10 Things Elements Organization Won’t Tell You About #Community #Organizing
October 7, 2011 marks the opening night of Elements Organization’s 3rd Annual Womyn of Color Conference. I’m pretty excited about it! Sonia Sanchez is the keynote speaker on Saturday … in addition to multiple workshops intended to build and heal members of our community, Friday boasts an incredibly powerful multimedia night of arts, and Sunday (as always) will be an incredible sister circle and prelude to OUTFest.
But in the midst of all that wonder … there are still things that concern me … things most of my other board members would never share … but me … well, I’m the rowdy one in the bunch- a little disgruntled, with much higher expectations of my community, and yes … quite disillusioned with the acts of activism and organizing.
So … I’ve decided to share 10 things I know they (as in the rest of the board who will most likely scold me after sharing this) will never tell you.
- It’s not about the conference. The conference, as much effort as we put into it every year, is probably the least important thing in terms of the work Elements hopes to do.
Vision
We envision building a group of empowered LGBTQ womyn of color who break the silence, become more consciously engaged in one another’s herstory and foster connections in order to become a network of resources and support.Mission
Our mission is to create and to sustain a safe space for LGBTQ womyn to connect and dialogue while increasing visibility, promoting holistic healing, and addressing key issues within our communities that will move us towards a more just society.
2. Even though it’s “not about the conference,” We still need you AT the conference.
— What good would it do to spend hours of time fundraising, and meeting (you don’t know how many meetings I’ve had to sit through with these women … for YOU. not that I don’t love them … I’m just saying, I’m an artist … I need my space) and have meetings about how to better fund raise if you don’t show up? Sure, we could always use another course in all things this conference will present … but if that were really the point … I’m sure we could have just covered the issues in at least 7 of those meetings.
3. Community Organizing is NOT FUN.
— People act like there is some thrill or huge payoff to working to better the world for others. Trust me, there isn’t. Well, at least not in the way we expect it to be. No one’s handing out Maybachs for the most put together discussion on how sexual abuse affects identity these days. And they’ve long stopped rewarding you with Didd-like shiny suits for requesting and preserving space for women, lgbtq or not.
So, why do we do this work? Because we believe (and trust me, the rest of the board believes wayyy more than I do. I didn’t even know the type of faith they have in you all, and your goodness was possible. I still think they’re “we must change the world by any means and any method” droids placed here to test my wits). We know you’d rather sit at home and watch basketball wives than discuss why you may or may not ever be publicly respected as a basketball wife (no matter how many members of the TU, Maryland, or WNBA teams you’ve dated).
We know you tend to pick shoes over the sacrifice of supporting someone’s art, and we still give you another chance to make the right decision.
We know that sometimes, everything is just a little too gay, just a little too serious, just a little too political, and we still offer it up to you … hoping one day, you’ll actively engage in the things that really make and mold your everyday experience.
We wake up everyday to think of a better way to encourage you to take a hold of your life. This is not a game. It’s hard work. It’s not a Sunday dance. It’s sacrifice. Still, the work must be done by someone.
4. Before April, 2009, there was no conference for queer women of color in Philadelphia, nor in the Tri-State area. This could happen again.
— We came very close to cancelling this year’s conference. Why? Because we’re in a recession, duh! And let’s play a game called “Guess who’s last on the list of causes to fund when money’s tight!” Let’s not.
My point is: (and this is a kholi statement, not Elements) we take things for granted when we don’t have to work to get them or keep them. No one knows the work it took to make the Queer Womyn of Color Conference appear, with Staceyann Chin in tow, 3 years ago. No one understands how after putting last year’s conference together, most of us would have preferred to take a vacation from all things womyn (and would have if it wasn’t for that whole gender identification/sexuality thing).
No one gets that a lack of support means:
- no money.
- no money means:
- no venue payment, no speaker payment, no DJ payment, no food, no drinks, no facilitators, no fliers, no …no conference.
But like I’ve previously stated, my board members are superhuman. Somehow, they’ve pulled together a conference that’s probably going to blow your mind.
The sad part: If you don’t attend … you won’t know how you could have spent 3 days changing your entire life. You won’t get why people attend, and come back every year. You might be contributing to your own lack.
5. EVERY YEAR … lives are changed. We laugh, we cry, we grow. EVERY YEAR.
6. I lied … I don’t need ll all of their secrets … I just need to let you know why it’s ridiculous of you not to take at least one day supporting a community of real women (real ppl, not some corporate conglomerate: me, shayna, adrienne, kim, terinae, sappho, michelle, roberta, dee, etc) who spend almost every day of their lives trying to figure out how they can better support and contribute to you.
Feeling guilty yet? No worries … I can fix that for you by directing you to the conference registration page!
See you Friday!
You stay cool, I’ll stay khoLi. <3
Tags: business, elements organization, events, life and writing, the personal is political, there is no such thing s small change
