The future we want needs us.
Dear community,
In August, when Lavender Phoenix celebrated our organization’s 20th birthday, we watched a personal video sent from Cecilia Chung, one of our beloved elders. She said 20 years is not a short time—but, apparently it’s not a long time either. She shared her grief for the renewed, historic onslaught of violence trans folks face. She thanked us for being willing to fight.
Her words reminded me of the first conversation our anniversary Planning Team shared. We asked each other: what makes this anniversary matter? & in that moment, we thought of the countless people in our community who did not make it to 20 years. As a result of the systemic & interpersonal violence we face every single day, a year can feel impossible for so many of us, much less two decades. That day, we reminded ourselves of our duty in honoring this anniversary. We needed to celebrate the sacred longevity of our work. To express our love to all those who make it possible. &, we need to continue to fight for our people to thrive.
After all, our work continues to teach me that our lives are not simply about enduring. They’re about how we persist. About who makes our resolve possible, worthwhile, & even joyful.
Every day, I witness LavNix live into these questions in bold experiments. I watched us gather in fierce circle to share our fears & hopes, to strengthen each other, before we stepped into City Hall to demand the Mayor divest from the ever-growing police budget & invest in what San Francisco residents need to thrive. I listened to young leaders in our Summer Organizer Program face their pain & trauma to learn to ask for help, after a lifetime of hearing their voices drowned out. I watched our staff & Core leaders turn to hold tensions & contradictions that are present in our work for the sake of deeper unity at our end-of-year Retreat. I saw us shape beloved photos & flowers into a collective prayer at our 20th Anniversary’s altar, where we honored all the community members we’ve lost, & all those who we continue to fight for.
Through this year of incomprehensible violence, the weight of what our political visions ask of us as people can make my breath catch. This year, our hopes for the future asked us for us. For our honesty. Our tenacity. Our willingness to try. They invited us to hug each other. They turned us to look at our failures with kind, clear eyes. At times, they brought tears: of love for our comrades, or frustration with ourselves, or determination to protect our fight for our future.
This year, we will continue this work to grow our souls & build a movement that wins.
- We’ll train hundreds of transgender & queer community members in safety skills.
- We’ll re-launch our free Transgender API Peer Counseling program & trainings.
- We’ll develop new generations through our leadership development programs.
- We’ll enhance the ways that we steward our organization’s resources collectively.
- We’ll strengthen a network of organizations challenging police power in San Francisco.
Through these efforts to build power, we’ll continue to rely on you. As LavNix’s community, it’s you who makes perseverance in this struggle possible. Your efforts & care for us make winning more imaginable. Every time we gather to celebrate each other, to strategize for the future, to plan ways to support one another, you make the road to our visions more loving & joyful. This year, let us continue to fight for & love one another. The future we want needs us.
With love & commitment,
Yuan Wang | Executive Director
Will you donate to LavNix to help us fight for the future we need?
