Help us kickstart our black-led nonprofit!
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In the midst of the global uprising in response to the murders of #BreonnaTaylor, #GeorgeFloyd, and mounting evidence of systemic racial injustice throughout our policing and "justice" system, myself and my partner and friend Joey Moss were inspired to act, determined to create lasting change in our own communities throughout the San Diego area.
We began by attending the various protests throughout the region, experiencing first-hand the horrors of teargas, rubber bullets, and intimidation from an over-militarized police force. We knew that we had no plans to stop protesting anytime soon, but felt that there had to be a way to better organize future direct actions so that there would be less interference by SDPD, and more opportunities for minors to express their dissent while also being safe. The culmination of those efforts are the @SdProtest Twitter and Instagram accounts, which share protests our team has verified as safe from both a logistical and health perspective as we continue to face the ramifications of a failed federal response to COVID-19. In addition, we work together to provide ground support, medical support staff, and supply staff if requested by the organizer. So far, these efforts have been a huge success and we have seen a huge decrease in the number of violent encounters between protestors and law enforcement.
Inspired by the way we have been able to work together as a collective in such a short amount of time, Joey had the idea to start a nonprofit with me serving as his Co-President so that we can ensure lasting change, even after this reactionary moment has passed. Our organization by the name of CTYLST will seek to cultivate a community in San Diego committed to intersectional social justice by fostering intergenerational connection through educational seminars, and public-facing service oriented events. In particular, our actions pertain to four different areas which we feel are absolutely essential to nurturing change in San Diego:
1. Racial justice
2. Homeless outreach
3. Environmental preservation and protection
4. Queer youth outreach
Within these four branches of operation we hope to host food drives, educational seminars on voter literacy, beach and neighborhood cleanups, distribute food and toiletry items to the homeless, gender and sexuality inclusive sex-education seminars, and a variety of other community-building programs. In the future, we also hope to partner with other likeminded organizations in the San Diego area to build strong networks of those committed to this difficult and complex work. This is a BLACK-LED organization with a board that is entirely queer, and exceeds standards for gender parity.
Our values are as follows:
1. Transparency & Integrity
2. Accountability
3. Coalition-building
4. Adaptability
5. Perseverance
At this point, we are seeking $2500 in donations to file the paperwork necessary to achieve 501 (c)(3) status so that we can begin official operations and be recognized legally at both the federal and state level. Anything you can give is appreciated, as we recognize that many of us are facing financial insecurity at this moment.
Thank you for your support!
We began by attending the various protests throughout the region, experiencing first-hand the horrors of teargas, rubber bullets, and intimidation from an over-militarized police force. We knew that we had no plans to stop protesting anytime soon, but felt that there had to be a way to better organize future direct actions so that there would be less interference by SDPD, and more opportunities for minors to express their dissent while also being safe. The culmination of those efforts are the @SdProtest Twitter and Instagram accounts, which share protests our team has verified as safe from both a logistical and health perspective as we continue to face the ramifications of a failed federal response to COVID-19. In addition, we work together to provide ground support, medical support staff, and supply staff if requested by the organizer. So far, these efforts have been a huge success and we have seen a huge decrease in the number of violent encounters between protestors and law enforcement.
Inspired by the way we have been able to work together as a collective in such a short amount of time, Joey had the idea to start a nonprofit with me serving as his Co-President so that we can ensure lasting change, even after this reactionary moment has passed. Our organization by the name of CTYLST will seek to cultivate a community in San Diego committed to intersectional social justice by fostering intergenerational connection through educational seminars, and public-facing service oriented events. In particular, our actions pertain to four different areas which we feel are absolutely essential to nurturing change in San Diego:
1. Racial justice
2. Homeless outreach
3. Environmental preservation and protection
4. Queer youth outreach
Within these four branches of operation we hope to host food drives, educational seminars on voter literacy, beach and neighborhood cleanups, distribute food and toiletry items to the homeless, gender and sexuality inclusive sex-education seminars, and a variety of other community-building programs. In the future, we also hope to partner with other likeminded organizations in the San Diego area to build strong networks of those committed to this difficult and complex work. This is a BLACK-LED organization with a board that is entirely queer, and exceeds standards for gender parity.
Our values are as follows:
1. Transparency & Integrity
2. Accountability
3. Coalition-building
4. Adaptability
5. Perseverance
At this point, we are seeking $2500 in donations to file the paperwork necessary to achieve 501 (c)(3) status so that we can begin official operations and be recognized legally at both the federal and state level. Anything you can give is appreciated, as we recognize that many of us are facing financial insecurity at this moment.
Thank you for your support!
Fundraising team (2)
Rashanna Lee
Organizer
San Diego, CA
Joseph Moss
Team member
