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 is a sample of when I turn my Black Queer Feminist Urbanst lens on a few current events at a time, with links. I’m thankful for sponsorship for this newsletter from my Patreon supporters. Scroll down to the Before You Go section to learn how you can become a sponsor/advertiser.
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Public health is urbanism. War and abolition are urbanism. And, yes, there’s a Black queer feminist lens out here for these urbanisms.
The world, if you go by mass media, has really only been focused on two things over the past few weeks. The “end” of the pandemic at the two-year anniversary of its first wave and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Of course, there’s more than these two things going on and I’ll be using at least one email a month, what I’m calling, for now, the Black Queeer Feminist Urbanist Current, to address mass media current events from a Black queer feminist urbanist lens. This may become a daily or even premium feature, but we’ll play that by ear for now.
If you follow me on Twitter, you’ve probably got a sense of where I stand on both of these issues, but I did want to pause and break these down a bit, especially as I’ve been processing what these mean for me and in a Black queer feminist urbanist lens.
So let’s start with Covid-19. It’s not over and I’m still wearing my mask in all indoor spaces, only eating and socializing maskless outdoors or in properly ventilated spaces, and limiting my travel.
However, I would be happy to see folks outside of being outside, with the pledge to rapid test, PCR test, and mask as much as possible, coupled with that effort for filtering and ventilation.
You may see Les out a bit more than me, as she has work obligations. However, she still has chronic issues that I want to protect as much as possible.
We might sound selfish, we don’t take for granted that at least 9 million people are still dealing with Covid complications and several, like the two of us, have yet to contract, but still are concerned about what it could do to us because neither of us assumes that we are spring chickens and we were 100% healthy prior to the pandemic. I’ll break down our health status more on a different day and let her tell you more of her story at places like endoQueer, her organization for queer folks with endometriosis and other gynecological issues.
I do love this photo diary I found on the ReidOut Blog on mourning all that we’ve lost over the past two years and pushing forward into our next normal, especially as Black Americans. I’m a huge fan of Dr. Uche Blackstock, specifically as a Black feminist physician and public health advocate, who is featured in this diary along with several other Black women’s voices of the pandemic.
I also want to lift up Imani Babrin, who has been crucial to the fight to not forget our disabled, specifically our Black and otherwise marginalized and disabled/chronically ill folks. When the head of the CDC first stated that Covid was basically over if you weren’t chronically ill or disabled and that their deaths were “good”, she lifted up the #MyDisabledLifeisWorthy hashtag and continues to remind us that we can’t leave folks behind, nor are those folks we are leaving behind (which may be ourselves), worthless.
And then to Ukraine, Russia, and everything going on in that region. This is why I call for the end of imperialism. I think of my African siblings and others from non-European/white-identifying countries, who have been tokens of battles between “the West ” and Soviet/Russian/ex-Soviet colonies/countries for decades. Today they are struggling to both leave and/or survive because they aren’t quite Ukrainian and in some cases blatantly not the right nationality or skin color.
I’m thinking of the trans folks who are struggling with their passports being accepted at border crossings on top of day-to-day discrimination.
I’m thinking of Ukrainian nationals who aren’t racist, queer/transphobic, wealthy, or powerful, who have been under some kind of imperialist conflict for years.
Finally, I’m thinking of WNBA star Brittney Griner, who sits at several of these intersections, in the true legal sense that Kimberlee Crenshaw has outlined over the years.
I want to lift up at this moment around this issue, all those working to get aid to Black, Asian, LGBTQIA+ and others who are marginalized. Several of these groups are practicing mutual aid, specifically, the work of Patricia Daley, Tokunbo Koiki and Korrine Sky who set up the website and hashtag Black Women for Black Lives to coordinate fundraising, media awareness, and volunteer efforts for people of African descent who are in Ukraine, while yet fleeing the country themselves and not having met in person.
I’m ending today’s newsletter with a moment of light and hope and healing to all under everyday oppression, but now here’s global imperialism knocking on the door, insisting that it alone knows who’s most human. It doesn’t. Next week, I’ll be back to continue to outline and break down the Black queer feminist urbanist lens, specifically how allies can pick up the glasses and aid those who are born with this lens.
Before You Go
When I write clip sheets like this, I’ll more often than not run outside ads on them, only note that this was paid for by “viewers like you”. However, weeks like this are perfect times for me to advertise your 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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The Black Queer Feminist Urbanist Lounge is open for fellow Black Queer Feminist Urbanists to walk through this world together. What you’ll see in these next few emails is how our allies should show up and work to create this space for us, 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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Until next time,