Prints of Protest
Marsha P. Johnson Institute
“Marsha P. Johnson was an activist, self-identified drag queen, performer, and survivor. She was a prominent figure in the Stonewall uprising of 1969. Marsha went by ‘Black Marsha’ before settling on Marsha P. Johnson. The ‘P’ stood for ‘Pay It No Mind,’ which is what Marsha would say in response to questions about her gender. It is the consideration of who ‘Black Marsha’ was that inspired The Marsha P. Johnson Institute.
“So much of our understanding of Marsha came from the accounts of people who did not look like or come from the same place as her. As transness is now more accessible to the world, introducing the Institute to BLACK trans people who are resisting, grappling with survival, and looking for community has become a clear need.
“The Marsha P. Johnson Institute (MPJI) protects and defends the human rights of BLACK transgender people. We do this by organizing, advocating, creating an intentional community to heal, developing transformative leadership, and promoting our collective power.
“We intend to reclaim Marsha P. Johnson and our relationship as BLACK trans people to her life and legacy. It is in our reclaiming of Marsha that we give ourselves permission to reclaim autonomy to our minds, to our bodies, and to our futures. We were founded both as a response to the murders of BLACK trans women and women of color and how that is connected to our exclusion from social justice issues, namely racial, gender, and reproductive justice, as well as gun violence.”
ABOUT
Highlighting the work and words of Black artists, the risograph prints available in this fundraiser originated as Instagram posts recommended by a group of artists the organizers have worked with through the collaborative artist publication prompt:. The prints constitute a mini archive of how artists in our wider community have responded to ongoing violence and recent protests over police brutality, using social media as a space for reflection or collectivization. Proceeds benefit organizations that are supporting people of color and working to dismantle racist institutions. Special thanks to our printer, Endless Editions, for supporting this project.
IN SUPPORT OF
Marsha P. Johnson Institute
The Laundromat Project
“The Laundromat Project advances artists and neighbors as change agents in their own communities. We envision a world in which artists and neighbors in communities of color work together to unleash the power of creativity to transform lives. We make sustained investments in growing a community of multiracial, multigenerational, and multidisciplinary artists and neighbors committed to societal change by supporting their artmaking, community building, and leadership development..”
National Bail Out Collective
“The National Bail Out collective is a Black-led and Black-centered collective of abolitionist organizers, lawyers and activists building a community-based movement to support our folks and end systems of pretrial detention and ultimately mass incarceration. We are people who have been impacted by cages — either by being in them ourselves or witnessing our families and loved ones be encaged. We are queer, trans, young, elder, and immigrant.
“The National Bail Out Collective coordinates the Mama’s Day Bail Outs, where we bail out as many Black Mamas and caregivers as we can so they can spend Mother’s Day with their families where they belong!
“The National Bail Out Collective also provides fellowship and employment opportunities for those we bail out in order to support their growth and create a national community of leaders who have experienced incarceration.
“We also work with groups across the country to support ongoing bail reform efforts and create resources for organizers and advocates interested in ending pretrial detention.”
PLACE AN ORDER
Order the full series or a single print via the Google Form below. All prints are 8.5 x 11″ and are offered in editions of 60.
DONATIONS
Each print is offered in exchange for proof of a minimum donation of $30 to one of the above funds and a minimum donation of $10 to the participating artists. The full set of 6 prints is offered in exchange for a minimum donation of $170 to one or more of the funds, and a minimum donation of $50 to the artists.
SHIPPING
$8 within the United States (multiple prints ship at no additional cost). For international orders, please inquire for a quote. Prints will begin shipping in December.
Critical Resistance
“Critical Resistance is a national grassroots organization that seeks to build an international movement to end the Prison Industrial Complex by challenging the belief that caging and controlling people makes us safe. We believe that basic necessities such as food, shelter, and freedom are what really make our communities secure. As such, our work is part of global struggles against inequality and powerlessness. The success of the movement requires that it reflect communities most affected by the PIC. Because we seek to abolish the PIC, we cannot support any work that extends its life or scope.
“We think of the PIC as the system of surveillance, policing, and imprisonment that government, industry and their interests use as solutions to economic, social, and political problems. Because the PIC is a huge, complicated system, we have to attack it from all different angles using many different strategies. Our broad abolitionist strategy embraces 3 main frames:
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Dismantle
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Change
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Build
“Our work reflects the local problems we think are most pressing and local solutions we think are most appropriate. Therefore, our organizational structure is based on a chapter structure. Chapter projects range from fighting policing in working class communities of color, to community education projects, to grassroots campaigns to oppose prison and jail construction. What unites all of these projects is a commitment to working for the eventual elimination of the PIC as well as to taking practical steps to create the communities we envision for ourselves. CR currently has chapters in New York City, Los Angeles, Oakland, and Portland.”