#DoneForDiDi
Monthly news & updates
07.28.20 | Mid-Summer Issue
Hello:
This is DiDi Delgado — poet, educator, author, mother and a co-founder of Black Lives Matter Cambridge. I want to thank you if you have previously signed up for a class, made a donation to one of my initiatives, checked the box for my newsletter or if you’ve signed up for the mailing list.
I have been published and cited in USA Today, the Huffington Post, The Boston Globe, Democracy Now!, The Root, Propublica, The Observer, NBC News OutFront, Shelterforce Magazine, Yes! Magazine, Slate Magazine, Mother Jones and Vanity Fair.
For more information about me, please check out these links:
Website is www.TheDiDiDelgado.com
Artist page is www.facebook.com/TheDiDiDelgado
Twitter is @TheDiDiDelgado
Instagram is @TheDiDiDelgado
Patreon is www.Patreon.com/TheDiDiDelgado
When the Flint Water Crisis, Standing Rock, the flooding of Baton Rouge, and countless other disasters happened in 2017, getting most people to agree that Black Lives Matter was an uphill climb. An alarm was sounded, alerting the world to the growing mistreatment of Black people in the United States of America, which was not for the faint of heart; it is not lost on me this all occurred at the height of organizational grunt work of engaging in rapid response, and what many of you are NOW calling ‘mutual aid .’
The phrase Black Lives Matter most recently resurfaced with the state sanctioned deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. ( Now, three long years later, only 63% of Americans finally believe that Black Lives Matter ). We still have a long way to go.
I see folks in 2020, because of both a global pandemic and uprising, looking to grasp a better understanding of equity and justice. The best experts on the subject are not those who study us in theory, but those of us with life experience as a praxis.
Today, I am asking you to share these opportunities to “plug-in” with your network.
Training & Technology For Front-line Activists
One of the unaddressed needs now is how to engage while on the front lines with both the newly politicized and the re-energized community. In this current climate, we need TnT: Training & Technology.
Capital District Intersectional Feminist Group and Capital District SURJ are collaborating with training specialists from Blackout Collective, The Ruckus Society, National Lawyers Guild, Organizing Black, Black Movement Law Project, and Mass Bail Fund to bring technology upgrades, political education, and safety via the following virtual offerings:
Organizing 101 | Know Your Rights | Cop Watch | NVDA | Security| |Train the Trainer|
We are providing training and technology upgrades for 75–100 people. We are asking for community support to curate a collective container of knowledge so that we can begin mobilizing our communities in ways that keep the momentum going while shifting the responsibility to provide continuous education away from those on the front lines.
Donate here: bit.ly/DirectActionNow
Dismantling Racism and All the Other Isms
Join us for an interactive class and discussion forum on dismantling oppression in the new era of resistance. Nandi K, a southern born, queer, non-binary Artist, Activist, and podcast host of “Black Friends Dinner” with a passion for Black liberation, soul music, and fried chicken. will be my special guest facilitator.
Every Monday in August, my colleague Nandi K. and I will be leading a five week interactive class and discussion forum on dismantling oppression in the new era of resistance.
Date/Time: Every Monday in August from 6:30 P.M. to 8:30 PM EST
RSVP for all 5 Monday sessions for $100. A portion of the proceeds will be going to the residents of YWCA of Cambridge, MA.
Grab your ticket here: https://dismantlingracismaugust.eventbrite.com
Discussion topics will include:
•Practicing Anti-Racism
•Tangible Allyship
•Examining Misogynoir
•Black Queer Antagonism
•Agitation and Division
•Dismantling systems of oppression
If you are experiencing financial hardship, please e-mail didi@thedididelgado.com for accessibility options.
Details and course outline to come.
Grab Your Ticket on Eventbrite
The Full Set is just a glimpse into the candid conversations that Black people have at the barbershop or beauty salon in the US. I am a Black Queer Femme and personally I have had many of my most important conversations whilst getting my full set of nails done. I bring that warmth, vulnerability, boldness and curiosity into my discussions with different guests each week. Guests are generally my peers or people whose work I follow via social media. Like a conversation between good friends or frenemies, there’s no spin and no restrictions, just plenty of camaraderie.
My work is trauma-guided and -informed, as I myself am processing and repairing my own personal trauma and the traumas I may have caused others along the way. The Full Set began as a healing and self-care journey for me (the host) during the beginning stages of the COVID-19 quarantine, in the absence of my nail technician. I wanted to hear about how everyone else was doing. From the conversations with the guests, me and my audience gained a new and deeper understanding about the tenets of healing.
When Black folks get involved in organizing and activism, it’s usually not with a Black queer feminist lens. My identity and work are woven into the show’s DNA. As a poet, activist, educator and organizer I’ve seen how stories like mine are often excluded from the mainstream through respectability politics. While being on the front lines blazing pathways, creating channels, and fostering connections in support of the most marginalized, I’ve realized that I’m good at capturing an audience and holding their attention.
Through The Full Set I’ve made the most of this in order to amplify the work of others like me.
The Full Set is now streaming on Apple, Spotify, Youtube and all streaming platforms!
See our Mid-Summer List on FB.
🗣️ It’s that time again! Welcome to the Heat Wave Edition of reparations for #DoneForDiDi !! 🌡️♨️ ☀️
The following Black women and marginalized genders are in need of support — donations, reparations, cash, bank, Sonic rings, Mario coins etc. So we’re going to help them. As always this ask is directed at white folks and men, not Black non-men who already do a majority of the heavy lifting for our community.
🔹 Pick TWO of the individuals below.
🔹 Donate $10 to $20 to their personal links.
🔹 Write “Done” in the comments when you’re done, along with the name(s) of the individuals you were able to help.
🔹 Share this post, then go stick your head in the freezer cuz it’s HOT af. That’s it.
Lets go! 👇🏾
KIT
Kit is a non-binary trans person who needs to relocate to the Boston area after facing discrimination from their landlord, who forced them to move midst the pandemic. The #DoneForDiDi Admin team was able to raise some funds, but lets get her some cushion. PayPal: https://bit.ly/letshousekit
QUE
Full disclosure, Que is a man (nobody’s perfect) but also an advocate for Black women and non-men. Que has been doing freelance work to survive during the pandemic, but due to his treatments he’s running out of opportunities for employment. You can contribute $15 to his survival here: https://paypal.me/pools/c/8riGTtAQCR
JINA
Jina is a Black woman and artist who recently lost her job. She wasn’t terminated due to COVID-19, but because her employers found out she was attempting to organize and unioninze her co-workers. You can send $10-$20 via:
http://paypalme.com/Jinaedwards
MONE’T
Mone’t is Black woman, artist, activist and Founder of Sacramento BlackArtsMatter. Her organizations specializes in turning trauma into healing by providing platform & space for Black Artists. You can support this important initiative here:
https://paypal.me/blackartsmatter
BRITTANY
Brittany is a Blaqueer Non — Binary Artist, creating stories showcasing black spaces in fantasy, horror, sci-fi, slice of life. COVID-19 wasn’t the storyline they were expecting. They are in need of financial assistance after enduring an unexpected financial hardship. Please send $10 here:
https://www.paypal.me/BrittanyCJohnson
NIKKI
Nikki is a Black, femme, pan identified artist with 10+ years experience in photography and editing. Nikki is also diabetic with no health insurance. Please send $10 here:
https://www.paypal.me/JDRousePhotography
COYA
Coya is a Two-Spirit, Black/Indigenous femme who is a single mother and community organizer in Portland. She is in need of money to be able cover rent, groceries, and school supplies for her and her 3 kids as well helping raise money for two other Black/Indigenous single mothers she is in contact with. https://www.paypal.me/aztecblues
