Black Trans Lives Matter: The Okra Project
The Okra Project is a worldwide collective that is diligently working to address the global crisis faced by Black Trans people. To do this, the collective works to prepare and bring home-cooked, healthy, and culturally-specific meals and resources to Black Trans People wherever they are.
From the site:
“During the Middle Passage, our African ancestors snuck okra onto captive ships to sustain themselves and plant in the new world. Black Diasporic cooking traditions often use the okra plant for its versatility, and it is often associated with health, prosperity, and community.
In this spirit, The Okra Project hopes to extend free, delicious, and nutritious meals to Black Trans people experiencing food insecurity.”
Members of The Okra Project Team. Photo Source: The Okra Project (Okra Outings)
Looking to get involved?
Based on individual donations, The Okra Project pays Black Trans chefs to go into the homes of Black Trans people to cook a healthy and home-cooked meal at absolutely no cost to our Black TGNC siblings.
For those Black Trans folks currently experiencing homeless or whose homes cannot support our chef’s cooking, The Okra Project has partnered with institutions like Osborne Association and other community spaces to deliver food.
Why The Okra Project?
Crescendo understands that the nature of systemic racism leaves many marginalized folx in need of support. By choosing The Okra Project as one of the organizations that we support, we hope to highlight the persistent issue of violence against minorities and trans women of colour. In fact, according to Fast Company, “in 2019, at least 26 transgender or gender-nonconforming people in the US were victims of fatal violence, the majority of whom were Black trans women—and those are just the cases that were reported.”
It is our responsibility to engage thoughtfully with our diverse community about this violence against Black lives— and the white supremacist systems that allow it to occur. But it is also our responsibility to do that without re-burdening or re-traumatizing the Black communities we work with and prioritizing their mental health. That’s why we have decided to work alongside The Okra Project to help give back to those who need it the most.