December 5, 2012

Dear SONG Family:

For many years, SONG was a small organization whose work meant the world to a few—a beacon of political home and organizing in a place of hostile conditions. In 2012, SONG’s work means the world to hundreds, means something significant to thousands, and is being led by more than one hundred people on the ground. Through our coalition and alliance work, SONG and our partners have collectively touched the lives of more than one million people in 2011 and 2012. Our work is a part of changing the culture and real life conditions of our communities, and making real on the promise that a vision of Queer Liberation that matches our deepest longings does not have to be a dream just a few of us share.

What is at the Heart of What We Built this Year?

This was a question we contemplated as Co-directors, as we sat in the beautiful and strip-mined mountains of Whitesburg, Kentucky and told our Board about what it is like to coordinate a majority people of Color and immigrant staff of ten, across five states, from ages twenty-three to seventy-four. This is a queer staff with one Black Pentecostal Preacher and at least one Radical Feminist who can’t stand the Catholic Church. A staff that collectively holds more than one hundred years of Movement history within it, and currently coordinates the work of more than one hundred SONG member leaders and core members, with a glorious variety of leadership styles. We talked about long nights of meetings, racy jokes, endless cups of coffee, and profound ideological disagreements. We talked about how much the staff looks out for each other, for the work, for the members. What it has meant to be able to see them planted deeply in the states and areas they are working in—and build long-lasting home and power for LGBTQ people in those communities. What it has meant to be able to have the resources to build the leadership of new organizers (members and staff) collectively and responsibly—in a way that is not rushed, and that will help them stay in the work—all in a region that is often left for dead by the mainstream LGBTQ movement. A South that is now home to more than 50% of all African Americans in the US, 9 out of 11 of the states with the largest Latino immigrant populations, and more rural people than anywhere else in the US. A region that many have told us is “filled with too many red states to accomplish much”.

What have we done this year in a nutshell? Convened a 100-person Leadership Summit in North Carolina for primarily new LGBTQ leaders who are Black and people of faith. Brought people power, media work, and organizing training to the fight against Amendment One in North Carolina—leading in re-naming it as a fight about our families and our dignity, not just gay marriage—working with many coalition partners to have one million conversations with North Carolinians about the wedge the rightwing uses LGBTQ people as, working to build a team of 16,000 registered volunteers, and turning out more than 823,000 to vote against Amendment One. Partnered with the Southern Alliance this fall to engage thousands of marginalized people, particularly in Alabama, in the We All Count campaign to re-invigorate the struggle for democracy in our communities. Began the planning for a new SONG Rural Program to support rural Southern LGBTQ people more deeply. Launched a new 6-month political education campaign in 3 sites that is preparing more than 100 member leaders to wage new campaigns in a deeply grounded way in multiple sites in 2013. Impacted thousands more by being one strong voice in a chorus of LGBTQ leaders who are pumping new blood into our LGBTQ movement with innovative strategies and big thinking for how we can build the coalitions and alliances we need for the future wins on behalf of all marginalized people. We have made a voice for those of us who believe in Liberation for All in everything we have done. Our Collective Love for a strand of Queer Liberation that never forgets our radical roots has taken flight because of you—our members, our supporters, our family, and our staff.

Of all the stories we told SONG’s board on that chilly morning in Kentucky, this was one that we thought symbolized the work of SONG in this time. That is, the way that we overhear our Senior Strategists (Kai Lumumba Barrow and Suzanne Pharr) talking to the rest of the staff. Though they collectively have over 70 years worth of community organizing experience—their tone and their words always say: “We are a team. We are in this together. I teach you and you teach me because we need each other to do this, and we need each other to build, grow and expand this work.” It was hard to get through the telling of that without getting choked up, because it is the dream of not just SONG to build this kind of staff and member teams—but to build these kinds of organizations movement-wide. When we see our differences not just as generic strength, but also as salvation in the face of fascism and division—we are able to reach across so many different communities. We lost our friend (as he was many of yours) William Brandon Lacy Campos this year, and he would always say: “Our Communities are our Salvation.” Because of our vitality and variance, we can build a home where the legacy of Queer Liberation is passed down—and not only into books, but into action. We think this is part of what Brandon meant. We know many of you count on us to stay rooted in the authenticity of our vision, as we build to scale. We count on you to hold us to that. We promise to keep doing our very best for ourselves, for you, for all of us. The more we can count on you for grassroots support, the more we can resource our work organically and from the ground up. Please give as much as you can to SONG in the close of 2012, for the promise of 2013.

 In the Spirit of Solidarity and Love,

Paulina Helm-Hernández and Caitlin Breedlove, SONG Co-Directors

P.S. This year we have a matching grant from the Fund for Democratic Communities—matching most of our gifts that are up to $100. Please give in mail to the address below or online at www.southernersonnewground.org.

P.P.S.  Want more information on what we’ve been up to in 2012 – and whats on deck for 2013??! Check out our End of the Year Report HERE !