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. ”
ONGOING OFFERINGS
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.
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 9, 2021 - Rooted’s Ancestor Reverence talk is a collection of stories, reflections, and practices from Rooted Collective. This is also meant as a partner to BBQ' Art’s Dance With The Ancestors event.
September 22, 2021 - Rooted had a live discussion on the global and personal experience of time in *gestures wildly* all of this. What is goal setting when the world is on fire? How, who and what do you prioritize in infinite crisis? What would Luther Vandross do?
October 30, 2020 - Rooted was invited to the Witches High Tea (hosted by Old School Bruja) and presented on our Theory of Collective Magic.
October 30, 2020 - Stunt4STUNT virtual book release party, which can be found on Neon Hemlock Press.
July 25, 2020 - A Tenderness Zine launch, celebrating all the ways Black LGBTQ/SGL folks practice tenderness and survival in the midst of multiple pandemics
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.
October 26, 2019 - Healing Black LGBTQ Trauma: Health, Agency, & Love (Brunch) for Black Pride
October 6, 2018 - Healing Black LGBTQ Trauma: Health, Agency, & Love (Brunch) for Black Pride
September 20, 2017- Every Time We Say Your Name It Is A Prayer: A reclamation of the site of former the Robert B Taney sculpture in Mt. Vernon with a ritual affirming Black Sexual Agency.
April 27, 2017 - Community Repast to honor and support Baltimore's Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Community.
February 25, 2017 - Becoming a Living Altar @ the BMA: A Poetry, Music and Art Celebration
December 30, 2016 - Celebrating All of Our Colors - A Kwanzaa celebration for Black LGBTQ, same gender loving folks, and allies.
July 28, 2016 - Black LGBTQ Liberation Salon for healing.
