Read on for our Black Zine Fair recap, International Whores Day announcement, community care calls and more!
We’re still processing the fullness felt from our crew’s tabling at this year’s Black Zine Fair, held on May 9th at Powerhouse Arts in Brooklyn, NY —organized by Sojourners For Justice Press. Everything we could imagine was thought through and embodied at this gathering—the volunteer support, the community care agreements and actions, the nourishing food provided to exhibitors, the programming and communication throughout (and leading up to and afterward), the joy and possibilities, the sense of solidarity and shared struggle. Sojourners 4 Justice ALWAYS realize projects to the fullest with intention, wisdom and care, and their labor and energy is so appreciated. A special shoutout as well to Jenna, Director of The Barnard Zine Library, for her tremendous support with our zine printing.
Our table neighbors were all tremendous people—engaged in inspiring art making and world building projects. Special shout out to THE AUTOnomous BODY SHOP for restocking us on much needed supplies for repro needs in Texas. For our part, we distributed over two dozen doses of narcan, over 100 drug testing strips, over 200 internal and external condoms, 15 doses of Julie, AND 4 vials of estrogen!
We also met and slightly exceeded our Spring mutual aid fundraising goal (which rarely, if ever, happens at a one day zine fest). This means we can move much needed funds to our SWer loved ones inside prisons/jails/detention camps and also support our comrades outside who’ve been struggling with lack of work, disability flare ups, emergencies etc.
↳ Do you have a loved one who’s currently incarcerated? We’re opening up our SWer Parents & Caregivers cohort again to support 3 – 5 more comrades with regular commissary aid. Please fill out this form and someone will be in touch! You can also grab one of our fundraising t-shirts and wear your support! ↳
Dante reflected, “Thanks for an amazing 7 hours. I am so spoiled I get to sell zines with total babes! I felt so recharged meeting comrades, taking pics, receiving compliments and questions, and rediscovering the special qualities of all of our zines. The food was nourishing and the space was organized and clean. So grateful and blessed!” And Daphne shared, “I really appreciated and loved the experience. It was fulfilling and I also am grateful for the space they [Sojourners 4 Justice] created.”
We were overwhelmed with feelings of hope and collective power. The organizers and volunteers deserve their flowers and showers of praise for creating such beautiful and meaningful experiences!
CHICAGO summer happenings: International Whores’ Day is right around the corner! Mark your calendars! Our collective’s annual International Whores’ Day community gathering and picnic, will be held on Tuesday, June 2nd from 4:00 – 7:30pm in Palmer Square Park in Chicago.
Look for the red umbrellas in the southwest most corner of the park! All SWers and our chosen family are welcome to attend. Please bring a side dish or drinks to share. We’ll bring picnic blankets, some staple proteins, and paper goods. We’ll also have free harm reduction supplies / resources available, and copies of our zines too. If we’re moved to, we’ll likely build a community altar to honor our movement fighters/lovers. Join us to rest, reset, rage, and feast!
Online: Our next community care call—now titled “Compassion Amidst Atrocity”—will take place this coming Wednesday, May 20th, at 7:00 PM. This is the third call in the series, and our comrade-organizer Kai hopes to establish these as biweekly events moving forward. There may also be an in-person meeting option in the future for those in the Chicagoland area. All participants must register in advance. We’re asking for donations of $5–$20 per call to support our work. So far, most participants have been unable to contribute due to extreme precarity. If you can, please consider making a donation to support queer SWer-led, peer support—so we can resource our comrades in creating healing spaces.
Upcoming Summer Events & Where to dish with us next!
- Late JUNE / Find us at the American Library Association‘s Zine Pavilion! This will be our second ALA tabling experience, and we’re thrilled and honored that the rad librarians wanted us back! Public libraries are at the forefront of resource distribution and harm reduction and are committed knowledge-workers against white supremacy and fascism. When and where? We’ll be tabling on both Sunday, June 28th, from 9:00am-5:00pm & Monday June 29th, from 9:00am-12:30pm at the McCormick Center. We’ll have our zines and harm reduction supplies available!
- JULY / Our pals over at Midwest Perzine Fest are hosting their bi-annual zine fest on July 11th at the Chicago Athletic Association from 12-5pm! We’ll be there tabling and talking about the importance of political perzines! We’ll have our full run of zines and harm reduction supplies to distro. See y’all there!
- Late JULY / Stay tuned for details on our annual SxHx Combabes Beach Day!
Who we’re reading + looking to in these (VERY precedented and yet shocking) times:
“Organizing My Thoughts” Kelly Hayes’ newsletter where she/they shares interviews, essays, reports, and must-read lists about things you should know if you want to change the world.
“Prisons, Prose & Protest” a monthly newsletter from Mariame Kaba
“Radical Love Letters: thoughts and feelings on sex, pop/culture, feminism, & radical politics” by Raechel Anne Jolie
“Surviving Leviathan: Anarchist history, theory, & strategy” with Peter Gelderloos
“Meant For You”, personal writing by Charlotte Shane
“Rage & Softness”, radical vulnerability from your favorite Marxist feminist librarian death doula, Lachrista Greco
We’re with you in struggle. Keep loving, keep fighting.