Anti-Racism Resources - June 2024
Image description: On a rainbow background is an illustration of three raised fists signifying people of color. Above the image is the text “Anti-Racism Resources June 2024” and below is the text “LGBTQIA+ Pride Month.”
Each month, we feature educational resources in the NAAFA Newsletter to support our community in working to dismantle systemic racism. These resources are also shared on our social media, blog, and website. Resources vary from month to month, and may include historical information, tools for personal reflection, or information about how to get involved and make change. Many of the resources we suggest will be introductory resources, and this information is never intended to be full coverage on the complex and nuanced topics that are chosen each month. We encourage you to continue learning, and we especially hope you will seek out and support scholars, artists, creators, and activists who represent the communities most impacted by the topic of the month.
This month we invite you to join us in exploring resources about LGBTQIA+ Pride Month.
From the beginning, queer and trans activism has been tightly wound with anti-racism work. Many of the people we have to thank for the progress that has been made for LGBTQIA+ rights are People of Color.
ABilly Jones-Hennin is an incredible example of someone who engaged in activism at the intersections of his identities. Jones-Hennin, who co-founded the United States’ first national Black LGBTQIA+ rights organization, recently passed away at age 81. This article celebrates his life and his contribution to the Black civil rights movement starting in the 1960s, his pivotal role in queer activism starting in the 1970s, and his work in disability justice starting in the 1990s.
In another of many examples, People of Color were critical to the Stonewall Inn Uprising. This great resource from the Library Of Congress has a brief summary of the context and events, and links to many more resources including first-person accounts from the uprisings and further efforts to secure rights and freedoms for LGBTQIA+ people.
In the spirit of Pride, we hope you’ll check out these articles and videos to learn more about many amazing People of Color who have left an imprint on queer history and who continue to blaze trails in the present.
Celebrating Pride on Film - From “The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson” to “Gay USA,” seven movies that will fill your screen with joy, history and rainbows.
Especially given the current political climate, and the efforts that are at play to claw back the rights that LGBTQIA+ people have fought so hard for, we need to continue to support the queer community, especially queer People of Color. Two recent reports detail the challenges Black LGBTQ+ youth face and provide a road map for services that acknowledge their intersecting identities.
Please also feel free to check out past editions of Anti-Racism Resources discussing LGBTQIA+ Community :
June 2023 - Resources for LGBTQ Pride Month
March 2023 - Resources for Transgender People of Color
June 2022 - Resources for LGBTQIA2S+ People of Color
June 2021 - Pride & Pronouns and Resources for LGBTQIA+ People of Color