In 2020, the New Haven Pride Center launched a new type of programs titled “Days of Action,'' that emerged as an idea from our community-focused panels and conversations series. Each Day of Action consists of workshops, conversations, and artistic experiences focused on themes of gender equity, racial justice, and LGBTQ+ Latinx experiences.
These mini-conferences aim to foster an immersive environment to educate, mobilize, and challenge participants to combat divisive issues of injustice within the community. The Center believes that the Days of Action workshops and trainings empower our present and future thought leaders to tackle challenges faced by our community.
The Center’s second Day of Action for 2022 will take place on Sunday, June 12, 2022, and is dedicated to the diverse needs and struggles of LGBTQ+ Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). This mini-conference will aim to directly combat racism through discussion, group learning, and artistic perspectives. It is presented in partnership with the International Festival of Arts & Ideas.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
@ 10:30a | Welcome & Reading by Andrea Jenkins
To welcome and to set the tone for the second Day of Action for 2022, we kick-off the day’s programming with a special artistic presentation by Transgender poet and political leader Andrea Jenkins. The full day will be focused on racial justice, combating racism, and confronting demons within our own community contributing to anti-blackness and anti-immigrant sentiment so the goal of this program is to center the audience in art as we prepare to tackle series conversations.
@ 11:00a | Panel : Closing the Generational Wealth Gap : How do we Empower Queer BIPOC Entrepreneurs?
Queer Entrepreneurship is on the rise as our state and country solidify LGBTQ+ arts with laws of protection and equality. Similar to the straight community however, generational wealth gap for BIPOC Queer folks is still a reality, one that is often also impacted by other factors such as structural racism. How do we as a community uplift and empower our BIPOC entrepreneurs and ensure that they have not just the support but also the resources for success.
@12:30p | Panel : Pushing Back Against Invisibility : Queer Asian Representation
Similar to the straight community, Asian representation within the Queer Community is nearly nonexistent. We must do better as a community of uplifting our Queer Asian siblings. In this panel we will discuss and explore the idea of representation within the community, talk about the ways in which we could do better, and explore the stigmas and racism faced by Queer Asians, including anti-Asian racism and the fetishization of Queer Asians’ sexualities and bodies.
WORKSHOPS
@2:00p | Workshop : Healing Through Movement
Ala Ochumare
Join us for a 45-minute movement and sound healing workshop. This workshop was created to be accessible for all bodies.
Black Brown and Queer folks' bodies are politicalized whether we want them to be or not. We are Facing a constant onslaught of intersectional oppressions, if we don’t work to let go of how these constant assaults sit in and on our bodies it manifests itself as blocks, blocks to our self love, intimacy, self worth and awareness. Join us in a homage to intentional healing and movement.
Beginners and experts are welcome. We will tap into and invigorate our 7 core chakras. We will also honor our bodies in all their splendor. Dress comfortably!!!
This workshop will be led by ala ochumare.
@2:30p | For White Folx: How To Get Out of the Way and Get into the Work
Katie Jones, Joy Meikle
What is my role in the fight for racial justice as a white person? How do I begin or deepen my support of Black and Brown Queer and Trans folx? What kind of ancestor do I want to be?
This workshop is a space to ask questions and reflect about how white people can act for racial justice. We will raise awareness of some ways that white folks disconnect and cause harm in multiracial justice spaces, assess how we have been contributing to or hindering collective liberation, and identify ways to do better.
This workshop will be co-facilitated by Katie Jones and Joy Meikle, co-founders of Reclaiming Our Whole Selves, a white affinity racial healing series.
@ 5:30p | Keynote : Health Equity & the Queer Racial Justice Movement
Dr. Justin B Terry-Smith, DrPH is an Air Force disabled veteran and a recognized HIV/AIDS activist and public health expert. He is also a proud Black LGBTQ+ Jewish man. In this conversation, Dr. Terry-Smith sits down with local Health Equity and Racial Justice advocate Ala Ochumare to talk about Health Equity and Public Health through the lens of being a Black Queer person. How do these combined identities effect access to healthcare and services. How does racism impact public health? How can we successfully advocate for better healthcare for our Queer BIPOC siblings? This conversation will feature perspectives from Public Health expert and LGBTQ+ advocate Dr. Justin B Terry-Smith, DrPH with Founder of Black Lives Matter New Haven and Center Director of Youth Services Ala Ochumare.
