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Queer Dreams and Nonprofit Blues: Understanding the Nonprofit Industrial Complex

videos by Dean Spade and Hope Dector

In October 2013, BCRW and The Engaging Tradition Project at The Center for Gender and Sexuality Law at Columbia Law School co-convened a conference called Queer Dreams and Non-Profit blues to examine the critiques emerging from queer and feminist activists and scholars about the impact of funding on social movement agendas and formations. During the conference, Hope Dector from BCRW and Dean Spade from The Engaging Tradition Project conducted interviews with many of the speakers about their analysis and strategies related to the conference themes. These interviews were edited into 30 short videos that aim to bring these critical perspectives into an accessible format for use in activist spaces and classrooms. These videos highlight the type of knowledge production that is possible when the boundaries between activism and the academy are actively traversed. The first three videos focusing on lessons from the anti-violence movement can be found here.

These six videos explore how the NPIC affects activism, from how we work to who leads, and feature interviews with Christine Ahn, Trishala Deb, Kenyon Farrow, Reina Gossett, Shira Hassan, Paulina Helm-Hernandez, Imani Henry, Amber Hollibaugh, N’Tanya Lee, Andrea Ritchie, Dean Spade, Urvashi Vaid, Jason Walker, and Craig Willse.

Captions are available.

Queer Dreams Part 1: What are We Fighting For?

Featuring N’Tanya Lee, Dean Spade, Trishala Deb, Reina Gossett, and Kenyon Farrow.

Queer Dreams and Nonprofit Blues Part 2: How Do Rich People Control Our Movements?

Featuring Urvashi Vaid, Dean Spade, and Christine Ahn.

Queer Dreams and Nonprofit Blues Part 3: The Nonprofit Hamster Wheel

Featuring Urvashi Vaid, Craig Willse, Andrea Ritchie, Amber Hollibaugh, and Shira Hassan.

Queer Dreams and Nonprofit Blues Part 4: Who’s in Charge?

Featuring N’Tanya Lee, Urvashi Vaid, Jason Walker, Paulina Helm-Hernandez, Craig Willse, Dean Spade, and Imani Henry.

Queer Dreams and Nonprofit Blues Part 5: Basebuilding

Featuring Dean Spade, N’Tanya Lee, and Amber Hollibaugh.

Queer Dreams and Nonprofit Blues Part 6: Where Do We Go From Here?

Featuring Andrea Ritchie, Dean Spade, Craig Willse, and Amber Hollibaugh.

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