New York’s vibrant and energetic energy comes from all of its residents, and this month, we want to honor the contributions of Black New Yorkers across the city and its history. We will be donating 3 percent of sales of all Handmade Frames during the month of February to support three organizations supporting Black people in and beyond New York City: The Center for Justice Innovation, Marsha P. Johnson Institute, and BEAM (Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective).
The Center for Justice Innovation is dedicated to working with community members and institutions to reimagine what safety looks like in our cities and towns. Incorporating the voices of those the current system can fail is key to improving our public safety and justice systems going forward. If you want to learn more about the complex nature of criminal justice in the United States, you can read The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander.
Marsha P. Johnson was a New York City community icon, working to support and uplift the queer community in the city. A Black trans woman, her legacy is continued in the work of the Marsha P. Johnson Institute, an organization dedicated to supporting Black queer and trans people through fellowships supporting emerging artists and organizers, and an initiative to end violence against Black trans women. Get to know the woman behind the legacy, and her role in the Stonewall Riot, by reading We Are Everywhere: Protest, Power, and Pride in the History of Queer Liberation.
BEAM is dedicated to providing accessible mental health resources to Black people in need in the city. They do this in part through offering grants to local mental health centers and initiatives supporting members of the Black community. You can learn more about the impact of racism on mental health by reading Black Fatigue by Mary Frances Winters.
Every month is a good month to learn about and from Black writers and activists. The city’s cultural landscape has been and continues to be shaped by all of our communities, and from the Harlem Renaissance to hip hop’s birth in the Bronx, Black New Yorkers have and continue to keep the city at the forefront of art and culture.