Statement about the National Black Justice Coalition’s 17th Anniversary
By: National Black Justice Coalition
Tags: Queer, LGBTQ, Racial Justice, Transgender, BlackLivesMatter

The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) is celebrating its 17th anniversary on December 8. Since 2003, NBJC has been the nation’s leading civil rights organization working at the intersection of racial justice and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and same gender loving (LGBTQ+/SGL) rights.

We are extremely proud of all the work that we have done in the past 17 years advocating for the Black LGBTQ+/SGL community, providing resources that help advance conversations around important topics like HIV and gender justice, responding to hate crimes, and working on public policy that will help protect and advance the rights and needs of the community. We’re especially thankful for the investors, partners, and volunteers that help to make the work possible. We know this year has been traumatic for many, due in part to repeated, high profile cases of systemic racism expressed through police brutality, inadequate healthcare in the prevention and treatment of COVID, and high rates of violence against transgender and non-binary members of our community. In spite of these challenges, we remain hopeful for the future and want to celebrate the progress that has been made.

“Anyone who intimately understands the lived experiences of Black transgender, queer, non-binary, and intersex people knows that we survive, and if lucky, we thrive — in spite of incessant challenges to our well-being, safety, and pursuit of joy,” said Executive Director David J. Johns. “Overcoming or enduring ‘in spite of’ should not be celebrated in ways that obscure the need to dismantle policies and practices that require us to perform additional labor, unlike our cisgender and heterosexual siblings, but to underscore how much more work we have had to do, especially during the last four years. Members of our community live on the front lines of efforts to advance national policy and to change local practices so that every member of our community can live without the threat of violence, or the sting of stigma that accompanies our attempts to simply show up as we were designed. My hope is that our community members — those who do the work even when there’s not a national spotlight shining — take care of themselves and engage in respite because while there is so much work to do, we need people to be happy, healthy, and whole if we’re to truly get free.”

As we enter year 18, we are looking forward to many exciting projects and initiatives. We have expanded our team and look forward to what their leadership brings. We are launching a new website designed to be a space where members of our community can connect and where those seeking to increase competence and compassion can find information and resources. We are also doubling down on our efforts to advance meaningful policy that responds to the most pressing needs of our community — as well as our work to support the learning and development of youth and young adults.

We extend special thanks to those who facilitated NBJC’s birth, and to those who have supported us along the way. We are excited to continue our mission of fighting for Black LGBTQ+/SGL equity and working to make this nation a better, safer, and more affirming place for everyone. We look forward to making the journey with you by our side.