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Senior Fellow Ianne Fields Stewart has been working on The Okra Project, a grassroots mutual aid collective that supports black trans, non-binary, and gender non-comforming people. Ianne founded the project in December 2018 when they wanted to combat food security and isolation within the community. Since its founding, the project has grown to include partnerships that help to provide more resources and support.
In August, the collective partnered with UberEats and distributed over 1,800 vouchers for food orders. During the pandemic, a partnership with Akimbo Card allowed The Okra Project to distribute over $250k in COVID relief. As of November, the collective also successfully provided 125 free therapy sessions for Black Trans people with Black therapists.
These incredible achievements are only the beginning as the Project continues to work through the pandemic. They are currently developing a COVID-19 compliant Direct Chef Services program, which will provide free meals made by and for the Black Trans community in New York City. Read more about The Okra Project here and their updates here.
