Day 6: Nothing to Lose But Our Chains 

       Today marked our last day of service in New York. We began bright and early with a trip to the Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, which provides low-cost health care and education targeted to New York’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. Healthcare is a basic human right, but we learned at Callen-Lorde that many LGBTQ+ people in New York do not receive adequate healthcare, often because they are unable to pay for it or because they fear discriminatory and traumatic experiences due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.  Especially important to Callen-Lorde's mission is serving those who have or are at risk for sexually-transmitted diseases and HIV AIDS. The services that the center provides are understandably sensitive, so our service group worked in a more behind-the-scenes capacity in order to help the center in its mission. Its off-site storage facility had been damaged by Hurricane Katrina several years ago, and was cluttered to the point of being unusable. We worked in teams, cleaning, weeding through educational materials, and organizing donations to other New York nonprofits. By the end of our time there, the space had been transformed into a functional, organized storage room. Our morning wasn't glamorous, but it felt great to know that we had made Callen-Lorde's task of serving the LGBTQ+ community that much easier.

       From Callen-Lorde, we joined the staff of the Brooklyn Community Pride Center at an event hosted by "Make the Road New York," a community-led non-profit organization based in Bushwick, Brooklyn. MRNY seeks to empower working class communities of color to achieve self-agency and justice through organizing, policy innovation, education, and survival services. The purpose of tonight’s event was to address an increase in hate crimes against LGBTQ+identified people in the Brooklyn area, which threatened the freedom and safety of the community. Attendees included community members and representatives from MRNY, the Brooklyn Community Pride Center, the Audre Lord Project, and the Anti Violence Project. In a forum not unlike a town hall meeting, we began by sharing what safety means to us - warmth, freedom of expression, peace. After this conceptual exploration, we were joined by representatives of the Anti Violence Project, whose mission is to give LGBTQ+ and HIV-affected people the tools they need to end violence without relying on sometimes oppressive systems of law enforcement. Tonight, we learned how to de-escalate potentially dangerous situations through body and verbal language. Everyone in the room engaged in scenarios designed to promote our safety in public situations, like on the subway. Then, we were taught basic self-defense to use if threatened with physical violence. 

      Our experience at MRNY’s community event was an emotional and empowering one. Due to the sensitive nature of our particular AB trip, we spent much of the week working behind-the-scenes, rather than interacting directly with community members. Tonight, however, we had the chance to participate in and contribute to the success of an event held by and for Brooklyn’s LGBTQ+ individuals. We exchanged ideas and inspiration with passionate people, and walked away with a fuller understanding of the power of community organizing and self-determination. 

      Before I sign off, I want to share a guiding quote from tonight’s meeting: "It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains." - Assata Shakur

- Em Richardson

Day 5: The Archive and Meeting in the Center

After finishing our work at the Brooklyn Community Pride Center at 5pm, we went to the LGBT Community Center on 13th Street to meet Ms. Novak & Mr. Jensen and also to visit the center’s archive. We expressed our gratitude to Ms. Novak & Mr. Jensen for their kindness to support which makes the LGBT project in University of Maryland possible and sustainable. We also talked about what kind of work we did and how we felt in the past few days visiting and serving in different organizations over New York city, including the Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE), the LGBT Community Center, the Brooklyn Community Pride Center (BCPC), the Trevor Project and the Audre Lorde Project (ALP). 

Then we visited the archive on the 4th floor of the LGBT Community Center. The archive serves as a library and contains majorly popular LGBT readings which provides a look into the lives and experiences of LGBT people. 

After the whole day’s hard work, we walked through beautiful and unique High Line Park and headed towards Lasagna Ristorante, our dinner restaurant. Eleven of us and Mr. Jensen had a great time in this nice, cozy Italian restaurant and enjoyed delicious food. Compared to these days’ homemade sandwiches, frozen pizzas and instant Mac & Cheese under the “living simply” philosophy to cut down our spending, today’s food is a rare delicacy! We had a blast today and looked forward to tomorrow, the last day of our NYC 2015-LGBTQA Youth Homelessness, Healthcare and Advocacy project!

Michelle Duan

Day 5: The Return of BCPC

Today we returned to the Brooklyn Community Pride Center to help out some more. When we first arrived, the staff was out of the office for a while so like the diligent little bunnies we are, we got straight to work on finishing alphabetizing their library. We worked out a cute little system where we separated the remaining books by letter and then alphabetized. When we finished in about an hour and a half we were figuratively tearing up because all that hard work was done.

Net, we helped out the BCPC by researching businesses that are willing to donate their product to the auction being held at their Community Leadership Awards & Gala in April. One group was devoted to researching potential businesses and another group was on phone call duty. I loved how we all rejoiced for like 5 minutes when someone got a donation! Overall, today was a huge success and I really feel like we made a difference.

Stephen Lyons II

Day 4 cont.: ASB takes on ALP

It's taken me a long time to come around to writing this blog post. It might be because I'm tired from having to wake up early this morning. It may be due to the fact I haven't had to do any extensive writing since we started this AB experience. But as a member of this trip, I'm obligated to produce a post of informative and qualitative spiels on how the service we've completed has effected me... so, here goes nothing!

After visiting the Trevor Project (which might I add was pretty impressive and heart warming) we were granted the opportunity to complete some service with the Audre Lorde Project (ALP)! This was the moment I've been waiting for. All week I've been counting down the days to which we would be able to the share the same space as the organization that formed their mission and productivity around the ideals of the  wondrous Audre G. Lorde. Being a poet and a multi-interested student in university, I've been able to encounter many pieces composed by Ms. Lorde. She's had probably the most influence on my writing style and my values as a woman of color. Before I go into what ALP does, I feel as though it would only be right if I provided a quick background of the phenomenal poet. The beloved feminist, activist, and poet Audre Geraldine Lorde was born on February 18, 1934 in Harlem, New York. Being such a unique individual with a multitude of unique identifiers, through her work she aspired to draw attention to three specific subjects (gender, race, and sexual orientation) whether it may have been directly or metaphorically. Lorde was one to support the recognition of such difference,being educated on the differences, and accepting these differences. She would use herself as a focal point in order to express how tapping into various spectrums of life wasn't harmful. Audre Lorde wanted to see a change in the way society handled these differences. She used her literary pieces as a source of art as social activism in hopes of starting a revolution.    

I believe that ALP is the beginning of this revolution. The Audre Lorde Project (ALP) is a Community Organizing Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two-Spirit, Trans and Gender Non Conforming (LGBTSTGNC) People of Color Communities. ALP was first brought together by Advocates for Gay Men of Color in 1994.The Audre Lorde Project is a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two Spirit, Trans and Gender Non Conforming People of Color center for community organizing, focusing on the New York City area. Through mobilization, education and capacity-building, they work for community wellness and progressive social and economic justice. Committed to struggling across differences, they seek to responsibly reflect, represent and serve their various communities. Just being able to partake in organization of the office space/prep work for the event they were hosting later on tonight was wonderful. The staff member we were mainly communicating with (Cleopatra from the Bronx) was delightful. She was willing to answer any questions we had, and was excited to have us there. After introducing ourselves, and her presentation, we were ready to serve! Some of us filled plush toy bags that contained items for those coming to the studio space later for their event that were 18+. Others worked on taking inventory or ALP's branded clothing. Some were organizing/arranging the general space which included the kitchen, the shelves in the back, and a few closets. But most importantly, the majority of us were able to fill transparent packets full of safe sex materials and ALP's information that they will be giving away for free during the PRIDE Parade. I say that this was the most important part of our service simply because HIV/AIDs is a serious issues within the LGTBQ community, and providing free safe sex kits is a great way to decrease its influence within this community.

Personally I enjoy every second of service at the Audre Lorde Project. I felt as though what they were doing truly reflected the attitude and vision held for this community. ALP is all about mobilizing and productive action. Not only being a safe place but being apart of the creation more more safe places. Providing members within their communities with the proper tools and education on how to succeed as advocates in relation to their various identities.  Just being able to serve ALP today brought a feeling of fulfillment. Seeing how much they do, and how understaffed they are, but feeling the immense amount of passion made my work that much more valuable. Before I close out this post I'm going to share a quote by Audre Lorde I saw posted on the door just before we left.

"When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength, in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid." Fight past the fear in order to fight for what you are passionate about.


xoxo,
- Stella  

Day 4: ASB visits the Trevor Project!

Today we got up extra early (9 am) for a special visit to the New York headquarters of the Trevor Project, an organization that works to prevent LGBTQ youth suicide by providing the only 24/7 crisis hotline specifically for LGBTQ youth. When we got there they were super friendly and amazing hosts (thanks for having us!). They showed us around their facilities, including showing us several executive offices. After the tour our host Sandra gave us a presentation about the origins of the Trevor Project and what it does today.

One part of the presentation I thought was awesome was that the Trevor Project was started in conjunction with Ellen DeGeneres when she hosted a screening of "Trevor," a documentary about a boy who attempts suicide while grappling with his sexuality. When Ellen had decided to host this documentary (in 1998), she noticed that there might be young people watching who need someone to talk to. At that time, there were no resources, and thus the Trevor Project was born.  We also learned the impact that the Trevor Project has had on LGBTQ youth. For instance, since its inception, the Trevor Project has answered over 400,000 calls! Additionally, it has built a social media site (called TrevorSpace), a chat site, and an option to text if someone cannot call.

After the presentation, we got a chance to speak with several executives including Steve Mendelson  (Deputy Executive Director), Shawn Steiner (Communications & Marketing Director), and David Bond (Vice President of Programs). They answered tons of questions we had about how the Trevor Project engages with the community and how they help influence laws pertaining to LGBTQ youth. They also had great insight about how to get involved and how to help spread awareness of the issues that face LGBTQ youth.

 Hearing from these guys was so cool and it has motivated me to get involved with LGBTQ youth projects (and maybe even the Trevor Project itself) in D.C.. I was so impressed and moved by what the Trevor Project does! One take away they had us do (and you should too!) is to put the Trevor Project as a contact in your phone. You may never need it, but it's something that can be critical if you have a friend in crisis. Having a resource on hand can make a huge difference!

Trevor Project Crisis Hotline: 1-866-488-7386

                                                                                                                  -Taylor

Day 3: ASB Partners with BCPC

The wonderful weather continued today as we traveled to Brooklyn to work with the Brooklyn Community Pride Center (BCPC) on St. Patrick's Day. We were greeted by Sarah Hartzell, the program director, and learned a little more about the history and work that the center is involved with. Brooklyn was the last borough to receive a Center in 2008. Although the center was only founded a few years ago, you would never know based on the number and quality of services and programs they offer.  The BCPC currently offers programs focused on Youth and Elders, Arts and Cultural Programming and Peer led support groups in addition to many others. They offer a safe space for programs to be run through, offer referral services and also have health and wellness resources such as free HIV testing. We learned about their partnerships with local schools and the programming and education they implement there. After having a chance to ask all of our questions and become acquainted with the center, we were eager to get to work.

Our team split up in order to get the most accomplished during our first day with the Brooklyn Community Pride Center. Next month, the BCPC is hosting their annual gala, which honors prominent members of the LGBTQ community and also serves as one of their major fundraisers for the year. In order to promote this event, five of us immersed ourselves in the beautiful neighborhood surrounding the center and posted flyers for several hours. We conversed with local businesses to spread the word and distributed flyers and posted in business windows. While half of us were busy walking the streets, the rest of the team rolled up their sleeves and got to work right in the BCPC. Some people worked cleaned out and organized storage space which resulted in several boxes of items that were then donated to a local Goodwill store. Others helped with administrative work by organizing files and then researching local donors for the auction at the annual gala. We then all ended our day with the BCPC together by reorganizing the center's extensive and diverse library of LGBTQ works.

Today we did not directly see or interact with the community we were serving which was quite different from yesterday's experience, it was still just as fulfilling. It was nice to work with an organization that provides so many different services and programs for this community and know that our time could help potentially provide funding for the center or just make their every day operations a little easier. After our time with the BCPC we decided to take advantage of the center's location and take a short detour home to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. We took pictures for as long as we could until the wind scared us off. Our bonds as a group are only getting stronger every day and its hard to believe the week is already halfway over. I know the rest of our trip will be just as educational and rewarding as these past couple days have been and we will have these memories for the rest of our lives.

Nicole Haggerty

Day 2: AB Serves SAGE!

     Today was the beginning of a wonderful week of service in NYC with more beautiful weather! Specifically, our group began by working with SAGE (Service and Advocacy for GLBT Elders) and elderly members of the LGBTQ community. After a relatively short subway ride to and walk from scenic 32nd st., we arrived at SAGE's office where we received an overview of the organization and their outreach within the community. Of course SAGE is not limited to NYC, but even has branches as far away as Milwaukee with plans for expansion underway. As an organization they provide activities like Tuesday Karaoke nights, an accessible free-to-use "cyber center", health care, free meals, and a number of other services. In any case, a variety of services are offered in many different locations to provide for elders, many of whom, prior to organizations like SAGE, had extremely limited options in terms of support for any number of reasons: a lack of supportive family, workplace discrimination, etc.

     Following our orientation, we were led to the LGBT Center in Greenwich Village, a lovely building full of charming individuals and a lot of evocative art. After a tour of this building (including a closer view of one-of-a-kind art), as a group we spent around 2 1/2 hours speaking with some NYC locals in the center, a group of LGBTQ elders. Personally, this was my favorite part of the day, and our group had positive experiences all around. Despite some initial awkwardness, quickly both parties warmed up to each other and soon had lively conversation all around. The person I spoke with seemed genuinely overjoyed to be discussing his own experiences as a 78 year old gay man. Certainly it was no insignificant conversation,  as he discussed the recent loss of one of his closest friends, his relationship with his family or lack thereof, his time spent in the army, and a number of other things. Hearing about the experiences of an elderly gay man made me realize and appreciate the extent to which our society has advanced in terms of general acceptance. He repeatedly thanked me for speaking with him, allowing him to express himself and go about grieving. I can only hope that I was able to make some sort of impact despite the short time frame, but feeling – even if only for a moment– that I was able to help someone else with something so personal was an amazing experience. If any one sentiment of his stuck with me the most, it was that despite all the hardships associated with coming out, living a life in which one is true to their self is liberating and worth the struggle. 

    After our farewells and hugs goodbye, the team returned to SAGE to assist in administration of one of their dinners. The staff and the diners were friendly and very appreciative of our time spent there. While it was not quite as intimate or long-lasting as my experience at the LGBT Center, our volunteering there and conversation was still enjoyable nonetheless. I can only hope that our further service will be as great and conducive to bonding as today's!

Jonathan Clark