Arts Thread

After the murder of George Floyd in May of 2020 and protests began to rise across the US, a safe protest space was cultivated by two Black trans women outside of The Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street in the East Village every Thursday at 5 pm; the collective group, being the community that showed up and marched, eventually took on the name "The Stonewall Protests," thus revitalizing the history of The Stonewall riots in the 1960s. The community came together to fight for the lives not being discussed when discussing the liberation of Black people. The Stonewall Protests centered Black Trans, and Black Queer individuals, making it known that the Black LGBTQIA+ community is also in danger from racist America and their Black community. The community later became a family you hoped to see every week to acknowledge, mourn, and relate to, but to also celebrate Black Trans and Queer individuals still living.

‘Beauty And Its Time Has Come’ is dedicated to all Black and brown trans and queer individuals including my chosen family/friends. All of whom are inspiring every day just by living their truth. The intention of my project and use of a camera like Gordon Parks once said: “I picked up the camera because it was my choice of weapon against what I hated most about the universe: racism, intolerance, and poverty.” Knowing so many trans and queer individuals are killed every day just for living our truth is simply intolerable, and I just want to highlight how these individuals and many others are not a threat or monstrous yet beautiful and deserving of a place in any space and by having care and connection at the forefront of my project allows for my chosen family to feel comfortable and present as themselves. I want to ensure our existence and representation is protected all while dismantling hate and stereotypes. And while the majority are LGBTQ+ or accepting of, the rest of the world is trying its best to eradicate us queer individuals just for living authentically. And for these individuals that are autonomously living freely that in itself is an act of resistance. These are the faces of revolution, and they deserve their flowers and to be loved.