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