Courageous Queer Futures: A Bold Vision for Our Work in 2024 + Beyond
Facilitators: Sade Swift, Mickey Ferrara, Brittany Brathwaite, Lolan Sevilla, Olajiwon McCadney, Carolina Kroon
Audience: Open to all Network members and Component A funded organizations
Goals: Come dream, vision and deep exhale with us as we share our roadmap for the work ahead and unveil the irresistible *in-person* offerings we have for our community in 2024. We are developing a series of one-day, in-person gatherings in different regions of NY State (Syracuse, Albany, and NYC), incorporating what we have learned together in our offerings over the last 4 years. In this political moment we are witnessing the increasing attacks on LGBTQ+ lives and safe spaces, and the reversal of hard-fought for rights. Now is the time to reflect, align, and strategize our work (whether administrator or service provider) with the needs of frontline, on-the-ground movements – the communities we are serving – on the eve of a critical election cycle. Join us in a collective vision-building and superpower-making space hosted by Rebellious Root Collective, the Anti-Racism Book Series co-facilitators and the University of Rochester LGBTQ+ Initiative Team.
Brittany Brathwaite, MSW, MPH
(Her/she) is a reproductive justice activist, youth worker, creative entrepreneur and community accountable scholar with a deep-seated commitment to supporting the leadership, organizing, and healing of girls of color. Most recently, Brittany was the Organizing and Innovation Manager at Girls for Gender Equity, where she successfully won the Schools Girls Deserve Campaign. She also is the co-founder of Kimbritive and The Homegirl Box.
Mickey Ferrara
(She/her) is a fierce community organizer, sister and youth worker who has been organizing for justice for the last 15 years . Most recently, she was the Deputy Director of Atlas DIY, a holistic youth drop-in space in Sunset Park centering immigrant and undocumented youth and a co-organizer of the Ray of Hope Walk to End Violence Against Women. By night, she can be found designing graphics and earrings for the revolution.
As part of Rebellious Root Collective, Mickey has worked with us since 2020, offering Technical Assistance and Capacity Building opportunities to Network members and guiding the work of this grant. Mickey was part of our August 2022 Planning Retreat. She is currently offering Equity Praxis Support to organizations and working on an Equity Guidebook with our CAB.
Sade Swift
(she/her and they/them) is a queer AfroDominican freedom fighter and artist who has been organizing for the last 10 years. She’s currently creating magic at Green Worker Cooperatives, which supports small businesses develop as cooperatives across NYC. Sade’s latest work includes co-founding Cards by Dé, a handmade greeting card cooperative, sitting on the NYCNOWC Advocacy Council to support the cooperative movement, developing healing workshops as a YP4 Fellow and so much more!
Carolina Kroon
Carolina Kroon (she/her/hers) Carolina is a visual producer, educator and activist who collaborates with organizations and individuals working towards social justice. For more than two decades she has assisted in representing communities, conspiring with many of the countries’ most effective publications and non-profits. She has facilitated and taught visual literacy and production with many people ranging in age from 8-80 in both community and academic settings. Her organizing has been focused within the LGBTQ and Women’s communities. She is a fluent Spanish speaker.
Carolina has worked with us since early 2020, when she helped us create our Needs Assessment. Carolina has also been a co-creator and co-facilitator of our Antiracism Listening and Learning Series since early 2021, and has led 2 Series on So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo, and 2 Series on How to Be An Antiracist, by Ibram X. Kendi. She is also working on creating the 2023 Series on Emergent Strategy by adrienne maree brown. Carolina helps guide the work of our grant, and was a part of our August 2022 Planning Retreat.
Olajiwon McCadney
(he/him & they/them) is the Chair for Diversity Studies & the Executive Director for Intercultural Student Success & Strategic Partnerships at HACC, Pennsylvania Community Colleges. Additionally, McCadney is a board member for the National Association for African Americans in Human Resources (NAAAHR) as well as serves as a facilitator for the national team with the national team for the Center for Restorative Justice at the University of San Diego. Lastly, McCadney holds an MSEd in Organizational Leadership & Performance Technology from the College at Potsdam, State University of New York as well as certification in Professional Coaching and is a current doctoral candidate at Northeastern University.
Olajiwon has worked with us since 2021, when they joined our Antiracism Listening and Learning Series as a co-creator and co-facilitator of discussions on How to Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi. He is also working on creating the 2023 Series on Emergent Strategy by adrienne maree brown. Olajiwon helps guide the work of this grant and was a part of our August 2022 Planning Retreat.
Lolan Sevilla
Lolan is a cultural worker & organizer who strives to root their work in community, study and practice. They have spent the last decade cultivating an expertise in cross-sectoral nonprofit administration, specializing in crisis management, program strategy, and board development that is grounded in an anti-oppressive framework, and trauma informed lens. Lolan currently works as the Organizing Director at Funders for Justice, and formerly served on the Board of Directors for CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities & the Audre Lorde Project. A member of the National Writers Union (Local 1981), they have numerous publishing credits, including the recently co-authored “Individual Struggle, Widespread Injustice: Trans and Gender Non-Conforming Peoples’ Experiences of Systematic Employment Discrimination.
Lolan has worked with us since early 2020, when they helped us create our Needs Assessment. Lolan has also been a co-creator and co-facilitator of our Antiracism Listening and Learning Series since early 2021, and has led 2 Series on So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo, and 2 Series on How to Be An Antiracist, by Ibram X. Kendi. They are also working on creating the 2023 Series on Emergent Strategy by adrienne maree brown. Lolan helps guide the work of our grant, and was a part of our August 2022 Planning Retreat.
