The Collective Effort Newsletter: June 2021
As we wrap up the month of June, it is safe to say it has been an eventful five weeks. On June 17, President Joe Biden signed Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day and Freedom Day, into law as a federal holiday. Juneteenth commemorates the date when the last enslaved African Americans learned they were free on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, where Union soldiers brought them the news two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by then President Abraham Lincoln.
This month, we also celebrated Pride Month. The Collective Identity was founded by a queer, Black woman and as an organization, we seek to create a safe space where young black girls and women can be themselves - regardless of their sexual orientation or gender expression. Black queer women have always been on the forefront of societal change - from Marsha P. Johnson, a trans Black woman who is widely credited with starting the Stonewall Uprising in 1969, to the queer founders of the Black Lives Matter movement, Alicia Garza and Patrisse Cullors - this month, we are honoring all queer black women who have paved the way for the rest of our community.
Navigating the world as a queer person in the Black community is not easy and does not come without stigma. Part of The Collective Identity’s mission is to embrace sincerity, guide young Black women through mentorship, and to let our youth know that they are not alone, regardless of their gender expression or sexuality. The Trevor Project is one of the leading national organizations that provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQIA+ youth. Their statistics show that suicide is the second-leading cause of death among people 10 to 24 years old, and that LGBTQIA+ youth contemplate suicide three times more than heterosexual youth. The Trevor Project cites a 2015 national report that 40 percent of transgender adults have reported having made a suicide attempt, and close to all of those people reported having done so before the age of 25. All this being said, we want to remind all LGBTQIA+ youth and parents that there are plenty of resources for support, which you can find at the end of this newsletter.
We have a lot coming through the pipeline at The Collective Identity this year! From our official launch event to the launch of our very first mentorship cohort - the rest of 2021 is looking bright.
Here are some key dates to look out for:
September 19, 2021 - Mentorship Program Launch Brunch at Second Home LA
September 30, 2021 - Final Date for Mentors/Mentees to apply for The Collective Identity's Mentorship Program
Reach out to us via email at info@thecollectiveidentity.org if you have any questions about our upcoming events or if you would like to join our cause and become a mentor.
