By Barrett White
Content warning: This article contains mention of anti-trans violence.
When I speak with Verniss McFarland III, founder of The Mahogany Project, the excitement is palpable. On February 26, the Houston-based non-profit will celebrate the grand opening of its new physical space, The Mahogany Project Center, and, in turn, will become the first Black trans-led organization to open a brick-and-mortar location in the city.
“I wouldn’t say that The Mahogany Project Center was ‘in the works’ for a long time, but it was always something we dreamed of, because there is no Black trans-led center in Houston, or no center with a focus on Black trans lives,” McFarland says. “We just always desired to be that space for the community.”
While The Mahogany Project has been operating through community events and programming for years, the next phase of that aspiration was to create a physical center, built from the ground up for the Black trans community. “Everybody’s welcome, but it was designed with our Black trans family in mind,” McFarland explains.
McFarland founded The Mahogany Project in 2017 after the death of Chyna Gibson, a Black transgender woman who was shot in New Orleans in February of that year. According to The Mahogany Project’s website, 30 individuals of transgender experience (that we know of) died of anti-trans violence in 2017. In response, The Mahogany Project has worked ever since to cultivate multi-intersectional spaces that center the Black diaspora while decreasing social isolation and stigma and breaking barriers of social injustice.
In 2018, The Mahogany Project also became a sister organization of Save Our Sisters United (SOSU), a group of women working to bridge the gaps of sisterhood between cisgender and women of trans experience. In partnership with SOSU, The Mahogany Project strives to increase the quality of life of Black women of trans experience in the South.
“We have always provided mutual aid, systems for ID replacement, condom engagement, hygiene engagement, and notary public services for individuals who need name changes,” McFarland says. “But not only IDs; we also handle birth certificates, drivers’ licenses, updated passports, and small-bill mutual aid.”
The Mahogany Project Center, while it will continue to offer the aforementioned legal and administrative services, will also function as a community center for folks to have a safe place to exist. So, bring your board games, bring your books, and get cozy—a Nintendo Switch is always McFarland’s go-to.
Appointments for services at the center are encouraged, but walk-ins will be welcomed and accommodated. The center, located on the third floor of a mid-rise just inside Beltway 8 on Houston’s west side, has ample parking and is easily accessible by Houston METRO’s 152 line.
The grand opening of The Mahogany Project Center will be held at the center (9896 Bissonnet Street, Suite 370) on February 26, 2022, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Hors d’oeuvres and mimosas will be served, and attendees can enter to win a selection of door prizes. Masks must be worn during the event unless actively eating or drinking. Those who wish to support the center but cannot attend are asked to donate to the center or check out The Mahogany Project’s wish list.
