“PRIDE Culture in San Francisco, Activism and the Influence of Art and Music in shaping the LGBTQ+ Movement” featuring The Nervous Breakdowns, Keala Ramos, Ana “Smitty” Smith and Miss Major
1h 7m
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Breaking Distance
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Our Beauty for Freedom, Breaking Distance Podcast Team sat down for a candid discussion about the history of San Francisco Pride, Queer Culture, Activism and the Influence of The Arts and Music with Artist, “Credit in the Straight World” Film Director, and “Nervous Breakdowns” Band Founder Keala Ramos, a Nonprofit Industrial Complex Rabble-Rouser and Miss Major Griffin-Gracy a Transgender Activist, Advocate and the Executive Director of the Griffin-Gracy Educational Retreat & Historical Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. The Griffin-Gracy Educational Retreat & Historical Center’s (a.k.a. “House of GG”) mission is to create programs, services, and resources that positively impact the lives, history, and visibility of Transgender, gender-questioning, and gender-nonconforming people. They do this through programs that promote healing justice, resilience, and organizing among our communities, particularly by and for transgender women of color, to remove barriers that inhibit our survival.
More About Keala Ramos
Keala Ramos is a Hawaiian artist/filmmaker/musician born and raised on the island of O’ahu. He moved to San Francisco to further his education in art and music, but he also ended up studying filmmaking and finding his creative and queer identity. He then moved to New York City to continue his creative exploration, and he has called Queens home for the last 13 years.
https://nervousbreakdowns.com/
More About Ana "Smitty" Smith
Ana "Smitty" Smith is a 50-year old Peruvian-American butch lesbian whose political activism began at the age of 23 when they voted to unionize at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF). Like other union activists at SFAF, Smitty was fired, but they have continued to make change from within at other San Francisco Bay Area nonprofit organizations, such as removing an ineffective AIDS organization Executive Director, increasing Latino student enrollment at a Mission District music school, and advocating for the hiring of a Black consultant to lead a barely-Black nonprofit in discussing diversity. Smitty was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and lived in Peru from 2014-2016, where they also marched alongside the Peruvian LGBT community in their struggle for equal rights. https://houseofgg.org/
More About Miss Major Griffin-Gracy
Miss Major is a black trans elder who is the subject of the 2015 documentary film “Major!” by filmmakers Annalise Ophelian and Storm Miguel Florez. This film details her lifelong activism and participation in the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York City, a key moment in the modern LGBT civil rights movement. The film premiered in San Francisco and has been screened at various film festivals around the world. The Griffin-Gracy Educational Retreat & Historical Center’s (a.k.a. “House of GG”) mission is to create programs, services, and resources that positively impact the lives, history, and visibility of Transgender, gender-questioning, and gender-nonconforming people. We do this through programs that promote healing justice, resilience, and organizing among our communities, particularly by and for transgender women of color, to remove barriers that inhibit our survival.
The brain-child of world-renowned Trans revolutionary Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, we are the first educational and historical center solely dedicated to Transgender and gender nonconforming people in the USA.
As a survivor of the historic Stonewall Riots in New York City in 1969, Miss Major helped to pioneer the TLGBQ liberation movement. She continues that work five decades later.
Miss Major’s legacy project is House of GG – a permanent home in Arkansas where Transgender people can come, feel safe, and be part of a growing network of Southern Trans people who are working for social justice. https://houseofgg.org/
Please use the following link to donate toward Miss Major’s healing: http://fundly.com/missmajor.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR ANTI-TRAFFICKING ORGANIZATION BEAUTY FOR FREEDOM AT:
https://beautyforfreedom.org/
BEAUTY FOR FREEDOM MISSION STATEMENT
Art Therapy. Education. Empowerment. This is how we help survivors of human trafficking. We support recovery through creativity and skills training. We nurture our youth by removing potential stigmas surrounding self-expression, legitimizing their ideas, hopes, and dreams. In light of the COVID-19 global pandemic, we realize it’s our time to step up. Using the platform we’ve built to usher in change in the lives of people across the globe, we hope to help the world heal in this time of crisis. Here’s to paying it forward.
The episode “PRIDE Culture in San Francisco, Activism and the Influence of Art and Music in shaping the LGBTQ+ Movement” featuring The Nervous Breakdowns, Keala Ramos, Ana “Smitty” Smith and Miss Major from the podcast Breaking Distance has a duration of
1:07:13. It was first published
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https://beautyforfreedom.org/
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About Joanna Pauline
Joanna Pauline is a Filipina, New York City raised, model, actress, and activist living an international lifestyle. Throughout her career, Joanna has traveled to diverse cities and landscapes, exploring and creating as she goes. Riding horses, cooking, and adding new languages to her multilingual skills are her favorite things to do. She’s a speaker and project manager for Beauty For Freedom, an organization dedicated to helping survivors of human trafficking heal through art, while spreading awareness to the public. Dedicated to natural beauty and authenticity, she encourages other women and girls to stay true to themselves, something she believes is crucial in this age of perfectionism and unrealistic beauty imagery spread on social media.
Joanna Pauline Instagram
National Human Trafficking Hotline
https://humantraffickinghotline.org/en
Global Estimates of Slavery
https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_855019/lang--en/index.htm
Trafficking in Persos Report 2022
https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-trafficking-in-persons-report/
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Follow Beauty for Freedom:
https://www.change.org/about
More about Christina
Christina Martin is a Senior Campaigner at Change.org. Every day, she identifies new campaigns to support and works with petition starters to get in touch with their decision-makers. She had the privilege to serve on the Racial Justice Committee that was charged with allocating millions of dollars to racial justice organizations throughout the US.
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More about Rashawn
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More About Mrs. Anna Ptak
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About Savhera:
https://savhera.com/
Our aim is to provide customers with premium essential oil products that contribute to wellness, justice, and sustainability at home and around the world.
Every essential oil purchase you make is a celebration of new beginnings and restored joy, and contributes to dignified employment for the brave survivors of sexual exploitation in India and the United States that comprise our team.
OUR MISSION
To deliver premium essential oils to values-driven consumers while combatting sex trafficking by providing dignified employment to survivors of sexual exploitation.
OUR VISION
Global leadership in premium essential oils that cultivate dignity and renewal.
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VALUES
Dignity, integrity, and excellence--these core values anchor what we do and how we do it. Our book of meditations helps us reflect on all our other values (like fun and joy!) daily.
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More About Darnell
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Follow Darnell on Social Media:
https://www.instagram.com/darnell_christie/
https://twitter.com/darnellchristie
https://www.facebook.com/thedarnellchristie
Watch "Black in Colombia"
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Listen to "Darnell Responds"
https://www.buzzsprout.com/883435
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR ANTI-TRAFFICKING ORGANIZATION BEAUTY FOR FREEDOM AT:
https://beautyforfreedom.org/
BEAUTY FOR FREEDOM MISSION STATEMENT
Art Therapy. Education. Empowerment. This is how we help survivors of human trafficking. We support recovery through creativity and skills training. We nurture our youth by removing potential stigmas surrounding self-expression, legitimizing their ideas, hopes, and dreams. In light of the COVID-19 global pandemic, we realize it’s our time to step up. Using the platform we’ve built to usher in change in the lives of people across the globe, we hope to help the world heal in this time of crisis. Here’s to paying it forward.