Building community

[Afrotea]

I've been thinking about starting a group on my campus that i hope would draw out the queers of color, especially of the female persuasion. but i'm not sure if this is a good idea. i was thinking of starting a group around the book Sisters of the Yam by bell hooks which i just read and was really good. i would want to share it with others but i have to say i'll be really disappointed if i ended up being the only gay female there and since i would be the moderator of the group i would have to contribute my authentic voice to conversations and that would include coming out. which, these days, i don't really care about but...idk. i kind of think i should be the one to put my head on the chopping block first in a way. i just want a place where i can go and talk about what i care about and be who i am and have likeminded people around me. so any ideas about how to build community, especially for the triple minority....for those of us who are not fortunate enough to live in Brooklyn?

[Cynthia]

Where do you live and go to school? It's kind of hard to advise without a few more details regarding your situation. There may be resources in your city that you are unaware of. A more experienced person might be able to point out these resources to you if they knew more about what they are dealing with.

[Afrotea]

i'm in chicago and go to DePaul university.thanks for replying

[Cynthia]

So there should be tons of resources for you in that city. I understand you wanting to have something on campus, but you might start with a community based organization. They would be a good advising source for how to make things happen in your particular area. They may have experience working with campus communities on various projects. There is certainly no need to reinvent the wheel, if resources are already in place. Good Luck.

[Au_Naturale]

I think that's a good idea! A friend of mines did the same thing out at my campus last year. It may be a slow start at first, but I think eventually this group will grow into something that will have great impact. Although, I think it would be best to start a group that welcomes everyone...Also, I would look into seeing if there is a LGBT office on campus and if so what kind of collaborations can arise from that.