CENTERING TRANS GIRLS OF COLOR
The Holding a Sister Initiative is creating a space for cis and trans girls
who identify as
to build solidarity and thrive.
Trans girls and gender-expansive youth of color, those who identify as Black, Indigenous, Latina, Asian, Arab, Pacific Islander and other People of Color, deserve to have joy, and to be safe, free and thriving.
That is why we are thrilled to announce the Holding A Sister Initiative (HASI), the first national fund in the country explicitly dedicated to resourcing and uplifting trans girls and gender-expansive youth of color, and to creating space for cis and trans girls of color to build solidarity with one another.
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This beautiful partnership between Grantmakers for Girls of Color (G4GC) and the Black Trans Fund, incubated at Groundswell Fund, recognizes that trans girls and gender-expansive youth of color are a catalytic force for racial and gender justice, and that they deserve abundant investment and support.
Photo: Gender Spectrum Vice Collection
We need a greater investment in the wellness, safety, and dignity of trans girls of color. The issues facing them are dire, and include discrimination by healthcare providers, unemployment and lack of health insurance, high rates of poverty and an increase of anti-trans legislation across the country, particularly legislation that targets trans youth in schools. We applaud our philanthropic colleagues who have been organizing to inspire more investment in trans communities, including the Third Wave Fund, Black Trans Travel Fund, the Fund for Trans Generations, and Grantmakers United for Trans Communities, and recognize that investments in Black, Indigenous, and other trans people of color accelerate progress for all people.
While philanthropy as a whole has not yet committed to robustly investing in trans girls of color, we invite our colleagues to join us. What propelled G4GC and the Black Trans Fund to unite in launching the #HoldingASisterInitiative include shared fundamental beliefs, a desire to specifically focus on filling that funding gap, and to create an intentional philanthropic space to center the joy, power, and capacity of trans girls and gender-expansive youth of color.
WHAT DO WE HOPE TO DO?
Resource, fund, research, and recognize the contributions of trans girls and gender-expansive youth of color.
Because there are very few trans people of color who are directing the flow of resources to our communities, our national discourse on gender equity has long excluded the issues of trans girls and gender-expansive youth of color. At G4GC and the Black Trans Fund, we are ready to shift the narrative with the launch of the Holding a Sister Initiative.
Together, as two intermediaries, G4GC and Black Trans Fund will work together to mobilize funds and bring attention and resources to organizations that serve and are led by trans girls of color. We will focus on highlighting the necessity of investing in their success. The initiative will aim to award $1 million in grants in the first year, and will work with trans girls and gender-expansive youth of color in the decision-making process for selecting grantees on an ongoing basis.
HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED AND FIND OUT MORE?
Photo: Gender Spectrum Vice Collection
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Keep an eye out for an upcoming conversation on Bloomberg TV’s Black in Focus between Bré Rivera, Program Officer at the Black Trans Fund, and Dr. Monique Couvson, President and CEO of G4GC.
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