Earthseed: Black Queer Housing Collective
Donation protected
TL;DR - An intentional community of Black Queer and Trans youth in Atlanta is in danger of having utilities shut off and possibly losing housing due to COVID-19 infection and loss of income.
The name Earthseed comes from Octavia Butler, a Black woman and visionary science fiction author. Earthseed is a belief system pioneered by the protagonist of a series called The Parables, in which Butler predicts many of the crises and afflictions of contemporary society. A fanatical president and his violent bigoted supporters, pandemics, and worsening climate crisis are just a few of the familiar themes in her books.
In real life, however, Earthseed is the name of a co-operative home that was founded to combat the social ills seen in Butler's books. It is located in Southwest Atlanta and provides extremely affordable housing to Black queer and trans young people in Atlanta. The people who live there must demonstrate a commitment to art and/or community activism and communal living. The house also offered accessible meeting space for community events and this year, just before the pandemic hit in the US, Earthseed started a community garden. After the pandemic, members of Earthseed were able to use the space as a mutual aid center for their immediate neighbors and other community members.
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 crisis has come close to home. Atleast one of the members of Earthseed has tested positive with at least one other member sick and awaiting results. All live-in members of Earthseed have joined the 40 million+ Americans who lost their jobs during the pandemic, and that means that utilities and rent are officially a burden. With evictions and utility shut-offs once again active, it is possible that the members of this community may lose their housing and one of the few spaces in Atlanta that are for and by radical Black Queer and Trans young people.
We are asking our community to donate what you can to keep Earthseed thriving. Before the pandemic our community was steadily growing stronger and more supportive. With your help we can raise the funds to secure a future for Black Queer and Trans folks working to build a world that is safe and whole for all of us.
The name Earthseed comes from Octavia Butler, a Black woman and visionary science fiction author. Earthseed is a belief system pioneered by the protagonist of a series called The Parables, in which Butler predicts many of the crises and afflictions of contemporary society. A fanatical president and his violent bigoted supporters, pandemics, and worsening climate crisis are just a few of the familiar themes in her books.
In real life, however, Earthseed is the name of a co-operative home that was founded to combat the social ills seen in Butler's books. It is located in Southwest Atlanta and provides extremely affordable housing to Black queer and trans young people in Atlanta. The people who live there must demonstrate a commitment to art and/or community activism and communal living. The house also offered accessible meeting space for community events and this year, just before the pandemic hit in the US, Earthseed started a community garden. After the pandemic, members of Earthseed were able to use the space as a mutual aid center for their immediate neighbors and other community members.
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 crisis has come close to home. Atleast one of the members of Earthseed has tested positive with at least one other member sick and awaiting results. All live-in members of Earthseed have joined the 40 million+ Americans who lost their jobs during the pandemic, and that means that utilities and rent are officially a burden. With evictions and utility shut-offs once again active, it is possible that the members of this community may lose their housing and one of the few spaces in Atlanta that are for and by radical Black Queer and Trans young people.
We are asking our community to donate what you can to keep Earthseed thriving. Before the pandemic our community was steadily growing stronger and more supportive. With your help we can raise the funds to secure a future for Black Queer and Trans folks working to build a world that is safe and whole for all of us.
Organiser
Jill Cartwright
Organiser
Atlanta, GA
