It’s ok to be selfish and affirm yourself when it comes to urban planning, especially if “Urban Planning” never had you in mind. However, as you feel more steady and yes, amass power and privilege in your own right, it’s time to be in solidarity and facilitate justice and belonging.

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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 talk more about what May will look like if you choose to join me in the Black Queer Feminist Urbanist intensive, this mechanism that I’ll lead you through the process I just talked about above. We already have folks signed up and we can get you signed up by joining the Black Queer Feminist Urbanist Lounge, on Patreon and on May 4th all new content will load. Existing Patreons, I’ve already adjusted the levels and names, all you have to do is show up!

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I’m against urban planning as this massive top-down institution rooted in imperialism and all of the things that begets (racism, queer antagonism, sexism, capitalism, colonialism, and displacement).

I’m for the kind of urban planning that comes from folks that are victimized by what I’ve put in parenthesis.

I’m for fellow newsletter and blog and social media post writers, young and old, telling their neighborhood’s story and rallying people around positive changes. I especially love seeing the fantasy maps and the charts and graphs that may not have all the details but are a solid start. 

I’m for the public schools and libraries that help people of all kinds interpret history and maps and make sense of what’s come before, what’s happening now, and what could come today.

I’m for all the ways one can monetize and collect funds online, along with all the meal trains and neighborhood clothing collections that keep goods and services circulating through buildings, communities, and neighborhoods of people happy to share.

I’m for the kinds of small businesses that also participate in those kinds of barters and trades and balance their survival needs and the survival needs of the communities they serve.

And so yes, later this week, those of you who are Patreons will get my next set of planning tools — centered around helping you find and create the community level institutions — and following a structured plan, with coaching from me, to get yourself to the finish line. 

Unlike previous courses, this one will be available and relevant at any time of the year, but I’m putting it out now because May has become a time of the year where we look at who we are as people and decide if we are doing right by our communities. It’s also the thick of the professional conference season and the end of the academic school year. It’s right before a time many of us were stretching our legs, going outside, and letting loose.

There are three levels, based on your proximity to what I have come to term Black Queer Feminist Urbanism. The Affirmation level is specifically for folks who also consider themselves Black Queer Feminist Urbanists. I already have one person signed up for my Solidarity level, which is there for you if you need affirmation of your place in urbanism and could also use some guided fine-tuning around how to be in solidarity with your peers. And finally, if you feel pretty affirmed, but want guidance with a large-scale, world-changing effort to Facilitate Justice and Belonging, sign up for that level. If you do choose to sign up for that level, the clarity call is required, on top of our existing Monday office hours through the month of May. At least one clarity call is required if you sign up to actively do the work that you’re eligible for, especially if you’ve already been on a tier that’s now eligible for a certain tier.

Anyway, everyone needs a plan. Especially when you get planned about and not planned for.

By the Way

I wanted to start giving props to articles and other content that I really liked that I thought was relevant again, much like we have a section for shoutouts/classified ads. So, welcome to By the Way, and make sure you check out Before You Go too.

I’m shouting out the work of my old Greensboro friend Eric Ginsburg twice this week. First, because it did an amazing job telling international Eater readers where to eat in our hometown of Greensboro and secondly for telling the very discerning audiences of Bon Appetit about a restaurant seeking to bridge cultural barriers between Black communities and white Jewish communities in Richmond, Virginia. 

We’re approaching Black Pride season, so I wanted to boost back up the lovely folks of Team Rayceen Productions and Rayceen themselves, one of the legendary members of our Black queer community, who chose to feature me a few weeks ago on their daily video show!

And yes, Black women and non-binary folk have been making philanthropy happen —- even when we’ve barely had resources or respect from others. 

And finally, I  came across Fobazi Etarrah’s 2018  addition to the canon of Black women calling public spaces to account, specifically libraries.

Before You Go

Check out some special announcements from me and friends of the platform.

Advertising in this section has helped people find jobs and new opportunities. It also gets you and your newfound commitments to solidarity, justice, belonging, and equity in front of those who are your backbone and the base of those commitments. Learn more on how you can purchase ad space!

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If you just want to support me for any reason, but don’t need anything in return, you can donate to my capital campaign, or Venmo or Cash. App me. 

I’ll be live on Patreon, LinkedIn and YouTube for the first of my Open Studio/Office Hours at 4 eastern. Don’t worry if you can’t watch live, it will be archived publicly on both spaces. Also, all of my prior video chats under the Public Lecture/Open Studio label are now available on Patreon.

Until next time,

Kristen