Paris Hilton

Jimmy  Darts

Flavor Flav

SB Mowing

Kalina Silverman / @makebigtalk on Instagram

The Dogist

Patriotic Kenny Foundation

Pattie Gonia

Little Miss Flint

Carlos Eduardo Espina

Samuel Weidenhofer

Ben Saunders - Flawless Cleaning

Peter Bond

That Good News Girl

Ask Uncle Jack

Amy Jandrisevits

FowlMouthFarmer

Tess Bohne

Latonja and Taylor Richardson

Officer Richard Craig

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<div>Reclaim Osage

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<div>We’re Going Orange on May 13th.

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<div>The 40th annual MOVE Day of Remembrance.

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<div>On May 13th, we honor the 11 lives lost in the Osage Massacre—the men, women, and children who were bombed, burned, and buried in unmarked graves. We refuse to let their memory fade so we are building a memorial.

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<div>Mike Africa, Jr. is the great-nephew of MOVE founder John Africa and Louise James Africa who owned the MOVE house that was bombed by police in 1985. He’s also the son of Mike and Debbie Africa whom he led to freedom after forty years of unjust incarceration.

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<div>After the bombing in 85’ the MOVE house was taken from his family through eminent domain. Now, eminent domain has expired and we are trying to bring the house back home and honor the lives that were lost in the fire.

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<div>Help Mike Africa, Jr. spread the word and build a memorial.

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<div> ON MAY 13 TURN YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PAGE ORANGE – Orange is the color of the flames and a reminder of the Osage Massacre.

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<div>TAG AND SHARE this post with three people that you think should/would support this campaign.

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<div>GIVE $40, 400, or $4000 – Help Mike Africa Jr. reclaim Osage and build a memorial for the victims.

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<div>GOAL: $400K – If 10,000 people give $40, we make history.

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<div>Any funds we receive beyond our goal will go directly towards the family’s of the bombing victims. 
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<div>Please Donate now
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<div>Thank you. 
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<div>For undisclosed or tax deductible contributions please contact us

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Bombed, burned and buried in unmarked graves!

<div>The Begena, a 10-stringed musical instrument of ancient origins and Biblical mention is found preserved in modern day Ethiopia. Mostly played solo and considered a devotional and sacred instrument, the Begena has survived the test of time; simultaneously avoiding the limelight and complete obscurity. A new generation of Begena players have now emerged echoing the ancient devotees of the instrument amidst globalization.
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<div><strong>Begena Begenaye</strong>
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<div>Begena Begenaye is a feature-length documentary currently in production that explores the deep cultural, spiritual, and historical significance of the begena, a 10-stringed instrument with ancient roots in Ethiopia. Revered for more than three millennia, the begena has been a symbol of spiritual devotion, meditation, and storytelling, connecting Ethiopia’s past with its present.
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<div>This documentary will follow the journeys of three young begena players, each representing a unique facet of the instrument’s history, ongoing evolution, and cultural importance. Their stories will highlight the challenges and triumphs of keeping the begena alive in a rapidly changing world, demonstrating how the instrument is being reinterpreted for modern audiences while honoring its deep historical roots. Through these exceptional begena players, we gain a deeper understanding of the instrument. They serve as our entry point into the world of the begena, and the relationship we’ve developed with them shapes the film in ways we hadn’t anticipated. Their sense of ownership, dedication, and time invested in sharing the begena's wonders are a constant source of inspiration, guiding us throughout the filmmaking process.
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<div><strong>Personal Connection to the begena</strong>
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<div>The first aspect of the film focuses on the deep, personal connection that each protagonist has with the begena. Unlike instruments used for festive entertainment, the begena is traditionally tied to spiritual devotion and personal meditation. This is what drives players like Surafel Bahiru, a rising begena master, celebrated for his inventive fusion of traditional techniques and creative innovations. By day, he works as a bank teller, yet his heart belongs to the begena. Drawing inspiration from global devotional music, he weaves its melodies with the deep resonance of age-old begena arrangements passed down through generations, all the while infusing his own improvisations to create a sound that is entirely his own. Though Surafel has garnered recognition within online communities through his YouTube videos, his artistry remains largely unseen by the wider public. His journey is a poignant reflection of the delicate balance between preserving tradition and embracing innovation. Surafel’s path highlights the challenge of sustaining cultural heritage in a rapidly changing world, where traditional musicians must often juggle their passion with practical realities to survive.
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<div><strong>The begena’s Historical Significance</strong>
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<div>The second aspect of Begena Begenaye delves into the begena’s role in Ethiopian history. The instrument has been present at major historical events, such as the Battle of Adwa, where over 100 begena players accompanied Ethiopian soldiers. It was also revered by the Ethiopian nobility, who considered begena playing an honorable pursuit. Mintesinot Tesfaye, is a dedicated begena player, teacher, and researcher. His passion for art, research and preservation of culture and the begena led him to filmmaking, where he attended film school to learn how to document the begena’s cultural legacy. He travels across Ethiopia to find ancient manuscripts, rare instruments, and the stories of elderly players who have preserved the begena's traditions. As a skilled instructor, Mintesinot has trained many aspiring musicians, ensuring the tradition is passed on. In this documentary, Mintesinot plays a crucial role in researching the begena's history, locating the homes of important figures, and gathering archival materials from universities, libraries, and TV stations. His efforts are vital to preserving and documenting the instrument's legacy.
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<div>The third aspect of the film explores the evolving role of the begena in the modern world. Ermias Haylay, a teacher, craftsman, and young father of two, stands as a key force in this transformation. At just 23 years old, Ermias runs a school dedicated to teaching the begena. His innovative approach to the instrument, coupled with his pioneering use of the begena in music therapy, is breathing new life into this ancient tradition. Ermias believes the begena’s unique frequencies have therapeutic potential, promoting healing and reducing stress. Through his work in nursing homes and hospitals, Ermias is adapting the begena’s sound to meet contemporary needs while preserving its spiritual essence. His efforts demonstrate how the begena can continue to serve both as a musical instrument and a tool for personal and communal well-being.
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<div>Begena Begenaye invites the audience into the profoundly spiritual world of the begena. With a meditative pace, the film will emphasize the bond between the players and their instruments. Through intimate cinematography, we will capture the serene beauty of the begena’s sound, the quiet moments of devotion, and the sacred spaces where it is played—whether in humble homes, monasteries, or the vibrant streets of Addis Ababa.
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<div>While the film will reflect on these tranquil moments, it will also highlight the growing vibrancy of the begena’s resurgence. The contributions of the protagonists will be showcased through dynamic performance sequences, revealing their creativity and strength as they reinterpret the instrument for modern audiences. These performances will celebrate both tradition and innovation, illustrating how the begena evolves while staying true to its roots.
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<div><strong>Structure and Narrative Flow</strong>
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<div>The structure of Begena Begenaye will fluidly weave between the past and present, tracing the begena’s evolution from its ancient origins to its contemporary revival. The stories of the three protagonists will be interwoven with historical context, highlighting the instrument’s significance over time while illustrating its growing importance in Ethiopia today.
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<div>Begena Begenaye showcases the transformative power of music to preserve culture, foster creativity, and empower communities. Through the lens of the begena, the film amplifies the voices of those preserving this ancient tradition, demonstrating how it inspires new generations to honor the past while embracing the future. The protagonists' personal stories reveal the begena as both a symbol of continuity and a living, evolving art form. Begena Begenaye hopes to create a space where the voices of the protagonists can be heard, showing how the instrument continues to inspire new generations while honoring the traditions of the past.
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<div><strong>The Filmmakers</strong>
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<div>Melketsadek (Gizaw Tesfaye) is an Ethiopian-born director of photography with over two decades of experience as a professional photographer and graphic designer, bringing a refined artistic eye and a strong sense of visual aesthetics to his image making. He has contributed to a variety of roles in the camera and lighting departments across several film projects, quickly gaining expertise as a Grip, Gaffer, Camera Operator, and Cinematographer. Melketsadek has also been a key coordinator and instructor at the Luxor Film Festival, where he contributed to a series of annual workshops on the art of low-budget filmmaking, led by legendary independent filmmaker Haile Gerima. Currently, he is working as cinematographer and assistant editor on two upcoming docuseries by Haile Gerima: The Maroons and Black Lions, Roman Wolves.
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<div>Eyerusalem Seyoum is an Ethiopian-born photographer and multi-disciplinary artist. She began exploring filmmaking by enrolling in a one-year immersive film workshop led by Haile Gerima, alongside renowned filmmakers such as Alan Ferguson, Bradford Young, and Daniel Williams. The comprehensive workshop covered all aspects of filmmaking, including scriptwriting, pre-production, budgeting, pitching, production, editing, and post-production workflow. In addition to her training, Eyerusalem has gained hands-on experience on several film sets, contributing as a production designer, production assistant, on-set/behind-the-scenes photographer, and camera operator.
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<div>Eyerusalem and Melketsadek continue to work on their first film, Begena Begenaye as well as continuing their photography career; recently collaborating with Grammy award winning musician Jon Baptise for the Beethoven Blues album art.
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Begena Begenaye documentary

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<div>Dear friends, family and community,
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<div><strong><em>This is a time sensitive call for your support!! We only have a few weeks till January 2025.</em></strong>
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<div>At the start of the new year, January 2025 a special group of folks are making our way down to Ucayali region of Peru to make a traditional plant dieta with a Master Curendero (Healing Artist), <a href="https://centromunay.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Don José Campos</a>. During a dieta an individual courts a Master Plant Teacher and becomes a student to the wisdom of the Plants. It takes courageous discipline and heartfelt devotion to learn in this way.
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<div>This particular journey is extra-ordinary. This group is majority BIPOC and female bodied - very rare down in the jungle! To experience the camaraderie that diversity offers while endeavoring the warriorship that a dieta requires is a true gift. Our hope and expectation is that this group create a ripple of benefit to touch places of relationality in the web of life that are in deep need now - and are not situated close to intersections held by the predominantly white male population in a typical jungle dieta experience.
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<div>Let's spread the Love!
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<div>Honeybee Courtney and Tossie Long met several years ago in a medicine circle, and in that short time, their connection has blossomed into a powerful bond. From the very beginning, they shared a vision of traveling to the jungle together - a vision rooted in their shared commitment to personal growth, healing, and mastery of their medicine work. Now, that opportunity has finally arrived. Both dedicated medicine workers, Honeybee Courtney and Tossie are embarking on a journey to work alongside master teachers in the heart of the jungle, where they will refine their skills and expand their knowledge. This collaboration marks a significant step in their paths, but they cannot do it alone—they need your help.
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<div>Tossie and Honeybee Courtney, both dedicated medicine workers, are collaborating to deepen their practice by studying with master teachers in the heart of the jungle. Their work transcends the physical, weaving together the healing of the heart, mind, and spirit. With a blend of ancient wisdom and modern insight, they create nurturing spaces where transformation unfolds. They hold a profound belief in the power of interconnectedness—when one person heals, the collective rises. Through the guidance of jungle community, ancient rituals, and the sacred wisdom of plant medicine, Honeybee and Tossie invite others to explore a deeper understanding
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<div>Generational San Franciscan Tossie Long (she/her) is a multi-hyphenate, multi-lingual Grammy nominated vocalist, international performing artist, producer, director, composer and ritualist who speaks to the intersections of sound, culture and sociopolitical edges spanning from rock and roll vocals to Afrofuturistic psycho-spiritual immersive experiences. Nicknamed "Bone Rattler '' Tossie is a practitioner of ceremonial music from around the world with a focus on diasporic cosmology. An ethnomusicologist; Tossie has voyaged to Ayiti, Cuba, Benin, Nigeria, Brazil and New Orleans tracing the migration of Vodou for an embodied devotion to music in its cultural contexts. Tossie is currently working on Red Clay Sound Haus (RCSH) an immersive sound-centric project with 4 thematic directives, Land Love Labor Legacy which explores Black sound; body, architecture and desire. As well as Sound Haus Excursions; exclusive experiences for ritualistic living. Tossie does not perform for the sake of performing, but rather to challenge and to experiment with how far she can push her perceived limits.
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<div>To find out more about Tossie Long click here: <a href="https://linktr.ee/TossieLong" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">LinkTree</a>
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<div>Honeybee Courtney's journey toward healing began with her family in the kitchen where she discovered that food is far more than sustenance—it’s a vehicle for connection, love, and joy. Her parents instilled in her a deep appreciation for healing from a young age because she witnessed their transformational work firsthand. Honeybee saw how these practices could transform lives, and she was drawn to follow in their footsteps. Honeybee currently works as a ceremony retreat chef as well as a healing soundscape artist, tarot card divinator, and last but not least an integration and manifestation consultant. She recognizes the powerful synergy between nourishing the body, mind, and spirit. Today, Honeybee weaves together these holistic practices to help individuals heal not only through food but also through spiritual modalities. Her mission is to create a beautiful world where hearts and spirits are free and full of life.
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<div>To find out more about Honeybee Courtney click here: <a href="https://courtneypeal.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Courtney Peal</a>
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<div><em>The Breakdown: </em>
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<div>The total ask is $7,500 donation. $2,750 each for Tossie and Honeybee to cover the cost of the journey in the jungle and $1,000 each for the roundtrip plane tickets.
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<div><strong>We’ve been called to the jungle and what better way than to do it together. Black women in medicine work traveling to jungle and it’s rarity. We will be joining a BIPOC femme journey to deepen - we asking for your support to make this this dream come to fruition. </strong>
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<div>We share here to encourage your participation in this little movement to bring healing, justice, reclamation of power, remembrance of wellbeing, beauty, goodness and a dream for a better world to the hearts of more of our human family. If your heart is moved, please consider making a contribution to Honeybee Courtney and Tossie's GoFundMe. Our admiration and gratitude for their bold expressions of Love-in-action overflows.
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<div>We look forward to witnessing how the blessings of dieta support them to keep bringing more of their gifts into the world for the benefit of all.
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Empower Black Women in Medicine: Tossie and Honeybee

<div>In October of 2015, eighteen artists, writers, creatives, and educators gathered in Black Mountain North Carolina to build the foundation for a new school. Together, they constructed the framework for the first session and the foundation for SotA’s future. Every spring, we build and sustain a school of experimental learning where artists work and live communally.
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<div>SotA models the world we long for. Each year, we come to the community to raise money to support our next session. This year, we're raising eight thousand dollars to sustain our current model, which allows 40% of students to attend for free.
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<div>We hold our sessions on the original BMC campus, and it is powerful to be on that land, in their classrooms, dancing across the same lawn they danced across. While this project grew from that seed, we are responding to the very different needs of our current world. Much of SotA’s shape and pace has formed in relief of the oppressive tendencies we’ve all experienced in institutional learning. We create an alternative experience.
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<div>Our 2025 session will offer seven classes, which are proposed by volunteer faculty through our open application process. The session will be run by ten volunteer staff members who support the kitchen, garden, operations, and general care. We have roles, but all of us teach; all of us cook and clean; all of us lead in a community that is imaginative, open, caring, and adaptive.
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<div><strong>Your Donation Will Support: </strong>
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<div>Our goal with this fundraiser is to sustain our current programming. Income from 27 students paying $575 each will cover 65% of our budget. We are fundraising to cover the other 35%. Your donation will support <strong>12 full scholarships</strong>, and<strong> 17 stipends</strong> for our volunteer faculty and staff.
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<div>Show your love to SotA. Your donation helps sustain this radical, life-affirming space.
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Nurturing Community: Ensuring SotA's Future

<div>Hello! My name is Joseph Goncalves, Creator and one of the writers and directors of the award-winning series Love Undone. Love Undone is coming back for a third and FINAL SEASON.
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<div>Your love and support inspired us to come back for one more season. Season 2 was a huge success! We screened at six film festivals, received 8 Indie Series Award nominations, and even made it on the ballot for a Primetime Emmy!
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<div>We just finished the writers’ room for Season 3, and I believe it’s our best yet. We had so much fun crafting one hell of an ending for all the characters you’ve come to love over the last two seasons. Buckle up. It’s going to be an emotional ride.
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<div>I am so proud of the stories we’ve created. The characters we’ve developed. This show means the world to me. I hope you see yourself or someone you know on our show.
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<div>The show is 100% independent, which means the more support we receive, the better quality show we can produce for you to enjoy. Your contribution helps us to pay our incredible cast, hard working crew, locations, production, insurance, food, and so much more. No amount is too small and goes a long way to producing the quality you love. If you can’t contribute to our campaign, no worries at all. Sharing is equally important. Please share it with your friends, family, lovers of romance, and web series.
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<div>Again, thank you for your unwavering support and encouragement. If you haven’t already, subscribe to our YouTube channel (youtube.com/@uloveseries) and catch up or re-watch. Please contribute if you can, and don’t forget to tell a friend. We are so grateful for any support. Truly. Season 3 is on the way!!!
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<div>Per site rules: You will not receive anything in exchange for any donations made to our GoFundMe.
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<div>Season 3 Writers' Room!
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Love Undone -- The Final Season

<div>Hey there, what's up?! It's <strong>Stroy Moyd</strong>, A.K.A. Mr. <strong>On My Mama!</strong>
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<div>Comedy runs through my veins. Making people laugh is my life. . <strong>For 18 years</strong>, I've been rockin the Bay Area with my <strong>stand-up comedy</strong>. It's been a passion of mine since childhood. As an artist, I've always <strong>dreamed of creating a space</strong> where comedians can hone their craft and audiences can experience the <strong>best talent the Bay has to offer</strong>. Well, guess what? <strong>That dream is coming true!</strong> I just signed the lease on my very own club on <strong>February 1st</strong>, and it's about to go down! I'm calling it <strong>"The Function."</strong>
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<div>Let's face it, being a comedian in<strong> 2024 isn't easy</strong>. Audiences are quick to take offense these days. That's why <strong>The Function</strong> is all about <strong>"Where Comedians Can Be Comedians."</strong> It's a safe haven for comedians to do what they do best—make people laugh. If you're easily offended, <strong>The Function</strong> might not be your cup of tea. 
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<div><strong>But here's the deal:</strong> opening a comedy club is no small feat. There's the <strong>liquor license,</strong> <strong>the decor, the inventory, the permits, </strong>and a whole lot more. So, I'm reaching out to raise some funds. If I've ever brought a smile to your face or if you've ever enjoyed a <strong>HellaFunny Comedy Show</strong>, here's your chance to give back and show some love. <strong>By supporting me</strong>, you're not just backing a comedy club; you're supporting up and coming comedians, the <strong>local arts scene</strong> and a<strong> BLACK OWNED BUSINESS.</strong>
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<div>The funds we raise will be put towards snagging a <strong>top-notch P.A. system </strong>(microphones, speakers, sound board, etc.), a <strong>killer 6k video camera</strong> for live streaming and <strong>social media content</strong>, <strong>stocking up on inventory</strong>, bringing in a <strong>world-class interior designer</strong>, covering <strong>staff payroll</strong> for the first 3 months, and much more.
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<div><strong>This journey has been one wild ride, and I'm incredibly grateful for all the support. Every little bit helps, so anything you can contribute is deeply appreciated.</strong>
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<div><strong>The Function: Where Comedians Can Be Comedians</strong>
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<div><strong>Stroy Moyd </strong>
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<div><strong>#HellaFunny </strong>
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The Bay's Newest and DOPEST Comedy & Night Club

My name is Mari Copeny, I’m a 12 year old from Flint, Michigan. You may know me as Little Miss Flint. I have been fighting to ensure my community has access to clean safe water since I was 8 years old. <br /><img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/40432464_1565245639481535_r.jpeg" alt="40432464_1565245639481535_r.jpeg" width="100%" media_type="3" /><br /><br />Ever since April 2014 my community has been faced with a lead crisis that we are still recovering from. <br /><br /><img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/40432464_1565239848895898_r.jpeg" alt="40432464_1565239848895898_r.jpeg" width="100%" media_type="3" /><br /><br /><br />What’s even worse is that Flint is not the only community dealing with a water crisis. Across the country there are cities and communities being faced with their own water crisis, some have water even more toxic then Flint. <br /><br />Newark, NJ <br />Pittsburg, PN <br />NYC<br /><br /><br /><br />This is why I want to bring clean water not to just my community but to other communities across the country that are facing their own water crisis. <br /><br /><img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/40432464_1565245305962296_r.jpeg" alt="40432464_1565245305962296_r.jpeg" width="100%" media_type="3" /><br /><br /><br />For these campaigns, I’m partnering with a socially-responsible water filtration company to bring state of the art water filters to communities nationwide that are impacted by poor water quality. The water filtration approach has three main advantages over bottled water:<br /><br /><br />1. <strong>Cost of Impact</strong>: Every dollar donated to this campaign will provide over 160 bottles worth of safe drinking water. This has 15x the impact of donating to bottled water campaigns. <br /><br />2. <strong>Time</strong>: In Flint, I see that people are spending hours in line to receive donations bottled water. By giving people the ability to have safe water, on demand in their home, they won’t have to take time off from work or spend their weekends lined up to get bottled water. <br /><br />3. <strong>Environmental Impact</strong>: While bottled water can be a good solution for immediate fix to a crisis, it is not a sustainable fix when the world is drowning in plastic pollution. <br /><br /><strong>Flint Water Crisis Background</strong> <br />The Flint Water Crisis began in 2014 when the drinking water source for the city of Flint, Michigan was changed from pre-treated water from Detroit to the Flint River and treated in the Flint Water Treatment Plant. The treatment plant was not equipped with the proper equipment to treat the water (which would have cost around $100 a day), and the river water damaged the pipes allowing lead and bacteria to get into the water. For month’s local officials and the media claimed the water was fine and that the residents were overreacting, even as scientist began to uncover just how bad the water crisis was. Many homes had water comparable to toxic waste.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong>“Little Miss Flint” Background </strong><br />Through my previous water donation campaigns, I was able to donate over ONE MILLION bottles of water to families impacted by the Flint Lead Crisis. My community needed water they could trust and bottled water was the only resource for drinking water that many in my community trusted. For my new donation campaign, my team has partnered with a socially-responsible water filtration company, which will allow us to maximize the impact of donated funds and eliminate the single use plastic waste that is associated with bottled water.<br /><br /><img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/40432464_156524176846158_r.jpeg" alt="40432464_156524176846158_r.jpeg" width="100%" media_type="3" /><br /><br /><strong>Socially-Responsible Corporate Partner Background </strong><br />Hydroviv was Founded by a Ph.D. Chemist as a charitable response to the Flint Lead Crisis in 2015. Hydroviv was called out by The Chicago Tribune and BBC as the first water filter “company” to develop and donate high-capacity lead removal filters to families &amp; child-centric organizations in Flint. Four years later, Hydroviv now designs &amp; builds custom water filters for people around the US, and makes these products available to the public at a fraction of the cost of comparable systems. Hydroviv recently appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank where Mark Cuban praised Hydroviv’s charitable roots as “doing well by doing good.” For this campaign, Hydroviv has agreed to provide their premium filters at their break-even cost.

Little Miss Flint Clean Water Fund

<div><strong>About Me</strong>
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<div>My name is Briana Atkins. I am a writer, director, producer, and actress based in NY. I'm currently completing my Masters studying <em>Advancing Storytelling of the Black Diaspora</em>. I focus on global Black cinema across languages and cultures and learn about representation and how to amplify the cinema that exists in these regions.
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<div>This semester to complete my degree, I am working on my thesis film, <em>The Bridal Night, </em>which I wrote and will be directing and producing.
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<div><strong>The Project</strong>
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<div><em>The Bridal Night</em> is about a young bride, Tanya, who must confront her worries about marriage when her traditional and superstitious family presents her with a lamp passed down for generations to brides at their bachelorette party. Each bride must etch the initials of her and her beloved into the lamp to ensure a long-lasting and abundant marriage, but when the stress of strict rituals and her guests' strong opinions get to her, Tanya's fears take hold of the night.
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<div>Throughout the entire film, there is no presence of a man or mention of men's names. The closest the audience comes to a male presence is the mention of the word "fiancé" or references to a "him". The film will comprise an entire cast of Black women. Each woman represents an ideal/theme attached to marriage: money, religion, children, passion, independence, and longevity. These themes are told through monologues and vignettes performed by each character that mimic the flow and structure of musicals (but without song).
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<div><strong>Mission Statement</strong>
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<div>The Bridal Night seeks to expose the essence of our relationships and our connections to tradition and how both shape our identities; sometimes in ways we don’t know, until we’ve told our stories out loud. The film will star an all-Black cast of female-identifying/presenting actors in a story that doesn’t rely on negative portrayals but instead focuses on the characters’ inner conflicts and interpersonal relationships to drive the narrative. I feel my film will add something to a larger conversation about how darker-skinned Black women, and Black women in general, are portrayed on screen.
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<div><strong>Budget</strong>
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<div>Because my program is interdisciplinary and I am not a student in the film department, I have to raise all the funds needed for my film on my own. All funds raised will be used as follows:
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<div>Crew salaries (including post-production) - $15,300
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<div>Location rental- $2,400
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<div>Wardrobe and Makeup costs- $2,300
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<div>Set design/Set Dressing/Construction- $600
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<div>Legal Fees- $1,000
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<div>Insurance- $1,000
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<div>Transportation- $1,400
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<div>Publicity- $2,000
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<div><strong>Risks and Challenges</strong>
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<div>My main challenge with this film is the tight timeline needed to complete everything. Because this film has to be submitted as my thesis for my Masters program I have to complete it by April 9th, which means filming in early March so I have enough time for post-production. Because of this, I have to raise funds while working on pre-production. Because I have more immediate expenses such as location, insurance, legal fees, and above-the-line salaries: I'm currently using both Kickstarter and GoFundMe to raise my budget. GoFundMe which is set at $15,000 will cover my immediate expenses and this Kickstarter will pay for the remaining budget (below-the-line salaries, post-production, and craft services).
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<div><strong><em>Please donate and share and help a young Black female filmmaker bring this important story to life!</em></strong>
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Help Support My Thesis Film: The Bridal Night

<div>Every session has its own magic, but May 2023 was something special. It feels like we are back on our stride post-pandemic and the safe sharing of physical space with other people was a gift. The session was a reminder of the importance of this work. School of the Alternative is a place for humans to connect and build, to imagine a world that is kinder and more equitable, and to fill up our cups so that we have the energy to go back to our home communities and do the work it takes to enact the change we envision.
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<div>Today we launch our annual fundraiser, with a goal of $5,000. Together, we will raise the money to bring this creative and healing experience to a new cohort of people in 2024.
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<div>In past years, our fundraiser has been titled: “Radical Accessibility.” All of the money raised was allocated to new scholarships and to increasing staff and faculty stipends. We know that the more financial barriers we are able to remove, the richer our programming and community will become, and we are proud of meeting that values-driven goal. This year, we are committing to making SotA as financially accessible to students as it was last year, and also raising money towards covering operating expenses, as our costs for food and lodging go up.
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<div>So this year’s fundraiser has a slightly different goal: to maintain, to sustain, to continue to exist, as the world around us gets hotter and more expensive. Our 2023 campaign, “Sustained by Community,” speaks to that goal. If we raise $5,000, we will be able to continue the 9 weekly scholarships we offered last year – four full need-based scholarships and five Black equity scholarships. And that’s it. We will still be fully volunteer-run, with donated supplies and a frugal food budget; we will still be drawing in the scrappy art room and eating a lot of bulk grains next May. But the math just works for the community to come together again, with new people to join and be lifted up, and for us to move forward together.
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<div>School of the Alternative is a deep breath away from the normal: fresh air, time as an optional concept, freedom to access our truer selves - not the selves the world asks us to be. SotA offers space to play and experience meaningful and creative learning. This space matters, please help us maintain it.
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Sustaining through Community

<div>One thing I know to be true is that when God tells you to do something, you do it. Move or be moved!
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<div>I began my journey as a news producer in 2012, and in 2015 I asked God if it was time for me to move on, and I heard Him say, "I have something greater for you." Fast forward to 2022, and I've produced an Emmy and Peabody-nominated documentary among other entertainment and social justice docs. My screenplays have earned recognition in highly coveted screenwriting competitions, and I work in creative operations for a major media company. And my tweets have reached millions across social media. (Your favorite meme probably came from one of my tweets.)
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<div>Fun Fact: I'm just getting started.
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<div>A few months ago, God told me to try directing. I have fought Him about this idea and you already know who won. The idea of stepping outside of my comfort zone beyond producing has caused me great anxiety to the point where the vision for this project began to haunt my dreams shortly after my 34th birthday in August. Again God? You want me to start over again?
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<div>The answer is always "yes" to that question.
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<div>(Ava DuVernay began her directing career when she was my age which has brought me much comfort in pursuing this.)
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<div>So boom...here we go.
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<div>I wrote a comedy pilot called, Dying Laughing, loosely based on my dad's mortuary career and my time moving back home with my parents in my late 20s. I've turned it into a short film, and I need your support to make it happen.
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<div>Logline: <em>A struggling standup comedian, in trouble with the feds, moves back to her small town and takes a job at her father's mortuary to save enough money to flee the country.</em>
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<div>Synopsis: The universal story behind Dying Laughing tackles the gutwrenching challenge of making final plans for your loved ones through Black funeral culture. This is a coming-of-age story about a young woman returning home to face the ghosts of her past after she spent many years using comedy to conceal unresolved issues with her family. Dying Laughing is a story about learning to laugh to keep from crying. My protagonist, Dru, must learn how to have a celebration of life for the people she loves the most, while they're still living. She'll soon find out that death has a funny way of bringing people together.
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<div>The backstory: I should begin by telling you about my weird blessing/curse where I dream about funerals, and like clockwork, someone I know dies. True story. (Fun Fact: I had one last night.) My dad believes I've inherited his gift of connecting with the dead, although he doesn't exactly have the best relationships with the living. He got started in 1981 earning extra cash by digging graves at a funeral home in South Carolina. Performing odd jobs at local mortuaries spurred my dad's grand revelation that his purpose in life was to make sure people were properly buried. Today, my dad is a disabled veteran, and I'd like to honor him by making his vision come to life through this film. Dying Laughing is about finding joy during those shitty moments in life that try to take you out.
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<div>Here's where your money goes:
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<li>Crew (I don't believe in people working for free, especially Black people. We did that for 241+ years, and enough is enough.)
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<li>Talent (I don't believe in people working for free, especially Black people. We did that for 241+ years, and enough is enough.)
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<li>Equipment
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<div>(Casting updates coming soon!)
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<div>My producing partner is Monique Hazeur, another dynamic Southern filmmaker. Monique is a Brooklyn-based writer, producer, and foodie originally from the Mississippi Gulf Coast. She is an alumna of New York University and Howard University. Through the Black TV &amp; Film Collective/Wavelength Black Producers Fellowship, she co-wrote and produced the mockumentary short film "I Won the Lottery…". She is currently producing a coming-of-age short through Tribeca Studios and the Queen Collective entitled "GAPS," which is in post-production.
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<div>Fun Fact: Monique and I will not be compensated. I have picked up extra work to cover additional fees to ensure everyone is paid for their time and talent on my short film. That's how much I believe in this project.
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<div>We are super excited to announce Burt Blackarach and Demonte Posey as The Music Supervisor and Composer on Dying Laughing. Grammy winner, Burt Blackarach, is currently the music supervisor on ABC's The Wonder Years and Nat Geo/Disney+ Genius, as well as an accomplished composer. Grammy-nominated producer and composer, Demonté’ impressive credits include American Soul, Eric Benet’s “Spend My Life With You,” The New Edition &amp; The Bobby Brown Story, and much much more. Our team is still growing, and we're grateful to have this dynamic team moving us closer to the finish line. More updates coming soon!
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<div>Thank you for supporting me on this journey.
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Help Girl Tyler Direct Her 1st Short Film

<div>4/11/24 Update - We have the movie on YouTube as a promotional project - with over 50,000 views now. Check it out here - <a href="https://youtu.be/W8oY9-ROuoM?si=8oiXyNpiEKWjTh-E" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://youtu.be/W8oY9-ROuoM?si=8oiXyNpiEKWjTh-E" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://youtu.be/W8oY9-ROuoM?si=8oiXyNpiEKWjTh-E</a></a>
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<div>Other distribution projects and related projects coming soon!
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<div>Check out the new main trailer - <a href="https://vimeo.com/846494370" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://vimeo.com/846494370" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://vimeo.com/846494370</a></a>
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<div>7.19.23 update
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<div>New images - 5/22/23 update:
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<div>This fundraiser is to support the completion of<strong> Cosmic Disco Detective Rene: The Mystery of Immortal Time Travelers, The Secret Society For Slow Romance 2 </strong>feature length comedy and for distribution related expenses - including showing the film for a week or longer at an art house movie theater in LA.
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<div>July 16 Update - Finishing up some final color and sound work on the movie. After that we will have new screening dates for LA, new limited VOD start date and Eventive virtual screenings w/ Q&amp;A start dates. More next week!
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<div>Update, 3/18/23 - The new solution is to run this fundraising project for 1000 days (about 2.75 years), bring in at least $30/day on average, to hit the $30K goal. Faster would be better :).
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<div>Intro to The Secret Society For Slow Romance universe - trailer for Slow Romance 1 (2022):
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<div>Teaser trailer 1 for Slow Romance 2: Cosmic Disco Detective Rene
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<div>Teaser trailer 2 for Slow Romance 2: Cosmic Disco Detective Rene
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<div><strong>About the movie and the distro project</strong>
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<div>Were you just wondering why immortal time travelers from the future are traveling back in time? Are they messing with the past? Is it a danger for us? How did they become immortal? How did they figure out time travel?
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<div>Good. The new sci-fi comedy Cosmic Disco Detective Rene deals with all of those questions. It's part 2 to everyone's (or at least most of the 10K+ people who have seen the movie so far :)) favorite 2020 made My Dinner with Andre-like comedy The Secret Society For Slow Romance. That's available for free on YouTube at the moment - so that the entire world can easily watch and enjoy the very long and funny convos between an indie filmmaker and an underground filmmaker in Brooklyn. In Cosmic Disco Detective Rene we take the characters from Slow Romance and send them on a sci-fi comedy quest.
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<div>And on top of that we are going to show the finished movie in LA - at an art house movie theater - for at least a week - maybe longer. It's a great way to bring a movie out to the world. And it's a great way to promote and support art house movie theaters - remind people to head back to the theaters, save that high quality form of film presentation.
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<div><strong>Cost of project, amount raised, current need</strong>
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<div>The cost of all this for 2023 will be around $60K (completing the film, getting everything ready for releasing the film, + the actual release work - including ads and promo - we want a lot of people to hear about the movie). I've raised 1/2 of that, and I am now asking the people of the internet to join me in these film art making and presentation adventures, donate money, so that we can finish and release Cosmic Disco Detective Rene! Feel free to contact me about any questions and any other ways that you may want to help the project. Or just to say hello and talk about your own theories about time travelers.
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<div><strong>Support a real indie, non-Marvel movie :)</strong>
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<div>Cosmic Disco Detective Rene is a real indie film with a diverse cast. And it will be self-distributed. It's film art. In this era of never ending cartoony Marvel movies, it will be fun and enjoyable to watch a NYC made sci-fi comedy that takes place in the real world.
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<div>Cast: Sujewa Ekanayake, Alia Lorae, Genoveva Rossi, Asha Devi (5/22 update - no longer in cast, cast change in May 2023 due to scheduling problems - new cast member = Natalie Osborne).
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<div>Written and directed by Sujewa Ekanayake.
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<div>More info and updates coming soon! Check out the videos and images on this page for more info on Cosmic Disco Detective Rene and The Secret Society For Slow Romance. This is a 60 days - 2 or 3 years long campaign, but give money fast and give often.
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<div><strong>Celebrating the donors</strong>
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<div>I hope to celebrate the donors with:
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<div><strong>Twitter shout-outs</strong>,
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<div><strong>will add names of donors to a Thank You list on the website for the movie and in the credits of the movie</strong> (all donors who donat by 7/19/23 - 3 PM EST).
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<div><strong>An early access video screener will go out to all donors who give $20 or more.</strong> Early access that will be available when the movie screens in LA - starting at some point in August 2023. The movie may not be available on VOD to the general public for a year or so after the LA premiere - as I plan on doing a lot of theatrical screenings, special events, limited VOD with the movie first.
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<div><strong>Donors who do not want to be publicly thanked can indicate that when they make the donation.</strong>
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<div>Thanks a lot! This is the first time I will be screening a movie in LA. It's gonna be a wild adventure and I shall document it all and share it on the web so that we can all enjoy making and releasing film art in the 2020s!
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<div>Sujewa Ekanayake
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<div>Director/Distributor COSMIC DISCO DETECTIVE RENE
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<div>nycfantastic.com
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<div>The Secret Society For Slow Romance (2022) trailer:
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<div>The Secret Society For Slow Romance (2022) full movie:
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<div><strong>Several media items for The Secret Society For Slow Romance movie:</strong>
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<div><strong><em>"The Secret Society for Slow Romance is an entertaining and optimistic comedy with an authentic indie spirit." </em></strong>- Film Threat
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<div>Film reviewer Jamie Toth on The Secret Society For Slow Romance: <strong><em>"The movie is like a warm, cozy blanket — soothing and comfortable, and good for uplifting spirits. Ultimately, The Secret Society for Slow Romance is a cozy love note to cinema, independent film-making, and New York City."</em></strong>
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<div>"The Secret Society for Slow Romance is going to feel modern. But it also has a lot in common with other forms of entertainment that have been created to challenge and uplift philosophical ideas. Within the first few minutes, we’re involved in a discussion of the Four Brahmaviharas, the ‘houses of the gods’ or the four virtues, in addition to suggestions on how to reduce stress and increase happiness. The Secret Society for Slow Romance is really about embracing what we have, seeing its potential, and loving the process. There’s a blueprint for using indie filmmaking as a vehicle for connection between people and a solution to some of society’s deeper woes. While My Dinner With Andre’ seeks to elevate a conversation, The Secret Society For Slow Romance seeks to inspire creation, connectivity, and intention."
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<div>- Jamie Toth, My Dinner with Slow Romance article
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<div>"Sujewa Ekanayake gives us a DIY style film that is a window into our current reality with a pinch of fanciful charm. Showing us that there are just as many, if not more, positive things happening in the world as there are negative. A welcome reminder during these challenging times."
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<div>- We Live Entertainment
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Cosmic Disco Detective Rene comedy, screenings

<div><strong>We are asking for your help to continually support the growth of this radical Programming.</strong> School of the Alternative is a radical-art-school-meets-artist-residency, and we build and sustain a community of collaborative learning on the original campus of Black Mountain College for a multi-week session every May.
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<div>SotA prioritizes being equitable and safe(r) for those most marginalized in institutional learning spaces. We need your help to support our sustainable and steady growth as a part of our continued journey toward Radical Accessibility.
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<div>This year we are raising $3,000 - we want to shine a light on the areas that need the most attention right now: scholarships, and payments for faculty and staff for our 2023 session. For us, these are the most important priorities toward our next step into radical accessibility right now.
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<div><strong>$2,000 will go towards additional scholarships. This means: </strong>
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<div>• 5-8 additional scholarships
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<div>• Including continued Black Equity Scholarships
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<div>Last session, 40% of our students attended on scholarship - but we know that tuition is still a big barrier to entry. We aim to continue to steadily grow our scholarship offerings, with the eventual goal of sliding scale tuition for ALL (or making SotA free for all: BIG long-term dream!).
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<div><strong>The remaining $1,000 will go towards increasing our payments for faculty and staff. </strong>
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<div>• This will increase staff and faculty payments to $200/wk.
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<div>To keep tuition as low as possible, our tuition only covers our most basic needs like food, lodging, and basic admin fees (website, PO Box, etc.). This meant that for our first 3 sessions, all faculty and staff were volunteers. Our working board members and other year-round facilitators are all still volunteers. We know this isn't sustainable, and limits access for so many. With fundraising efforts, we have slowlyyy started to build our faculty and staff payments, bit by bit! We know that, without raising tuition (which we aren't doing! Don't worry!), it's going to take time to get to a place where our payments are equitable in the way that we want them to be. But, if we raise a little more each year, we'll get there!
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<div><strong>If you've attended our sessions, you know that SotA has a ripple effect.</strong> By supporting this campaign, you are not only supporting our next in-person session, you're supporting the extension of our radical community into the communities of the people who attend. SotA creates an environment where folks produce tools and experience shifts in thinking: radical optimism, how to create and sustain an equitable and caring community, and sharing knowledge without expectation or traditional hierarchies. We've seen these values extend beyond our session and into the lives and communities of the dreamers who attend, creating waves well beyond our time together. 
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<div>We are so appreciative of your help getting us to our 3k goal! Any additional $$ raised beyond the goal will simply add more to our scholarship and payment funds. We appreciate you donating, and we appreciate you SHARING this campaign! Help us make our radical dreams come true?
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Forever Moving Towards Radical Accessibility

<div><strong>Welcome to members of the film community and the audiences they serve!</strong>
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<div><strong>This is a campaign to raise $75,000 to support the launch of Akoroko LLC </strong>a new African cinema platform that was established by former IndieWire staff writer and Shadow and Act founder Tambay A. Obenson in May 2022.
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<div><strong>The campaign launched on September 15, 2022, and remains open for contributions. Funds are being put to work immediately. </strong>Akoroko (<a href="https://www.akoroko.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.akoroko.com</a>) is primarily a one-man operation. Help is desperately needed: researchers, writers, access to information and films, tech expertise, legal expertise, general management, and more.
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<div>Akoroko aims to serve as a bridge between African film industries and the rest of the world via consistent, robust, candid coverage that's local yet globally accessible. Its multi-pronged approach will include film journalism (criticism, conversation, original reporting, and analysis), consultation, cataloging, and hand-picked film streaming.<strong> </strong>
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<div><a href="https://www.indiewire.com/2022/09/akoroko-platform-african-film-television-1234763065/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Read the IndieWire announcement here</strong></a>
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<div><strong>Reasons to Support Akoroko's Fundraising Efforts:</strong>
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<div><strong>Consistent Coverage of African Film and Television:</strong> Akoroko will provide consistent, robust, and candid coverage of African film and television that is local yet globally accessible, filling a gap in the international media landscape.
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<div><strong>Celebrating the Diversity of African Cinema:</strong> Akoroko will celebrate the diversity and richness of African cinemas, showcasing films from different regions, languages, genres, and perspectives.
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<div><strong>Elevating Public Discourse:</strong> Akoroko will elevate the public discourse around the African moving image, fostering critical appreciation, cultural awareness, and social engagement.
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<div><strong>Supporting the Growth of African Film Industries:</strong> Akoroko will support the growth and development of African film and television industries.
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<div><strong>Connecting African Film Professionals Globally:</strong> Akoroko will connect African film professionals with global opportunities, such as festivals, markets, distribution, co-production, and collaboration.
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<div><strong>Offering Consultation Services:</strong> Akoroko will offer consultation services to filmmakers, producers, investors, and policymakers who want to tap into the potential of African film and television markets.
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<div><strong>Cataloging and Archiving African Content:</strong> Akoroko will catalog and archive African film and television histories, creating a valuable resource for researchers, educators, students, and enthusiasts.
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<div><strong>Curating and Streaming African Films:</strong> Akoroko will make accessible, via streaming, a hand-picked selection of African films that are otherwise hard to access or unavailable on other platforms, expanding the audience and reach of African cinema.
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<div><strong>Educating and Inspiring the Next Generation:</strong> Akoroko will educate and inspire the next generation of African filmmakers and critics, offering workshops, masterclasses, mentorship programs, and grants.
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<div><strong>Contributing to Global Recognition of African Cinema: </strong>Akoroko will contribute to the global recognition and appreciation of African cinema as an art form and a cultural expression.
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<div><strong>You will find below a more detailed outline if needed: </strong>
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<li>A <a href="https://akoroko.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Copy-of-Defining-Akoroko-LLC-3.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">link to a detailed 16-page PDF outline</a> of the socioeconomic environment Akoroko LLC is entering, the current problems, and Akoroko's solutions to those problems.
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<div><strong>TRACTION</strong>
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<div>Founder<strong> Tambay A. Obenson’s experience in the African film space continues to be sought </strong>by industry professionals worldwide, for whom a bridge has been elusive.
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<div>Additionally, <strong>social media engagement with our target markets has surpassed expectations</strong>. Contemporary African films are highlighted daily, educating followers via short documentaries, contextual essays, analysis, original reporting, and more.
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<div><strong>Followers are diverse and global</strong> — journalists, programmers, curators, filmmakers, scholars, actors, and more.
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<div><strong>Conversations have been provocative and insightful</strong>, some of them going viral. Partnerships are developing.
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<div>TIFF International Programmer, Nataleah Hunter-Young, on how she believes Akoroko can have an impact on the African cinema landscape.
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<div>Tanzanian American filmmaker Ekwa Msangi, whose feature debut FAREWELL AMOR was selected by Criterion Collection — rare for a debut — contextualizes the space Akoroko is entering, and its potential impact.
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<div>South Africa-based Nigerian filmmaker Akin Omotoso, creator of Netflix's latest South African series THE BRAVE ONES, speaks on the impact Akoroko is already having.
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<div>Ethiopian American producer, writer, curator Mehret Mandefro, Realness Institute, speaks to whether the world is ready for an unapologetically African perspective in storytelling.
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<div>Nigerian Journalist, founder of the trailblazing Inside Nollywood, Anita Eboigbe, on breaking Nollywood's culture of silence, and elevating the level of public discourse.
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<div>Tanzanian writer/director Amil Shivji, whose VUTA N'KUVUTE (TUG OF WAR) is Tanzania's second-ever entry for Best International Feature Film Academy Award consideration, spoke to Akoroko about his African cinema journey.
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<div>South African producer Steven Markovitz of Big World Cinema — producers of acclaimed titles including RAFIKI and TUG OF WAR — on African filmmakers not losing their voices in the face of growing foreign interest and investment in the continent.
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<div>Meet the Team: Part II — More on why Akoroko is such a timely response to the current expansion of the African film industry!
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<div><strong>TEAM</strong>
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<div><strong>Tambay A. Obenson</strong>
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<div>Born in Nigeria, spreading his formative years across three countries — Nigeria, Cameroon, and the United States — Tambay Obenson has been a thought leader and one of the most respected voices in the global Black cinema space for 15 years.
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<div>It’s a journey that began with Shadow &amp; Act (which he founded in 2009 and sold to Blavity in 2017) and continued with Indiewire, where he covered Black film and television from a global perspective from 2018 to 2022.
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<div>Tambay co-founded the joint venture Shadow and Act Films LLC in 2010, a film financing and production initiative that backed bold filmmaking by Black filmmakers.
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<div>Tambay also co-founded and curated the New Voices in Black Cinema Film Festival, which ran for nine years at BAMCinematek in Brooklyn, NY.
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<div>He’s been invited to speak at academic institutions, including Yale University and The New School, moderate and participate in numerous panel discussions, and lend his expertise as a consultant.
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<div>In a career that spans 15 years, Tambay has become a trusted and influential voice in the cinema of Africa and its global diaspora.
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<div>He's currently based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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<div>Africa is overflowing with creativity, and its untapped filmmaking landscape is one of the world's richest and most diverse areas. It has the potential to disrupt stereotypes and economies while cementing identity within communities.
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<div>This is the environment that is Akoroko’s entry point. Please join me!
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<div><strong>Thank you!</strong>
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AKOROKO: An African Cinema Platform

<div><strong><em>“This conference filled an important void. In an era of heightened visibility for Black artists of all disciplines, it’s especially important to create spaces for Black artists to be in community with each other”</em></strong> <strong><em>- Taja Cheek, Curator, MOMA PS1</em></strong>
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<div>New Negress Film Society’s Black Women’s Film Conference is a rare space, divorced from market-driven forces, where the films of Black women and non-binary filmmakers exist in conversation with each other, for each other.
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<div>The Black Women’s Film Conference convenes Black women and non-binary filmmakers worldwide to share work, discuss our craft, exchange filmmaking strategies, and build community. Throughout the conference, we explore the current landscape of cinema and the intersections of history, filmmaking, and political action through the lens of Black women and non-binary creators. This convening offers a vital space that amplifies the ideas and practices of Black women and non-binary artists, whose work centers historically marginalized voices and champions a progressive filmmaking ethos.
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<div>Following a sold-out conference with over 400 attendees at MoMA PS1 in 2019, we are thrilled to host our third conference this year at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, New York, on Saturday, October 1, 2022. The conference, which is free and open to the public, will include ten film screenings, a panel discussion with Black women film writers and critics, and a cocktail reception for guest filmmakers and attendees from noon to dusk. Weather permitting, after-dark screenings will take place at St. Nicholas Park (just a 15-minute walk from the Schomburg).
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<div>We are committed to hosting our event in a Black community and widening access through partnering with The Schomburg and Rooftop Films. Your contribution will go directly toward supporting attendee access, conference participants, guest filmmakers and their work.
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<div>Thank you for your contribution and investment.
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<div>With gratitude,
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<div>New Negress Film Society
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<div>Instagram @newnegressfilmsociety
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2022 Black Women's Film Conference

<div>Love Undone is coming back for a Season 2, and we need your help. It took two years to get the first season off the ground, filming in a global pandemic, but to see the love &amp; support truly inspired us to continue to tell these important stories.
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<div>We've assembled an incredible writer's room, and we're already breaking chaotic, layered and complex stories for these characters you've come to love.
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<div>Love Undone was created because I was not seeing our stories told authentically in mainstream media. As a content creator, I find it especially important to include images often ignored, erased, or exploited.
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<div>The show is 100% independent, which means the more support we receive, the better quality show we can give you. Funds will be used to pay for our Director of Photography, sound mixer, locations, food, the cast, and much more. If we reach our goal, we can start shooting in the fall. We're coming back with 8 exciting episodes and with your support, we can make it a reality. 
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<div>In a society that tries to limit and stifle anything outside of the “status quo,” I am grateful to use my platform creatively and responsibly to fully express the human condition in a holistic way.
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<div>With your help and more resources, we can continue to tell these inclusive and needed stories. With your help, we can increase the production value. Representation matters, and we are doing our best to be a part of that. WE appreciate all of the love and support.<br /><br /> No raffles, sweepstakes, giveaways, or returns on investment are offered in exchange for any donations made to your GoFundMe
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Love Undone -- Season 2

<p><strong><a href="http://schoolofthealternative.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">School of the Alternative</a>  is a space where radical new ideas are born.</strong> We build and sustain a community of experimental learning where, each spring, artists learn, work, and live communally in Black Mountain, NC. SotA <a href="http://schoolofthealternative.com/community" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">prioritizes</a> being <a href="http://schoolofthealternative.com/equity" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">equitable</a> and safe(r) for those most marginalized in institutional learning spaces.  <br /><br />We are launching a $25,000 fundraising campaign with hopes of making our 2022 session the most accessible yet. This means continuing our Black Equity scholarships, adding new scholarship opportunities, offering payments for faculty and staff, and an increased supply and resources budget to support a greater diversity of classes and structures for increased physical accessibility.<br /><br />For the past 5 years, our budget has been built as a fully self-sustaining model. Tuition covers our most basic needs, like food and lodging; but the school relies fully on volunteer faculty and staff. Every year, we are awed and grateful at how much our volunteers give. However, depending on unpaid labor means that only those with resources and financial privilege are able to participate - which we know reinforces systemic privilege.<br /><br />This model has served its purpose: it allowed us to keep tuition costs low while offering challenging and experimental classes and building a community that is both artist-supported and artist-supporting. But we are ready for the next phase. We know that now more than ever, it’s important that we remove as many barriers to entry as we can. <br /><br />What’s exciting about this fundraiser is that we’re not asking for much money to run SotA. We could continue to hold sessions under our current tuition-funded model. What we’re asking for is help getting us to the next step in creating a space that is <strong>MORE inclusive MORE radical</strong> and<strong> MORE equitable</strong>. With this money we can grow beyond the volunteer model, double the # of scholarships offered, and offer our faculty a supply budget to meet their innovative needs.<br /><br />This will dramatically increase access to SotA for our 2022 session and beyond. It will make the education we offer and the community we build more inclusive, demographically and intellectually diverse, and sustainable. We need your help to make this radical dream come true.<br /><img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/57840687_1623896977267733_r.jpeg" alt="57840687_1623896977267733_r.jpeg" width="100%" media_type="3" /><br /><strong>60% of the money raised would go towards paying our faculty and staff.</strong>
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<p><em>This means we can offer a weekly stipend of $275 for all faculty and staff, the first small step towards moving beyond the volunteer model. </em><br /><br /><br /><strong>20% will go towards additional scholarships.</strong>
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<p><em>This means we can <strong>double</strong> the number of scholarships offered. Right now, built into our budget we offer 12 full or partial scholarships, if we reach our goal we could offer 25 (!) scholarships over our 3-week session, including continuing to offer black equity scholarships. </em><br /><br /><br /><strong>12% will go towards additional supplies and resources.</strong>
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<p><em>This means we could host a greater diversity of classes, including those that require supplies beyond our current limited budget and supply donation pool. </em><br /><br /><br /><strong>And finally, 8% will go towards ensuring our next sessions can happen.</strong>
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<p><em>This will go straight into the deposit for our lodge for our next session. </em>
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<p><img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/57840687_1623897012839083_r.jpeg" alt="57840687_1623897012839083_r.jpeg" width="100%" media_type="3" /><br /><strong>About our Annual Sessions:</strong>
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<p>Faculty, staff, and students live communally in one lodge, and everyone performs some kind of work service. Instead of a traditional classroom environment, we support a collectively built and self-directed approach to learning which <strong>gives opportunity for all participants to learn and teach</strong>, where Faculty and staff attend classes, and students teach pop-up classes. <br /><br />Our curriculum is built entirely from an open call of faculty proposals. SotA is an inter-generational space that cultivates learning and connection beyond traditional hierarchies around age, education, and social status, and classes often adapt in session to accommodate the participant’s needs. <br /><br />Last summer we added 3 new<a href="http://schoolofthealternative.com/leadership" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Board members</a> , appointed a new Executive Director, and we formed an Advisory Committee. After a year off, filled with zoom classes and digital gatherings, we are, together, working towards holding our most accessible session yet in May of 2022. Our hope is that through this fundraising campaign, that future includes more scholarships, continued Black Equity scholarships, payments for faculty and staff, and an increased supply budget to support a greater diversity of classes. <br /><br />
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<p><strong>Our Community values:</strong>
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<p>SotA is not only holding spaces for radical, communal learning, we aim to hold space, learn alongside, and listen deeply to folks who are traditionally silenced by higher education. We do this through deep listening and intentional, structured processes. This includes a <a href="http://schoolofthealternative.com/community" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">living community</a>  agreement and our “point person” roles, in which leaders in the community hold space for feedback and support.<br /> <br />Since our first session, we have continued to build on and nurture our structures for small group, anonymous, and 1 on 1 support, and we have also added two new coordinator positions, specifically for supporting community members of color and those who are differently abled.
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<p>Much of SotA’s shape and pace has formed in relief of the restrictive and oppressive tendencies we’ve all experienced in institutional learning, and<strong> we create a different kind of experience</strong>.
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SotA is Moving Towards Radical Accessibility

<p>Hello my dear friends, family and whomever else may happen to come across my funding campaign, welcome!
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<p>For those of you who don't know, my name is Alisha, my pronouns are (she/they) and I'm a 2nd generation Jamaican-Canadian settler fortunate to be residing on the unceded ancestral stolen lands of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.
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<p>In November of 2020, I was accepted into Simon Fraser University's Creative Writing program, the Writer's Studio for poetry and prose writing. From the get go, the tuition aspect of my participating in the program was precarious. After petitioning to the program the inaccessibility of their requirement for students to pay the full tuition up front and not have any option for a payment plan method, I learned that my effort to speak truthfully about my situation and ask for the help I needed, paid off.  I secured a 4-tier payment installment arrangement throughout my 1 year program and I was blessed to actually have an individual in my theatre community offer to loan me the amount for my first installment. I can't be writing this without acknowledging this one individual's huge heart and willingness to help a fellow artist in need.
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<p>I'm coming to you now because despite the loan I received and despite having  been able to pay off my second installment myself with all that I had left in my savings, I'm back at a point where I just don't have the funds to pay this next installment due June 11th.  I've also just moved to a new home where rent is more, so having to have paid a month and a half's worth of rent at a higher rate was a big cost for June and also contributed to the lack of funds I could put towards my tuition.
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<p>The amount I'm asking for is a combination of my 3rd and final installment due June 11 and Sept 13.  With another $500 included towards acquiring  a laptop platform, keyboard, mouse and some maintenance for my laptop which is quite old and could use a refurbish to function more optimally for my studies. The platform and keyboard (and potentially padding for my chair) will support posture while working for hours at my desk. The current set up I've had has been detrimental to my back, neck, shoulders and hips - I'm needing to redefine my work station because my body, particularly my back body, has been in increasing pain.
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<p>Lastly,  the idea of community support. As I've experienced it first hand a few times this past year and a half, and as I've also done my best to show up physically and financially for others in need, I cannot accept any amount of financial support without actively practicing reciprocity. During this time, especially right now with the recent atrocities discovered in the Kamloops residential school, the remains of 215 Indigenous children who were stolen from their families and taken to essentially genocidal schools - I will be donating a yet to be determined amount of what I receive to a couple of personally selected Indigenous artists I follow on IG who are doing such amazing activism and artistic work within their communities and as a whole. I encourage you all (If you haven't already) to also consider donating to  the Kamloops Aboriginal Friendship Society and the Indian Residential School Survivors Society. I stand in complete solidarity with all First Nations Peoples.
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<p>Thank you SO MUCH ya'll for your kindness and support. It means the world to me!!
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<p>With much love,
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<p>Alisha
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Help Alisha Pay Off Her Writer's Studio Course

<p>My name is Brittany and I am a self taught filmmaker and photographer. I am making a documentary on the gentrification of weed with a focus on the Chicago area. <br />Chicago is the most segregated city in America and to that effect, the cannibus industry has benefited from Black Americans the most. With that being said, Black Americans have been criminalized the most for the use of recreational weed for decades. <br />In this documentary, I will shine a light on the disparities of the community, the racially charged inequality when it comes to being black in America.<br />Your contribution will help go towards filming, research, sound design, logo design, editing, and distribution.<br /><br />A breakdown of Funds Needed:<br />Equipment Rental: I will be using Magnanimous Rental here in Chicago to rent the necessary lens for a 21 Day period at $315 dollars<br />Transportation: I do not have a vehicle so I will be using public transportation to get to interviews, locations, etc. $110 for a month on Ventra Card<br />Logo Design: I have partnered with a Black woman graphic designer will pay her $1000 to create and use the logo we will design together.<br />In Film Graphic Designer: I have partnered with a Black female media artist to produce in film graphics to help illustrate the story in a visually appealing way.  I will pay her rate of $1000.<br />Film Score: I have partnered with a Black female producer to score the film. I will pay her rate of $2500.<br />Studio Rental: I will be renting a studio to interview every Saturday and Sunday for the month of August. The rental space is $75/hr and I would like to set aside 2 hours every weekend. $600<br />Editing: I will be editing myself.<br />These are the minimum expenses of the documentary and I will be applying for grants and other funding as needed.<br /><br />This documentary is very important to me. I have had family members and friends who have their lives ruined for weed charges. Years and years in prison where their life was taken away from them in states where recreational weed is now legal. <br />Racism at it's core is a way to keep Black Americans centuries behind and kept in cages. <br />Shining a light on this will hopefully open doors to more opportunities for Black women and men to enter into an industry that is supported the most by our dollars.




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<p>With your help, this documentary will change the industry in monumental ways while telling stories of a community overlooked and torn apart.<br /><br />My dream is to have this documentary picked up by Array Studios, Ava Duvernay's production company, and submitted to Netflix. <br /><br />For anyone that donates $1000 or more, you will be featured as Executive Producer on the project and given credit on all promotional material, and on beginning and ending credits in film.<br /><br />*Anything over the initial amount will be split between ExCons For Community and Social Change and other local initiatives that are making a difference  in Chicago and the cannabis industry. 
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<p>Copyright 2020 Mae Camille Productions 
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Gentrification of Weed Documentary

On January 6th, 2021 five children ages 8-14 from the village, Aveme in Ghana, knocked on my door asking me to teach them English. <br /><br />We studied the English alphabet and then walked around, picked mangoes while working on phonetics. A woman along the road saw me teaching the children and asked how much my English classes were. I told her they were free and she sent her 5 kids with me to my house. To my surprise a 5 person class became a 10 person class that lasted 3 hours. The next afternoon, word spread fast and there were 14 children in front of my house ready to learn. I did one more day of free classes the day after but only 8 or 9 came. Many were hungry and can't go consecutive days off working. Some from the previous day saw me in the street and asked me to teach again. I told one of the young leaders in the village, Olonka, about the classes while he was locking my hair at his local barber shop. He asked me to continue offering free English classes for children the last week I was scheduled to be in Ghana, seeing the value and need of it in Aveme. Ghana schools were not in session because of COVID up until January 19th, 2021. The children went almost a whole year without any education. Even with schools running now, education isn't free. Many can't afford to go or are too young to attend the actual schools that are open. Primary schools are still closed (Schools only open for High school and Jr. high school), so many small children are still going days without learning<br /><br />So, we put out a call for 700 dollars, to fund an unimaginable future for Aveme. A week long free English school that fed the children when they came. I hooked up with Olonka and his wife Mawusi (who owns a food stand in Aveme), they both closed down their businesses and we started buying classroom materials, sandals, backpacks and food for a week of school on my personal bank account to provide these children with something to do.<br /><br />We started with an orientation where we asked all who showed up what they wanted out of the school. The kids going to government school wanted a chance to come after their school was done and the other ones wanted it to be early enough that they can still make money in the afternoons.<br /><br />We created day and night school right there on the spot, set times and showed up for them on Monday morning. We met in Aveme public shanti and taught Ewé and English side by side. Word had spread even faster than before and what we thought would be a week long class ended up unearthing the education crisis in Ghana. Hundreds of children showed up, to the point that we had to turn people away the second day of school. We ran out of materials, Aveme's youth were excited to finally get a chance to get an education. So many cannot afford government school so having a free school in the village (that feds them) felt like an answered prayer.<br /><br />The school is an ever evolving learning chamber. We have been sowing a decolonized model for the future of Education for Indigenous Youth in Aveme. This whole experience, including the name of the school, Future School, is all being determined by the Ewè community. Indigenous children worldwide are shipped out of their villages when receiving education in the colonial order of the world. This is a means of controlling the transfer of knowledge between tribes and a way we perpetuate and instill devaluing of local endogenous knowledge systems. Endogenous knowledge systems have solutions to many of our global, ecological issues. We felt a greater call after the first 3 days to take this moment to really create a future that no one, including ourselves, has ever seen.<br /><br />Currently we are on a mission to build a self-sustaining indigenous institution that exists for the village, for the village, by the village.<br /><br />Many adults have asked me to offer classes for them as they never got a chance to go to school. We have been planning ways to schedule that in, but right now our focus is on the youth.<br /><br />Our school provides students with English taught from the Black American historical lens (which also includes pictorial English #ALNUGE as created by Cleaster Cotton) and Ewè. Ewè is an oral language and its literary culture is very undeveloped. Not many here in Aveme can even tell you about its alphabet, there are not many who can write it and very little is written in Ewè. We are teaching them how to write and read Ewè with additional local history lessons about the Aveme itself from tribe members.<br /><br />We feed the children after every class, this is very important to our operation. What holds many African villager youth behind in acquiring a government education is that they can't afford it because food is an immediate need. Aveme is a place that suffered from hunger during the 2010s and it is still recovering economically and psychologically. Children should not have to determine between whether they will eat food or get education.<br /><br />The money you send will help us sustain the evolution of the school by<br /><br />1. Paying the local staff who work with us<br />2. Buy materials for classes<br />3. Feed the children 5 days a week after school.<br />4. Help us actually build a schoolhouse in Aveme.<br />5. Help us get technology set up so that indigenous children may get exposure and a chance to determine how they will interact with the ever developing world of technology<br /><br />We are also looking for technology donations as the kids have shown a strong curiosity and passion for the internet and exposure to technology in general.<br /><br />Indigenous children have called me out to advocate for them. These children want a chance to be involved in tomorrow, without the colonization and erasure of their ancient culture.<br /><br />By supporting our school, you are supporting an endogenous African Future that will make a lasting impact on the village of Aveme and its people (past, present, Future).<br /><br />Thank you for your donations. Every little thing helps us help them.<br /><br />- Khonsu Ra <br /><br />[email redacted]<br />Zelle: (913) [phone redacted]‬<br />Whatsapp: +233 55 [phone redacted]<br /><br /><img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/53873990_1611269403492813_r.jpeg" alt="53873990_1611269403492813_r.jpeg" width="100%" media_type="3" />

The Future School of Letters and Arts

Support Mutual Aid FOR Abolition! Care not Cages!<br /><br /><br />For this month’s Abolition in Action event, No New SF Jail Coalition is organizing an in-person event to engage with our unhoused and street-based community. We are fundraising to provide gift cards directly to our unhoused neighbors at this event. <br /><br />In October, we’ll be hosting a resource fair for street-based folks in the Tenderloin. We’ll have tables with different resource information folks can access, along with resource specialists and organizations folks can speak directly with. We’ll also be distributing food, screen-printing free shirts with our “Care Not Cages” and “Libertad” stencils, sharing health and harm reduction supplies, talking about abolition, and listening to people’s stories and visions for a jail-free city. <br /><br />If you would like to give gift cards directly to our unhoused neighbors, please donate! The gift cards will be as generalized as possible to allow for people to self-direct their own resources. 100% of funds will go directly to people who are unhoused or street-based in SF, most of whom are people of color and experience criminalization at the hands of SFPD. This continuous criminalization results in a jail population that is over 40% houseless. Care not cages! <br /><br />After hosting four successful online political education sessions since May (<a href="https://nonewsfjail.org/abolition-in-action-series/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">see more here</a>), No New SF Jail Coalition is prioritizing off-line connections this month with folks who don’t have access to the technology or private space to participate in our online events.<br /><br /><br />Thank you for your support! If you prefer, you can also <span style="text-decoration:underline;"><button data-competitor="competitor-link" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">venmo</button> (NoNewSFJail-Coalition).</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="text-decoration:underline;">No New SF Jail Coalition</span> is a coalition of local organizations, residents and community members joining together to fight the expansion of imprisonment and criminalization in San Francisco. See more information at nonewsfjail.org.

Whose Streets?! Abolition in Action Resource Fair

My name is Frank Mugisha, and I am a Rwandan-Ugandan dance artist working in East Africa and the rest of the world. I have trained in contemporary dance, break dance and African traditional dances, which I fuse to create a unique artistic identity. My journey with movement and embodiment started about 10 years ago as a student with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/inmovement.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Inmovement Art for Social Change</a>  and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZc9izeL9CE" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Break Dance Project Uganda</a> , and it continues to evolve through various institutions and dance companies. Throughout the years, I’ve fallen in love with the practice of learning, teaching, performing dance and simply being in my body and guiding others back home to their bodies. <br /><br /><img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/51592972_160151308049989_r.jpeg" alt="51592972_160151308049989_r.jpeg" width="100%" media_type="3" /><br /><br />I am very excited to announce that<strong> I was accepted to the prestigious l’Ecole des Sables in Senegal to study the Acogny Technique and how to teach it.</strong> For years now I have followed the work of its founder, <a href="https://bombmagazine.org/articles/traversing-a-life-through-movement-text-and-film-germaine-acogny-interviewed/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mama Germaine Acogny</a>, and I’m in such awe of her brilliance and wisdom as a contemporary African dance icon. It’d be such a privilege taking this course and I believe it will enrich my practice as a dancer, choreographer and most importantly as a teacher. However, I need your help to fundraise for program costs and fees.<br /><br /><strong>I need $5,000 to cover tuition, plane tickets to Senegal, visa fees, insurance, COVID testing, and living expenses for 3 months. I will be starting my program on January 3, 2021 so I need to raise all funds by December 31, 2020. I also need to buy my plane tickets within the next month or sooner, before it gets too expensive to buy. </strong><br /><br />This is why I ask for the care of my loved ones and friends around the globe right now. I am a working artist in dance education who does not make much money or come from wealth. I have been working even less during the COVID-19 pandemic and I cannot cover these fees alone with my reduced income. I have worked for and within many communities from the start of my career, and now I turn to those same communities for support as I take the next step to grow in my craft. I cannot do this without you: the people who guide and hold me as a young artist, the people who I do this work for. <br /><br /><iframe media_type="0" media_id="M4rJ_b3BdfU" class="youtube-replace" title="YouTube video player" style="margin-bottom:20px;width:560px;height:315px;" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/M4rJ_b3BdfU/?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="1"></iframe>(Video: A collaboration I did with director Demtry Vasilev at the Cosmos restaurant in Sofia, Bulgaria.)<br /><br /><strong>Any amount you can give to this fundraiser will help, as well as sharing this campaign amongst your networks. If you can’t donate over GoFundMe, you can also send donations via: [email redacted]</strong><br /><br /><br />Thanks for reading,<br /><br />Frank Mugisha<br /><br />.<br /><br />.<br /><br />.<br /><br />.<br /><br />.<br /><br /><strong>More about Frank Mugisha  &amp; l’Ecole des Sables:</strong><br /><br />Over the years, I’ve worked with numerous teachers and choreographers from all over the world in multiple countries, who have introduced me to a wide range of movement vocabulary. I have worked or performed at Soul-Xpressions in Uganda, Open Space Foundation in Bulgaria, Muda Africa in Tanzania, Golden Bridge in Colorado as well as at Commonweal: Power of Hope Camp in California. As I grow into this art form, I continuously realize that the body is ground for all expression and that our bodies are our first and last homes before anything else. I realize that it is very vital to cultivate a healthy, balanced and loving relationship with our bodies. I believe that when we are in our bodies, we are empowered to take a stance against injustice without losing our balance. My definition of Black Excellence is when we have the tools we need to regulate our bodies and emotions, it makes us way stronger and our experience of life is richer. <br /><br />As a young man born and raised on the continent of Africa, I continuously seek to explore the ancient holistic ways of our people and try to embrace that to keep our culture and stories alive. In 2017, I got a unique opportunity to work with the Rwandan choreographer, Wesley Ruzibiza on the East African Bolero Dance project which explored a lot of Acogny technique movement and philosophy, and I am very much interested in developing my knowledge of it. It is my belief that the Acogny technique preserves a lot of our cultural memories within it and is specifically designed for our bodies and our pride as Africans. In the Acogny technique, I see the importance of having knowledge and understanding of our somatic experience as Africans living on this continent, but also as humans in general inhabiting these bodies. And as is the “Ubuntu” philosophy, my enrichment is the enrichment of all communities in which I show up and operate in. I believe with the Acogny technique in my toolbox, my communities will largely benefit from the wisdom that is coded within it. <br /><br /><br />You can support and follow my work at<br /><br />IG: @mugisha_frank_ <br /><br />FB: Mugisha Frank <br /><br />E: <a href="mailto:[email redacted]">[email redacted]<br /><br /></a><br />Video: My solo dance performance titled "ROYALTY."<br /><iframe media_type="0" media_id="ZpgZHzHeLMY" class="youtube-replace" title="YouTube video player" style="margin-bottom:20px;width:560px;height:315px;" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ZpgZHzHeLMY/?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="1"></iframe><br />Video: A collaboration I did with my friend, Hamza Pirimo, which is titled, "Baba says cool for thought."<br /><iframe media_type="0" media_id="5tL816GHkBM" class="youtube-replace" title="YouTube video player" style="margin-bottom:20px;width:560px;height:315px;" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/5tL816GHkBM/?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="1"></iframe>

Get Frank to l'Ecole des Sables

<p>I WROTE A WEB SERIES about trying to find my purpose as a Young Black Artist in the United States during what feels like the end of times. Along the way I have hilarious interactions with some of the most talented people in the Bay Area

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<p>Let’s be real, there’s a pandemic &amp; climate crisis going on, hella people have lost their jobs &amp; homes, and people need to get bailed out of jail for being on the right side of history. I can’t sit here and pretend like there’s not bigger things to be fighting &amp; funding for, I’m just hoping to provide some honest content to help everybody cope with what’s going on.<br /><br />
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<p>Help Me bring an important show to life . ♥️

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GET “RENT CHECK SERIES” FILMED

<em>[House of Tulip is a 501c3 nonprofit, and donations are tax deductible. Our EIN is 85-1376745.]</em><br /><br /><strong>Introducing </strong><a style="font-weight:bold;" href="http://houseoftulip.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">House of Tulip</a><strong> .</strong><br /><br />House of Tulip is a Community Land Trust launching in the summer of 2020 to create housing solutions for trans and gender-nonconforming (TGNC) people in Louisiana.<br /><br />1 in 3 trans people in Louisiana report experiencing homelessness at some point in their life.* With your help, we will break that cycle for good in the New Orleans area.<br /><br /><strong>Who We Are:</strong><br />Our Founders Circle is a multicultural and multigenerational leadership body of 11 individuals in the New Orleans area. We are majority-Black and majority-women, and a majority of us have our family roots in Louisiana for several generations. Together, we have over 100 years of experience as community organizers and activists serving the transgender community in Louisiana. We are Milan Nicole Sherry, Mariah Moore, Jai Celestial, Sultana Isham, Camilla Marchena, Dylan Waguespack, Ben Collongues, Wendi Cooper, Toni Jones, Zahair Martinez, and Spirit McIntyre. <br /><br /><strong>Our Short-Term Vision:</strong><br /><br />We’re raising funds to buy and restore a 6-unit property on N. Claiborne Ave, currently unoccupied and blighted. This will be our pilot campus, and it will house up to 9 TGNC people. If for any reason, we're unable to purchase this property (if it's sold or taken off the market before we raise the funds we need), the funds raised by this campaign will still go directly toward providing housing to TGNC people in New Orleans, in line with the long-term vision below. <br /><br /><strong>Our Long-Term Vision:</strong><br /> <br /><em>Housing Solutions.</em><br />According to the US Trans Survey, 1 in 3 trans people in Louisiana reports experiencing homelessness at some point in their lives. House of Tulip will provide zero-barrier housing to trans and gender-nonconforming people in need of a safe place to stay while growing the supply of affordable housing in New Orleans.<br /> <br /><em>Citywide Benefits.</em><br />By operating as a Community Land Trust, the entire city of New Orleans (as well as anywhere we expand beyond our pilot campus) will benefit from the increase in affordable housing supply and safeguards against exclusionary development and gentrification.<br /> <br /><em>Paths to Home-Ownership.</em><br />House of Tulip isn’t an emergency shelter or a transitional living house. It’s a long-term investment in housing solutions. As members of our community gain stability through housing, they’ll have a path to homeownership. Meanwhile, House of Tulip will continue to own the land, ensuring our housing stays affordable forever.<br /><br /><em>Self-Sustaining.</em><br />While initially our funding will be entirely donation-based, our model will grow to include sustainable sources of income so that we can invest strategically.<br /><br /><br /><strong>We have $50,000 in seed funding--12.5 percent of the way to our goal--but we need your investment to get to $400,000 by August 31, 2020.<br /><br /></strong>If you'd prefer to write a check, please make it out to "House of Tulip" and mail it to our treasurer:<br />Dylan Waguespack<br />1203 Trinidad Ave NE<br />Washington, DC 20002<br /><br />If you would like to give monthly, you can become a sustaining donor on our website at <a href="https://houseoftulip.org/make-a-donation"><a href="https://houseoftulip.org/make-a-donation" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://houseoftulip.org/make-a-donation</a></a>. Becoming a sustaining donor helps us budget wisely knowing how much money will be coming in. It's such an easy way to invest in our community. <br /><strong><br /></strong>*See the Louisiana breakout report from the 2015 US Trans Survey for more information about the experiences of transgender Louisianans: <a href="https://www.transequality.org/sites/default/files/docs/usts/USTSLAStateReport%281017%29.pdf" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.transequality.org/sites/default/files/docs/usts/USTSLAStateReport%281017%29.pdf</a>

Housing for trans people experiencing homelessness

Walking Iris Media

It’s Valerie Complex here! Freelance entertainment writer and film critic.<br /><br /> I’ve been granted press credentials to the Cannes film festival! (May 14 - May 25) I’ll be reviewing films for Awardwatch.com.  Article compensation is covered, the outlet doesn’t have a huge budget to fund the trip, so I’m going to need some help. <br /><br />Going to Cannes is will be an exciting challenge, but I understand it cost a pretty penny to navigate.<br /><br /><strong>WHY</strong> <strong>DO</strong> I <strong>WANT</strong> <strong>TO</strong> <strong>ATTEND?</strong><br />Proximity to access and opportunity doesn’t end because things are slowly improving at film festivals in the United States. I am a staunch supporter of equality and equity everywhere. With Cannes being one of the biggest film festivals in the world, I want to know how women and people of color are represented at this event. I want to know the dynamic and want to know what can be done to improve it. The plan isn’t just to review films, but also to observe, and share those observations with others to create a dialogue around what we’ve learned. <br /><br /><strong>WHERE</strong> <strong>WILL</strong> <strong>THE</strong> <strong>MONEY</strong> <strong>GO</strong>?<br />Because of the cost of travel and accommodation expenses for this trip, all funds will go to a flight and place to stay during the festival. I’ve done research and the prices I’ve seen for everything are shocking.  Other critics who’ve attended the festival before confirm these high prices are norm.<br /><br />As far as urgency, the festival is three weeks away. Ideally, I’d like to have a ticket purchased by May 5 and before the prices go up even higher. Accommodations are a little easier to navigate because those prices are high no matter what time of the month it is.<br /><br />For transparency sake, posting receipts will not be a problem in case people want confirmation for where their donations are going.<br /><br />This may seem like asking at the last minute—and I do apologize for that—it took Cannes nearly a month to get back to me. I could have raised money earlier, but I didn’t want to raise money, and then find out I was rejected. I wouldn’t want to ask one for anything just based on ifs. I hope that makes sense.<br /><br /><strong>THANK YOU!<br /></strong><span style="font-size:1.0625rem;">Since I began with film criticism in 2013, the support the community has given me is nothing short of amazing. Even if my goals aren’t met, I will always be grateful for the help and support (especially from communities of color) give to me. Thank you and hopefully we can continue on this journey together!!</span><strong><br /></strong>

Help Me Get To Cannes Film Festival

Hello! My name is <a href="http://www.zoesamudzi.com">Zoé Samudzi</a>  and I am a writer, photographer, and third year doctoral student in sociology at the University of California, San Francisco.<br /><br />I was accepted to the ‘Art Commune’ Artist-in-Residence Program at the <a href="http://acsl.am/residency/">Art and Cultural Studies Laboratory</a>  in *drumroll* Yerevan, Armenia! I will be working on a multi-site photography and art criticism project about genocide commemorations and denial, connecting the Armenian genocide to the Herero and Nama genocide (which I'm studying for my PhD dissertation). I will be blending archival research, vernacular photography from and interviews with Armenians; the residency itself aspires to immerse artists from around the world into the local cultural and social-political context of Armenia and combine our practices with meetings, lectures, seminars, and other events with local and international artists, cultural experts, critics, and curators. The work created in this residency will be shared in the fall, during my time as a columnist-in-residence with <a href="https://openspace.sfmoma.org">SFMoMA's Open Space</a> .<br /><br />I plan to be in Yerevan from the end of April (to document observations of the Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day) until the end of June. Funds raised will go towards airfare, rent, and living costs in the city.<br /><br />I am always so deeply appreciative of the community support I have received for my writing and other work, and it would mean the world to me to be able to make this residency and this project happen. Thank you so so much!

Fundraising for an artist residency in Armenia!

<strong> "After killing his wife during a heated argument, a husband learns that he will be haunted by her extremely angry and unforgiving ghost for the rest of his life."</strong><br /><br />Hello! Friends, family, and other interested parties! I am finally taking the leap and shooting my first film.<br /><br />This summer I was fortunate enough to be accepted into the inaugural class of the <a href="https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/women-in-film-la-ghetto-film-school-chicana-filmmaker-1202965332/">Women in Film INSIGHT program</a> . One of the opportunities they offer is the chance to have my pilot, the Front Row, produced next Summer/Fall. In order to better prepare for this, I wanted to shoot a film I could use to demonstrate my abilities as a director and overall storyteller. <br /><br />The short, 'Til Death, is one I wrote last year while working my first TV gig at Family Guy, where I was inspired to try my hand at comedy. I wrote and developed it with the help of many members of the crew, who supported me when it was being developed for animation, as well as when it became a live-action project. For this, am I forever grateful.<br /><br />'Til Death is about finding comedy in the deepest darkest parts of a marriage. I originally wrote the story with the hope of giving voice to a murder victim, and really, a victim of domestic violence. The story became, though, for me, just an examination of the ultimate and extreme breakdown of a partnership.<br /><br />I wrote the short with the idea that I would self-fund it. There are only two principal characters, two locations, minimal props, etc. As we've gotten closer to our date though, the production has grown. More amazing crew have signed on, and because they love the script, many are charitably giving of their time and resources. So, I started this GoFundMe to help not only do right by them and pay for the accommodations that come with building a larger crew, but also to make sure that this production has all it needs to really flourish and bring to life a work of art that we can all be proud of.<br /><br />We will be using the money raised from this campaign to pay for equipment (some of which is already being donated by the Ghetto Film School ), crafty, location fees, permits, props, post-production, and other miscellaneous costs that are bound to come up.<br /><br />We shoot December 19th and 20th of this year, so this fundraiser is a bit short notice but, we are taking any help we can get, and thank everyone in advance for their support!<br /><br /><br />Asha

Funding Asha's Directorial Debut

This fall, we're aiming to raise $25,000 to fund 10 full, year-long Ruby memberships for LGBTQ+ individuals and people of color who might not otherwise be able to afford a Ruby membership.<br /><br />The Ruby is an arts &amp; letters–focused work and gathering space for creative Bay Area women of all definitions and nonbinary folks in San Francisco's Mission District. In a city where it's increasingly difficult to support ourselves as writers and artists, and in a time where it's more important than ever to support the women and nonbinary people in our communities, The Ruby serves as a refuge and a stronghold — a multi-purpose space for continuing education and enrichment, whose community might inspire creative work and collaboration.<br /><br />Your donation, of any amount,  is so appreciated. Thank you so much for your support!

Maria Judice

Maria Judice

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Bombed, burned and buried in unmarked graves!

Begena Begenaye documentary

Empower Black Women in Medicine: Tossie and Honeybee

Nurturing Community: Ensuring SotA's Future

Love Undone -- The Final Season

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