The Mahogany Project: Creating Safe QPOC Spaces in the South

By Josh Watkins

For queer people, safe spaces are important. For queer people of color, safe spaces are vital. The Mahogany Project, a Houston-grown nonprofit focused on bridging the gap between empowerment and education in black and brown LGBTQIA communities, aims to create such spaces.

The project was founded in April 2017 by Verniss McFarland III, an intersex Houstonian who saw the need to engage and unite the trans community and its allies in response to the high rate of violence against black and brown trans women. “[The death of] Chyna Doll Dupree shifted something inside of me and activated something at the same moment,” McFarland explains. “I didn’t want to just wait for trans people to be murdered due to anti-trans violence. I wanted to honor them and come together in spaces that we’re all welcome in.”

That concept—to not only honor those trans lives who have been lost, but to celebrate trans folks who are alive, living their truths, and making great impact on the community—is key to The Mahogany Project. One of organization’s initial events was The Trans Empowerment and Alliance Party, a celebration of Houston-area trans individuals and the allies they have made. “[At The Trans Empowerment and Alliance Party] we named Atlantis Narcisse our woman of the year because of the community work that she has done for decades [that has gone unrecognized],” McFarland says. “When there weren’t services for LGBTQ youth, Atlantis was providing services out of her home. She would come and get you if you wanted to get an HIV test. Why not celebrate someone who has been doing so much for our community for so long?”

McFarland says that, for queer communities of color, there is a significant lack of educational resources. The Mahogany Project strives to alleviate this issue by providing resources and assistance to transgender girls, including help with name and gender marker changes, medical care, access to PrEP, and housing needs. “We’re currently working on developing an after school program to teach advocacy, community, voter registration, and basic things about community and politics for youth who want to be involved,” they say.

McFarland grew up in South Park, Houston and attended one of the lowest funded school districts in the city. They describe how nonprofit organizations would visit their school as a way to increase their minority outreach in order to gain more funding. “The next year, they would be gone and we would be left with nothing,” McFarland explains.

Wanting to change this model, McFarland is intentional with The Mahogany Project’s work, planning impactful and sustainable projects in underserved black and brown communities like Houston’s Third Ward and Sunnyside. The organization’s work is scheduled well into 2018, and so far, has been met with overwhelming acceptance and support from the communities it serves. “Some people are referring to The Mahogany Project as the new premier POC organization here in Houston,” McFarland says. “It’s because we’re not trying to get validation, we’re just doing this for the community. We’re not trying to get notoriety out of it, we just want to be impactful. The work we do isn’t for us, it’s for everybody.”

The Mahogany Project has a series of events planned for the upcoming Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR). On November 19, the group will be installing “Trans Lives Matter” into the pedestrian bridge fence over Highway 59, bringing trans awareness and visibility to the commuters below. On November 20, the organization will be gathering at the MLK statue in MacGregor Park for a balloon release and a reading of the names of those lost to anti-trans violence over the past year. “We’ll also be accepting donations and all proceeds will go to Save Our Sisters United, a nonprofit [founded] by Atlantis Narcisse, which is all about empowering trans women and making sure their voices are heard.”

In addition to the TDOR events, The Mahogany Project will also host “Out of the Closet,” a donation drive for victims of Hurricane Harvey on November 17 from 2 to 7 p.m. at the Montrose Center. Plus, on December 8, the organization will partner with the Lesbian Health Initiative and Amazing Soldiers to hold a holiday unity event starting at 7 p.m. at the Montrose Center. “If you’re Muslim, trans, intersex, bi, African American, or Latinx, this holiday event is for everyone,” McFarland says. “We’re going to create ornaments and decorate a unity tree to show that everyone of different backgrounds can come together and coexist.”

McFarland encourages everyone—regardless of race, sexual orientation, or gender identity—to get involved with the project and attend an event. “The words POC, the word minority, the words LGBT, the word trans, the words HIV—these words shouldn’t stop anyone from engaging,” they say. “If you want to [be a part of] something impactful, meaningful, empowering, and that can produce change, you should be here.”

To learn more about The Mahogany Project or to get involved, visit their Facebook page.