have seen #COVID19 ravage Black families and communities across the U.S., as a result of government policy failures and a complete abdication of responsibility by the federal government.
While we have seen a rise in Mutual Aid efforts, rooted in the traditions of African and Indigenous people, we know now more than ever that for better or worse, the government has immense resources and plays a central role in providing critical services for our communities.
This is one of the many reasons why I am running for City Council.
Yesterday, I announced my historic campaign to become the first openly gay Black woman elected to the New York City Council. ✊🏾🏳️🌈
I had previously been speaking with neighbors and community members about my campaign, but put all fundraising efforts on hold when the Covid-19 pandemic began ravaging our communities.
In response to this crisis, I founded Greater Prospect Heights Mutual Aid as a community network to support one another in this time of great need.
In 2013, I was a young professional working and living in Washington, D.C. when my mother first started exhibiting signs of Alzheimer’s disease.
As the only child of a single mother, I spent an entire year traveling back and forth every weekend to tend to my mother’s needs; until I was finally able to return home to Brooklyn to care for her full-time.
It was through this caregiving experience that I was called to public service, knowing that families like mine shouldn’t have to struggle as much as we have to ensure that our loved ones can age in place.
🧵: Today, the narrative has been that Black folks aren’t out here leading in the work—and specifically on #NYCBudgetJustice. Here are 10 Black folks whose organizing & leadership have paved the way for all the “new folks” to follow (in no particular order)...
1. @AnthoninePierre at @BKMovement, who has built a grassroots movement in central Brooklyn & has been unapologetically leading us to true transformation. Anthonine has been LITERALLY EVERYWHERE since the pandemic broke. If you know, you know.
3. @Kassandra_Fred, who for 10+ yrs has led the movement to end the drug war at @DPA_NY & now nationally at @DrugPolicyOrg (talking about marijuana reform way before y’all were hip to it).