What No Justice No Pride built in 2020
2020 is over and we are happy about that. This year has been a painful one for us all. As the clock ticks to midnight this Thursday (12/31), we are counting down all that NJNP and the community have built this year.
No Justice No Pride (NJNP) is a Black Trans Led organization in Washington, DC. In 2020, formed a new leadership structure and has grown to be larger than ever. Check out how below!
NJNP Collective Housing - NJNP opened three new safe houses!
In 2020, NJNP Collective Housing; raised $140,000 for Trans and Queer housing and currently has nearly 40 long term or permanent residents. Between longer term and temporary housing, NJNP Collective Housing is able to house as many as 75 people a night (double the capacity provided by the city for LGBT Housing).
NJNP is currently renting 5 safe houses with plans in the near future for a 6th.
Find out more about the NJNP housing project, here.
Police Free Pride and DefundMPD
In the wake of the uprising, sparked by the murder of George Floyd; NJNP and community members won a three year long campaign against Capital Pride Alliance to remove cops from DC Pride.
In June, NJNP took action along with community partners and activist across the city calling for defunding MPD. NJNP launched an ambitious ‘pride month’ campaign to assert pressure on both Capital Pride Alliance and DC City council to divest from MPD and reinvest in the community.
NJNP took over the annual pride parade with a March to Mayor Bowser's house that ended with a block party, a DefundMPD ball and pupusas.
DC Area Covid-19 Sex worker relief fund
In March, No justice No Pride launched a relief fund for DC area sex workers who wer impacted financially by Covid-19. From March till June, NJNP received more than 350 requests and was able to fulfill 324 of them providing $96,575 in cash assistance.
NJNP put a pause on answering requests while focusing on capacity on more sustainable solutions such as the DC Excluded workers coalition.
Mutual Aid plus food healing —
No Justice No Pride provided weekly cash stipends to 17 Trans + Queer former and current sex workers who fullfilled critical roles within DC MutualAid Network (DCMA) and within their communities during the worst periods of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Such roles included:
- Operating the ward by ward mutual aid hotlines — of which residents of a ward can call to receive support with groceries, meal access, sanitation supplies and more support — that were managed by DCMA. For a brief period of time in April, Mayor Bowser was directing calls from her Covid19 hotline to the DCMA hotlines.
- Producing and bottling hand sanitizer
NJNP’s Hand Sanitizer was heavily requested throughout the Spring and early summer by community organizations, DCMA supporters, local businesses and even churches. NJNP produced both unscented and scented versions. - Creating care packages and preparing meals for drop off and so much more.
NJNP also collaborated with Plantia Power building food gardens at a few of the NJNP safe houses. The gardens are maintained by some of the Trans and queer folks who receive stipends. What food that has been grown that hasn’t gone to the safe houses has gone to food centers. The gardens continue to be a center of healing for many of NJNP’s members and residents.
Building a Village
NJNP is developing a vision to establish a permanent housing resource for Black and Brown Trans people and sex workers in DC - complete with spaces for organizing, growing food and retail property for Black Trans entrepreneurship. We have been building this vision for over a year and we are ready to fight for it. A FREE housing guarantee for our community members. A FREE food guarantee for our community members.
For the last three years, No Justice No Pride has been on the front lines fighting for the rights of Black and Brown Trans Women and Sex Workers. In the two years since FOSTA/SESTA was implemented, NJNP Collective Housing has grown to be one of the largest LGBTQ housing providers in the city yet, NJNP doesn't receive a penny of funding from the government. NJNP is focusing their capacity on developing a vision to establish a permanent housing resource for Black and Brown Trans people and sex workers in DC and we need your help. You with us?!
Here are several additional ways to give:
Do you like this page?