RebelleCuntrandom ramblings from an indie scholar and heauxstorian spearheading a project that centers Black and Brown erotic labor & sex working histories 😬
Been applying for grants lately and super frustrated with the amount of hoops Black SWers have to jump through to prove legitimacy and overall value/worth of our research, theoretical work, etc...
Even within spaces created to help fund initiatives led by marginalized folks
I’ve had experience working with and alongside organizations that claim to support SWers while using us (and in particular Black folks) as props, diversity markers, and underpaid employees who do most of the heavy lifting
For that reason alone, I wanted to avoid registering The Heaux History Project as an organization, especially one reliant on hierarchal structures that become difficult to navigate without “power”
I wanted to avoid situations where the potential for our work to grow (as I have essentially hired community members to help with creative direction, production, etc) is based on relationships with “successful” or “valuable” members of SWer advocacy community (or social justice circles/collectives) bc this means more white and/or non Black groups/ppl with huge platforms and tremendous social currency vouching for us 🙃 benefiting from faux relationships as “allies” and generous saviors
Without org status, we’re left solely with fiscal sponsorship as an option with many of the grants available. We were lucky to receive a micro grant just before the pandemic, which allowed me to compensate creatives and collaborators.
BUT THE AMOUNT OF EXPLAINING (when it should be clear that we often don’t have access to certain resources OR RIGHTS for that matter), THE BACK AND FORTH, EXTRA VERIFICATION OF THE WORK WE’VE DONE VIA REQUESTS TO SPEAK TO REPUTABLE COMMUNITY MEMBERS
FOR EXTRA VOUCHING AND VERIFICATION TO BE REQUESTED ON TOP OF PROVIDING RECOMMENDATIONS AND/OR REFERENCES ?!?!!!!
:: rubs temples::
After the micro grant was dispersed, we started looking into other grants, larger grants, and funding options where we met app criteria
Finally registered as an org and signed up for an EIN to avoid the extra hassle, to avoid control via third parties (as much as possible, etc..
THE ADMIN WORK IN DOING SO?!?! THE MESS THAT IS BECOMING “LEGIT” is wearing me OUT at the moment 😭
But it has to be done ::sigh::
Anywhooooo The Heaux History Project was launched May of last year and we’re working hard af to get together our site, a digital archival space, future publications and films
If you’re interested in checkin us out, we can be found on twitter 🙃 instagram 👀 and facebook 😬 (@heauxhistory)
I plan to share more of our research and convos here as well 👍🏾💕
B.ella@RebelleCunt I am looking forward to learning more about it and am keeping my fingers crossed. Don't let bureaucracy get you down! ❤
@Bella thank yoouuuuu so much for the encouragement 🙏🏾💕
@RebelleCunt Always! 😘