our
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The Center For Social Equity is diligently working to transform South Carolina's communities into safer more nurturing environments where Black youth and individuals in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ+) community are able to thrive.
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Who we
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The Center For Social Equity is a grassroots nonprofit organization, funded and sustained by the communities we serve.
Our programs and services are designed around the intersectional needs of Black and African American youth and individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+). |
Our
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The Center For Social Equity was founded in 2018 by its executive director Nathaniel Naomi Simmons-Thorne. Our organization is working hard to close South Carolina's resource gap, serving as the state's first and only grassroots organization led by and dedicated exclusively to South Carolina's Black LGBTQ+ community.
Following three crushing losses of community members between April and June of 2018, The Center officially opened its doors in July 2018. Our mission honors the lives of Blake Brockington, Sasha Wall, Cathalina James, and Destiny "Dez" Cross. We are transforming South Carolina's communities into safer more nurturing environments for South Carolina's Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) community. |
mission,
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Our mission is to decrease the prevalence of homophobia and transphobia within South Carolina's Black communities, while creating networks of care and community for those currently experiencing its impacts.
We are building equity through education, supportive services, advocacy, grassroots action, leadership development, research, outreach and wellness programming. Our vision is a South Carolina where all Black LGBTQ+ youth and individuals are safe, supported, and able to take advantage of all opportunities necessary for optimal wellbeing. Our mission and vision are guided by the principles of Black feminism, quare theory, and the struggles of the Black radical tradition. We are emphatically against racism, sexism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and all other structural prejudices that oppresses. We believe in social justice, equity, liberation, intersectionality, the power of grassroots organizing to change lived experiences, authenticity, community, growth, and holistic wellness. |