Black queer feminist urbanist siblings — I see you. Go forth in peace, love, and urbanity.
This is The Black Urbanist Weekly, an email newsletter that highlights the Black Queer Feminist Urbanist thoughts and commentary of me, Kristen Jeffers, internationally known urban planner, designer, analyst, keynote speaker, media maven, and fiber artist. This week I affirm the being of being a Black Queer Feminist Urbanist. As always, I have my Patreon supporters to thank for financial affirmation. Find out more on how you can become one of those supporters or maybe run an ad on this platform, by scrolling to the Before You Go section.
If you’ve had the gift of having me sign a book of mine ( I promise, that gift will return very soon), I usually sign it With love, peace, and urbanity. In fact, I think I might make that this week’s sign-off and make it the sign-off going forward.
Because that’s exactly how I want us to go forth. Knowing that the why’s of Black Queer Feminist Urbanism live just inside of us.
Now I may not agree with everything going on in my own government at all times, which is the gift of living in a democracy. But last week, we got to see some of what it means to show up in the world, as a Black feminist, against all odds and trying to break into a system that needs to be remade and refashioned in our image.
Specifically, the moment between Senator Cory Booker and the Honorable Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson at the very end of her testimony of her confirmation hearings to sit on the US Supreme Court, where she’s brought to tears at his declaration of seeing our birthing parents, especially our Black women birthing parents, in her and simply declaring not only her worth, but that Spirit/Divine Presence (the words I use for God or a Higher Power), is backing her up.
I’m not sure if they meet all four intersections of Black Queer Feminist Urbanism, besides Black and urbanist, maybe feminist and even though we as queer and/or trans folks are proud, we don’t assume that status from afar, we let folks affirm it.
However, I want to affirm that they have the spirit of all four in that statement, and I want to walk us through how we can affirm that spirit in ourselves.
This is not an altar call or even a pose on a mat. This is you looking in the mirror and seeing what’s already inside of that Black body that’s often a threat. That claims queerness, feminism, and urbanism even when people tell you that you are betraying your ancestors.
That claims all these things when it’s only you going through them in a physical or virtual room, but that still makes them real and valid.
Never mind our ancestors walked so many places, from rural plantations and off urban seaport docks into their freedom from an unjust institution.
Our elders continued to walk under and over highways that sought to divide them, driving buses, cabs, and even railcars that would have them sit all the way in the back.
We sit anywhere we want to now. We walk in solidarity with those indigenous to the lands to which we were brought, to heal and enhance the communities we’ve come together to make.
We too wear that ever cooling spandex as we criss-cross the places we’ve made, now made easier for us to navigate on foot or pedal, even as folks try to sprawl us further and further out from the culture that created us and sustains us.
We are worthy of our designs being made. For our labors to be fairly and equitably and justify compensated. For our bodies to be human, no matter what their shape, size, or behavior. To be housed and allowed to move at ease.
But we know that and if you needed a reminder of that, here it is.
I want to gift something to you this week, my dear sibling. I created a guide called Defining Yourself for Yourself: Finding Your Black Queer Feminist Urbanism, that’s inside a special place I created just for us, the Black Queer Feminist Urbanist Lounge. Waiting for you there is a blueprint, to find this worth and gift in yourself, and do so in a supportive community.
You are worthy. You are good enough. Even if it isn’t this space of meditation and community, make sure you take the time daily to affirm and define yourself, for yourself.
I’ve attempted doing my work in affinity groups before, where I build work based on the journey one needs to take from healing from prior power imbalances and marginalizations, realizing that journey looks different based on how you are socialized and/or racialized.
However, in doing this work this way over the last couple of years, during a time when we had fewer options for outside activities and more time for this kind of deep work, I realized that the way it needs to be done, if it even needs to be done and if it’s even a work, brings up necessary questions.
Next week, I’m going to go into more detail about how I see my affinity group model work going forward and how I want to manage this more general and open space of content.
Before You Go
As I said before, advertising or pledging support to Black queer feminist platforms like this one is a perfect way to be an ally, and guess what, this is an ask! You can also advertise Black, queer, and/or feminist venture, run your birthday or anniversary or congratulations message, or something else that’s not job or conference or heavily design/construction/policy industry related. Even though the ads normally come with a $75/week price tag for a month-long commitment, I do have a one-off option for $155 for one week, and if you’re a Black queer feminist venture on a budget, your ad could be free. Reply back to this email if you’re ready to place an ad and learn more about advertising across this platform.
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Speaking of those outside ads, you can tell me in this survey what kind of ads you want to receive and a little more about who you are in a way that I can better write this newsletter for you. Also, you may still receive two versions of this newsletter, on Mailchimp and Substack, depending on how you subscribed and when you subscribed. If you want to unsubscribe from one or both versions, be sure to do so using the unsubscribe link provided in the emails run by the respective services. Or, you can keep deleting or ignoring the version you don’t like, lol. Remember, there will always be a free version of this newsletter, but you can scroll below for links to ways besides advertising to support this newsletter.
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Once again, The Black Queer Feminist Urbanist Lounge is open for fellow Black Queer Feminist Urbanists to walk through this world together. Some of this information will be in these emails, but we will be digging deeper into how to create this space for ourselves and what the whys and definitions should be in the Lounge. Lounge members are eligible for scholarships for my coaching and consulting services and lounge membership is free. Also, I’ve decided to not do an in-person Black Queer Feminist Urbanist summit in 2022, but I will be adding an event calendar for Black, queer, feminist, and/or urbanist events and I’ll be announcing some digital seminar/panel style events for later this year, that you’ll be able to either watch live or listen/watch at your leisure.
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My consulting services will actually be housed at my soon-to-be-revamped personal website for anyone who needs moving, resumes, career, and other help. If you’re ready to book a season, email directly at kristen@theblackurbanist.com and request a strategy service. The first 30-minute clarity session is free, then subsequent sessions starting at $150 for one follow-up session and $75/session for a package of four.
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If you just want to support me for any reason, but don’t need anything in return, you can become a monthly Patreon supporter, or you can donate to my capital campaign, or Venmo or Cash. App me.
In peace, love and urbanity,
Kristen