WHAT WE DO

 

The Rooted Collective came together in 2016 and has worked tirelessly to build affirming, healing spaces for the Black LGBTQ/SGL community.

 

Our Mission

The Rooted Collective is a liberatory gathering of Black LGBTQ people to define, dream, and expand on the ways in which we heal from oppression and practice joy and pleasure. We root our work in the knowledge that healing for all Black people is political resistance.

“Black queer and trans folks continue to be at the frontlines of movements calling for an end to state violence. Historically our narratives have been ignored by mainstream white, cisgender and heterosexual communities. The Rooted Collective works to change that and uplift Black queer revolutionary work. ”
— Saida Agostini, Founding Member

ONGOING OFFERINGS

Damn Y’all Fine Film Screenings: An occasional film screening of Rooted’s documentary about the self-stylings of Baltimore’s Black, queer and trans artists and activists. Damn Y’all Fine explores how living in Baltimore influences the way Black, queer and trans folx express their gender and sexual identities. Ongoing since March 9, 2026 - and been screened at Towson University, Whitelock Community Farm, the Towson Queer Women’s Community Festival and Queer Film Series, and the Creative Alliance Many Americas Festival. Stay tuned to our Facebook and Instagram for updates.

Soul Queeries: A bi-weekly public spiritual practice that collects questions from community to generate answers from Spirit that seek to elevate our consciousness and support our collective ascension towards the energy of liberation. To submit questions, message us on Instagram or email us. Ongoing since February 7, 2024. Currently on pause.

Black Queer Canopy Therapy: A monthly Black LGBTQ walk through parks and green spaces in Baltimore, which includes embodiment practice, a walking meditation, and rituals to make your heart, head, and spirit feel good and grounded. Ongoing since March 29, 2022.

Tarot for a World on Fire: A seasonal collective tarot reading to explore personal and collective healing as a strategy to let the world we once knew decompose - and cultivate a new world that deserves us. Ongoing since March 20, 2021. Currently on pause.

Dr. Young’s Saturday Yoga Drop In: A weekly 75-minute virtual yoga practice every Saturday at 10am. Join us for 75-minute virtual vinyasa yoga. All ages, bodies, abilities, and skills are welcomed. Come prepared to meditate, stretch, and breathe in a community of welcoming practitioners. Each week's class is organized around a different theme designed to keep us present and thriving in this world. After attending one class, participants will have access to past virtual sessions to explore yoga's eight-limbed path at their own pace. Ongoing since September 2, 2021.

Zoom Info:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89309615098
Meeting ID: 893 0961 5098
Passcode: 808666

What We've Achieved

Since July 2016, the Rooted Collective has hosted healing events for the Black LGBTQ/SGL community in Baltimore.  

  • October 11, 2025 - Rooted premiered Damn Y’all Fine at the Parkway Theatre in Baltimore. A journey into the self-stylings of Baltimore’s Black, queer and trans artists and activists, Damn Y’all Fine explores how living in Baltimore influences the way Black, queer and trans folx express their gender and sexual identities. They also created a press release and collective care and accessibility statement for indoor events, posted here.

  • September 27, 2024 - October 5, 2024 - Ti Malik Coleman’s one man show, 40 Year Old Puberty, debuted in at the Charm City Fringe Festival in Baltimore. The show hilariously navigates the chaos of a second puberty at the age of 40 — from facial hair struggles to unexpected voice cracks and all the hormonal surprises in between.

  • September 7, 2024 - Rooted hosted a Community Cookout at Druid Hill Park - Sundial Pavilion. The Rooted Collective Cookout was an opportunity to connect and recharge with like-minded Black queer and trans folks. Soak up the sun in a beautiful outdoor park and enjoy delicious food by Soul Smoked BBQ, music by DJ Afrodelic, and activities like tarot, reiki, yoga, and improv comedy led by Rooted Collective members.

  • May 30, 2024 - In loving memory, Rooted posted a video excerpt of an interview with The Duchess, Carlton Smith, from the Damn Yall Fine documentary.

  • October 19, 2023 - Rooted co-hosted the Baltimore edition of the National Healing Justice Lineages Listening + Cultural Memory Tour. They joined editors Cara Page and Erica Woodland and were in conversation with local community leaders of organizations in the lineage of healing justice, collective care and safety. Collective member Blair Franklin was interviewed as part of their digital archive.

  • September 23, 2023 - May 31, 2024 - Rooted hosted a monthly Garden Party, a visioning session for Black Queer and Trans folks to vibe, build community, commune with the land, and do collective gardening/farming together.

  • October 19, 2022 - Saida Agostini discussed her first full-length poetry collection, let the dead in, which was an exploration of the mythologies that seek to subjugate Black bodies, and the counter-stories that reject such subjugation. The event was hosted at Red Emmas.

  • September 19, 2022 - Dr. Kalima Young discussed her new book Mediated Misogynoir as part of Govans Racial Justice Speaker series. The book interrogates contemporary media culture to illuminate the ways the intersections of anti-blackness and misogyny, i.e., misogynoir, converge to obscure public perceptions of Black women and girls as people with any claim to innocence.

  • July 20, 2020 - Love Poems for Black Survivors was an art action that seeks to uplift the fight for incarcerated Black survivors of gender-based violence.

  • June 19, 2020, August 19, 2020 & October 10, 2020 - The Rooted Collective launched a virtual salon series, When We Were Free: Queering Black Liberation. This series asks, what is Black LGBTQ/SGL freedom in the midst of a pandemic and an uprising? Our goal is to develop a community toolkit for nurturing Black Queer freedom in a hostile land.

  • April 26, 2020 - A Meditation on Black Joy featured collective members ways of practicing joy in the midst of a pandemic.

  • March 23, 2020 through December 21, 2021 - In response to the ongoing global pandemic, the Rooted Collective launched the monthly Stay Rooted series, a virtual space for Black SGL/LGBTQ folks to come together and cultivate joy. These ongoing events are streamed on Facebook live and range from dance parties to storytelling events.