The Mahogany Project, a non-profit business that hosts donations, community night, and awareness campaigns for LGBTQ+ issues, hosted the 5th monthly Black Transgender Empowerment Week event in Houston in recognition of Trans Awareness Week. From November 15 to November 21st 2023, a week of activities, celebrations, and awareness-raising activities took place in collaboration with VIIV Healthcare, Southern AIDS Coalition, The Transgender District and Lavender Rights Project, ACLU Texas, Bunnies on the Bayou, Texas ‘ TransGender Education Network ( TENT ), and Save Our Sisters United.
An annual event called Black Transgender Empowerment Week aims to honor and uplift the endurance and accomplishments of the trans gay community. The Mahogany Project claims that Black Trans Empowerment Week is a “heartfelt gift to the whole black trans and gender-discriminate area along with its focused supporters, who are committed to forging glimmering futures” for members of the Trans area.
This week honors those who have died as a result of anti-trans violence while also promoting for the trans community’s improved future. By showcasing the imagination and resiliency of Black trans people, this week also promotes community unity, understanding, and fruitful conversation.
A number of community engagement events designed to promote area for trans people were part of the 2023 coding for the Mahogany Project. This wide range of events was planned with the goal of empowering Texas residents and promoting the addition of Black Trans people and stories in British history. These events ranged from collaborating with neighborhood organizations to opening dialogues over meals to sharing resources.
A monument was held for Monica Roberts, a trailblazing trans journalist who documented and retold the lived stories of the trans gay society throughout history, at the memorial Opening Ceremony that kicked off the year. In 2006, when trans ideas were glaringly underrepresented in the press, she launched her website, TransGriot. Her subsequent effects were apparent. Roberts rose to prominence as a spokesperson for the LGBTQ community, denouncing how crime affects the trans community in particular. The GLAAD Media Award was given to TransGriot for excellent blogging in 2018.
The Mahogany Project was established by Verniss McFarland III in April 2017 with the goal of eradicating” social isolation, shame, and deeds of unfairness in the TQLGB+ communities of color.” Through strong community funding, the Mahogany Project combats cultural isolation among trans people. Verniss was raised in the Bible Belt of Houston, Texas, where they observed a higher rate of anti-trans violence among the black and brown transgender residents of their neighborhood. Vernis wants to bring the neighborhood and its supporters together through The Mahogany Project.
Verniss explains that” We have to make places [where ] trans people feel welcome” in one of TheBody’s” At Home With” Instagram conversations. The Mahogany Project has expanded to become a community centre that aims for superiority in 2023 by dispersing tools, offering after-school plans, and organizing transoceanic events. It serves as a secure sanctuary for the trans community and is where trans story is preserved, celebrated, and protected.
The Mahogany Project’s# WinterGiving Campaign was even introduced this year during Black Transgender Empowerment Week. The# WinterGiving Campaign is a charitable initiative that helps Houston’s low-income transgender and gay people by giving them the support, necessities, and access to the food pantry program they require. The plan will take place from November 15 to December 15 and accept donations of cash as well as in-kind gifts of mattresses, blankets, and toiletries to be given to those in need.
The incredible work that grassroots organizations and area centers are doing to support trans rights around the world is highlighted by the Mahogany’s Project event of Black Trans Empowerment. Their actions, which are motivated by self-defense initiatives, HIV advocacy, and mutual support, serve as a model for other organizations looking to start and expand their personal impact. Visit The Mahogany Project’s website for more details, to aid their work, and to sign up for group events.
