The Chicago Black Drag Council is a relatively new organization that I wanted to present on. The CBDC was formed in June of 2020, co-founded by Joe Lewis and Tatyana Chante. The CBDC are “a Black, LGBTQ+ led organization that intends to connect and support not only drag performers, but all parts of the community.” From their website, I can see that they promote lots of other organizations in addition to their own. These organizations also benefit those in the LGBTQ community, especially those of color. The Chicago Black Drag Council prides themselves on channeling their responsibility as artists and actively advocate for an antiracist future. The CBDC’s mission is to unite the LGBTQ community and hold it to a standard which keeps restorative justice in mind. The CBDC’s newsletter “The Scene” run by Anya Justanya can be found on their website. It provides an abundance of resources, news, and updates that provide very useful information to those in the community. The CBDC has a mutual aid fund that provides grants to nightlife workers of color. The CBCD’s Facebook page even includes several links to different resources to those in the community. The CBDC is a resource for inclusivity and accountability by using activism and advocacy. They strive to shape a better future, and they reinforce that once all black lives matter, then and only then can all lives matter. The Chicago Black Drag Council really started to ignite after the events of 2020, in which several Drag workers lost their jobs due to the pandemic, in addition to that of the Black Lives Matter movement. Members wanted to do something about the events going on around them at the time, as opposed to just standing by and watching them happen, they wanted accountability and justice.
There are a number of events that the CBDC has arranged, one being the Drag March for Change. This event brought in around 15,000 protesters, arranged by Chicago’s own Queen Jo Mama, Lucy Stoole, Lúc Ami, Miss Toto, in addition to RuPaul’s Drag Race stars, and activists Zola and Tatyana Chante. Protesters wanted accountability for police brutality and racism, as well as “accountability for the mistreatment of Black performers by bar owners and managers”. The March for Change concluded with a two-hour long rally “in which Black drag queens, kings and other queer leaders spoke about racism and transphobia across the U.S. and Chicago”. In addition to this event, the CBDC teamed up with the Brave Space Alliance (BSA) and organized a makeup drive from September 14-20 which raised over $60,000. The drive “led to the creation of BSA’s makeup room” where those of color in the LGBTQ+ community, and sex workers can obtain free makeup. The CBDC also organized a very successful food drive, as they collected over 100 pounds of food. They arranged a Valentine’s Day volunteer event “that delivered over 200 valentines to residents at Town Hall Apartments, with collaborations from local bars and nonprofit Our Art of Giving”. Another event that the CBDC arranged was the Black Valentine Cabaret which was successful in creating an outlet for Black drag performers during the pandemic as it was a virtual event. According to the CBDC’s co-founder Joe Lewis, “it was nearly 100 performers and we got money in their pockets, provided an avenue for expression and a place for the community to come and be seen and to even provide some insight into some performers that people may not have known about to kind of equal the playing field as we start to open up again”. These events take small steps to make a large difference in the community. I couldn’t imagine the amount of relief those in need felt after seeking help from resources provided by the Chicago Black Drag Council.
The Facebook Page has not been too active in a while, since February. I wonder if it’s due to things starting to calm down regarding the pandemic. People are getting their jobs back, not as many people are afraid of going outside, there is a vaccine that nearly hundreds of thousands of Americans have already received. We have reached a huge milestone as Derek Chauvin was convicted of the murder of George Floyd, which played a large role in re-igniting the Black Lives Matter movement. It seems that we have reached a light at the end of the tunnel that we needed after 2020, but these are small stepping stones. There is always plenty to do, and it’s organizations like these that can ensure that the right steps are taken to ensure accountability and justice.
Comments