QPOC Liberation Project
QPOC Liberation Project is made up of a group of Seattle-based artists, organizers, and activists who have come together to create a series of theatre productions and discussion series. The year long project focuses on the lives, issues and perspectives of queer, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and gay People of Color.
We find that white LGBTQ communities often ignore the experiences and concerns of queer communities of color in performances, politics, and social agendas. Communities of color, although loving at times, can sometimes be unsupportive, hostile, and silencing towards queers. While we negotiate through both communities and attempt to form alliances, we as queer people of color will not wait for others to bridge the cultural divide. Instead, we make it our business to be visible and validate ourselves, working to create spaces where queer people of color can build community, share stories, and organize to end the multiple intersecting oppressions we face.
Building on work that has been happening in the community, QPOC Liberation reworks politics, art, and education into an engaging series of performances designed to inspire, challenge, heal and transform. The organizers have found inspiration from past performances such as "Visible," a queer, people of color performance show organized by Jed Lin and Denise Van De Cruz. "Visible" provided queer people of color a space to highlight their multifaceted identities through spoken word, dance and other artistic forms of expression. The performances will be followed by community forums offering the public a chance to engage each other in constructive dialogue about topics that create tensions and barriers to community. This will create an opening to discuss why these issues are important and further allow queer people of color to be visible and our experiences valued.
The QPOC Liberation Project is made possible through the generous support of the Social Justice Fund, Pride Foundation, Verbena, Gay City Health Project, the Washington State Department of Health, and the broader community. \
To donate to this project, please contact Joanne Alcantara at joanne@apialliance.org, Queer Network Project Manager.
Audience Response:
“I was excited/overwhelmed [to be] exposed to this group as I didn’t see enough of this when I came out 17 years ago as a QPOC.”
“thought-provoking”
“really powerful to see.”
