Transsistahs and Transbrothas Conference - 10/19-22
The second annual Transsistahs and Transbrothas Conference will again be held at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, KY.
To all prospective conference attendees and trans-allies everywhere:
In every struggle, there are as many paths to civil liberty and justice as there are opinions. From the initial formation of our conference, there have been many voices that have been opposed to our own. There are some who believe that our efforts are about self-aggrandizement and motivated solely by ego. Nothing could be further from the truth. Many of us have experienced classism and other such “isms” that have kept us apart and separate. As transpeople of color, we are doubly aware of how these “isms” can render people powerless and deny access to people and systems that would empower us. We have stated from the beginning that we are not calling for separation from our White transbrothers and sisters or from any other trans-population of color – not even from our lesbian sisters, gay brothers, and bisexual persons.
Our conference is a channel for empowerment for all transcommunites of color, in the hope that we might be able to enjoy the fraternity and sorority that others have enjoyed just by virtue of just being who they are. We do not claim to have all the answers nor do we make any claim to extraordinary cosmic insight to end injustice of all kinds. Our conference and all its activities are just a forum to begin a dialogue so that such an understanding may be forthcoming. We welcome anyone who comes to our conference with a genuine thirst for justice and fairness for all people. If your opinion is different than our own, as long as it framed in a respectful manner, we welcome it and humbly invite you to present it. However, we do not believe that backbiting, rumors, hate-mongering, jealousy or envy provide the means for a qualitative discussion for social justice, equality and empowerment. We ask only that all of us come to the table with what we have to offer to empower all of us and to bring a hearing to many voices that either been silent or ignored for far too long. Only by hearing all the voices can we truly strive for that American ideal – “E pluribus unum,” out of many, one. Thank you for your attention and hope you accept our invitation to find our path to justice for all transpeople.
It will take place once again at the Galt House Hotel and Suites from October 19-22 in Louisville, KY. The TSTBC is a conference organized to address the issues and concerns of the African-American transgender community. Some of the topics we explore and discuss include spirituality, African-American transgender images in the media, African-American transgender history makers and reasons why they are not mentioned in overall GLBT history, transgender people in prison, medical issues and transition tips for college students.
Last year seminars focused on the cultural differences between the African-American and Caucasian communities, building working relationships - economic and cultural and job interview skills. The job interview seminar dovetailed nicely with the other unique aspect of the conference, the first annual Career and Education Fair in which corporations such as Charter Communications participated. There is also a transmen only rap session in which they discussed their unique issues.
