• ELIXHER
• On August 20, 2013

In the Spirit of Community-Building features projects that range from the personal to the political. By signal boosting these endeavors, we hope to empower, create, and sustain our own in solidarity and success. We’re asking our readers to put aside just $20 a month (you’re encouraged to do more if you can afford it). Each month, your pledge to re-invest $20 back in our community can look like funding four different projects at $5 a piece. Or you can allocate all 20 bucks to one campaign. Can we count you in?

In this 30-minute short film by Ann Marie “Jade” Bryan, a deaf lesbian filmmaker currently studying at NYU, a captivating story centered around a proud Black deaf family, touches on psychological, cultural, and biological experiences linked to growing up with a hearing impairment. THE SHATTERED MIND’s main protragonist is Zhane Rain, a misplaced teenage girl who is struggling to overcome adversity, self-discovery, a traumatic childhood past, and hearing loss.

Campaign Ends: September 24, 2013
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The first Black Lesbians United Retreat took place in September of 2009. The Malibu hills-located retreat that has been called “an oasis for women of African Descent who love other women,” functions as both a place where Black lesbian women can share their feelings and a place where they can be their true authentic selves. In order for BLU to continue working towards the positive, they are reaching out to the community to “sponsor” the retreat’s volunteers who provide assistance on workshops, design, accessibility, and mentoring. With a goal of $5,000 to be reached, BLU seeks to bring in as many volunteers as needed to make this year’s BLU retreat as successful as it can be, not only for those attending but for the volunteers themselves who gain experience, build relationships, and often go off to facilitate their own community uplifting projects.

Campaign Ends: September 01, 2013
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MISSUnderStud

In this feature length documentary entitled “Miss UnderSTUD,” voice is given to a group of women, more precisely to masculine identified women in the gay community, who are commonly misunderstood. Although the self-financed feature premiered in July at the Black Alphabet Film Festival in Chicago, marketing and distributing an indie film is the hardest part, and the film’s producer Monica Jenkins has put out a call for assistance.

Campaign Ends: September 15, 2013
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Mary’s House: LGBT Friendly House for Elders

Mary’s House is being developed in response to bigoted and prejudicial practices in the area of housing, particularly such actions that are directed toward older adults who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. President and CEO Dr. Imani Woody Macko has a vision to create safe and affordable nonprofit housing project in Washington, DC that will honor the whole person as s/he ages. Mary’s House will be a residential facility in the Fort Dupont Park section of historic Washington, DC and will provide a communal independent living experience for adults 60 years of age and older. This will be the first facility of its kind in Washington, DC, focusing on the housing and relational needs of its LGBT older adult population, with staff involvement to assist in the coordination of city and community services.

Campaign Ends: N/A
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BONUS

The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) (a civil rights organization dedicated to empowering Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people as it works to achieve the mission of eradicating racism and homophobia) will be hosting the Fourth Annual OUT on the Hill Black LGBT Leadership Summit in Washington, DC on September 18-22, 2013. This unique and important convening brings together hundreds of the nation’s top Black LGBT activists, thought leaders, elected officials, faith leaders and youth to participate in social action on the national stage to demonstrate that all politics are local. In their ongoing mission to ensure that aspiring young Black LGBT leaders of the movement have access to this unique opportunity, the organization is seeking “sponsorships” from the community that will go towards the Emerging Leaders Initiative, that will assist in the organization’s major effort to increase the engagement of young emerging Black LGBT leaders, 18 to 30 years old, in a cross-generational dialogue at the summit

Campaign Ends: September 11, 2013
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Clean Hands

Independent writer, producer, and director Caryn K. Hayes’ (you may remember her as the creator of Entangled with You) newest creation, Clean Hands, needs your help. Clean Hands is a short film about a married lesbian couple who grapple with cultural, spiritual, and interpersonal conflicts that stand to tear the main character, Anna apart at the seams. While caring for her ill Christian father, Anna is forced to deal with his disapproval of her lifestyle without drilling a wedge in the relationship she has with her wife. All that the project requires to achieve completion is one more day in production and a film permit; a task that can not be achieved without a little aide from the community.

Campaign Ends: September 2, 2013
DONATE HERE