Color Bloq Spring 2019 Launch
Donation protected
UPDATE: Our Literary Journal is now FULLY FUNDED. Thank you all so much! The new goal is to pay for our community events and gatherings. Read through for more details.
This is our first fundraiser as Color Bloq (formerly known as EFNIKS.com / @efniksdotcom). We are offering something in return for donations of $25, $50, and $100. Scroll down to see what we offer as a special thanks for supporting our platform.
Our Story
Color Bloq is a non-profit platform for queer & trans people of color, found online at ColorBloq.org. We elevate individuals from the QTPoC community within our organization, and we elevate the community of organizations that we belong to. For the last 3 years, we functioned as EFNIKS.com, paying out $18,000 to more than 150 QTPoC individuals, and building 7 community spaces where we fed and made room for over 280 community members.
It is our mission to build and curate safe spaces for our community. As Color Bloq, we will:
• a literary journal published as a monthly digital magazine featuring non-fiction articles and essays, poetry, and visual arts, where we elevate voices and experiences from all corners of the QTPoC family
• community spaces like discussions, panels, parties, and more, to share conversations, to build connections, to celebrate our joy in common, all where QTPoC live and thrive
• youth fellowships, where younger members of our community can learn skills to take them further into their organizing and professional journeys.
Our platform is funded through community donations and support from collaborating organizations. Color Bloq is maintained by a core staff of dedicated individuals, all of them queer & trans people of color.
Follow Us
Twitter: @clrblq
Instagram: @clrblq
Facebook: @clrblq
Our campaign goal is broken down by program.
Literary Journal: Journal From The Margins - FULLY FUNDED FOR 2019
We are asking to fund the literary journal from July through December. This includes payments to writers for non-fiction articles and essays, and to poets and visual artists for showcasing their work. Our incentive rates for contributors are competitive with many for-profit digital media ventures.
• The Platform, a bi-monthly (every two months) collection of academic articles and personal essays centered on a single theme that, combined, provide a quilted narrative of the QTPoC experiences relative to that topic
• The Poetry pages, published bi-monthly, which will include original and republished poetry, discussions around the art form, and interviews with talented queer / trans poets of color
• The Visual Arts pages, published bi-monthly, which will include features, interviews, discussions, and displays of various visual arts media and the queer / trans artists of color who craft them
Our Editor-in-Chief, Poetry Editor, and Visual Arts Editor have approved these programs.
Community Spaces: The Kickbacks - NOT YET FUNDED FOR 2019
We are asking for $6,000 to fund the community spaces from July through December. These events are known as, The Kickbacks because we provide food, music, and laughs, with a discussion that brings it all together. The budget for this includes panelist and performer fees, food and beverages, and expenses like marketing and incidental needs.
This also includes funding for a summer QTPoC Brunch Mixer where we will collaborate with various community groups and platforms to provide a mid-size networking space for mission-driven organizations, professionals, parties and socials, and performers, all with the goal of building community.
Our previous 7 community events from 2018-2019 were budgeted between $800 and $1200; we averaged over 40 attendees per event.
Youth Fellowships: The Workshop
We are asking for a stretch goal (not included in the listed goal) of $2,500 to fund a paid fellowship program for young queer / trans people of color (high school to college undergrad) in the Winter 2019/2020 term. The fellowship--known as The Workshop--would provide several hours of instruction & activity, professional skills, and industry networking each week over the course of 3 months. Each dedicated fellowship would be led by a member of our staff. Our target is roughly $15 per hour paid to each student and non-student accepted to this program.
With Gratitude
Below are original images from our online publication, with watermarks that are removed for printing.
• For every $25 donation, we will send you a 2.5x3.5-inch sticker with your choice of image below (with the watermark removed).
• For every $50 donation, we will send a 5x3.5-inch postcard print of your choice.
• And for $100 donation, we will send an 11x17-inch print with one of these originals.
Make your donation and we will contact you for your choice. Or, you can email [email redacted] with proof of donation and we will go from there.
From, "Desires and Boundaries: How Kink Turned Me into an Advocate for My Body". October 2018.
From, "I Am Trans, a Woman, & a Mother, and I'm Finding Peace and Strength in This Puzzle Unknown". September 2018.
From, "A Conversation With Queer Filipinx Scholar and Author, Dr Anthony Ocampo". May 2018.
From, "The Signposts of My Grandparents and My Ongoing Search for Home". December 2018.
From, "I Am Learning to Heal, I Am Discovering Intimacy, and I Know I Am Not Alone". July 2018.
From, "The Story Of A Black & Japanese Girl Who Found Her Way Home". May 2018.
From, "Chinese Roots, Queer Kinships, and the Writing That Bends Toward Home". December 2018.
From, "My Faith in San Judas, San Sebastián, and the Queerness of the Church". September 2018.
From, "There Is More to Fat Bodies Than Stories of Self-Loathing". October 2018.
From, "I Had to Be Willing to Be Radically Soft and Vulnerable". August 2018.
Under our previous name, EFNIKS / EFNIKS.com, we have:
• Published nearly 150,000 words across our website
• Paid more than $18,000 to our contributors, paying virtually all within 15 days of publication or appearance
• Featured over 150 writers, artists, poets, creatives, scholars, academics, organizers, and speakers--all of them queer & trans people of color
• Built seven community events around intimacy, Latinx identity, Two-Spirit and Native communities, anti-Blackness in the LGBTQ community, body acceptance, asylum stories, and comic book representation.
• Fed and made space for more than 280 members of the community, and spilled more than a little wine in doing so.
To find out more, or to share your thoughts, email us: [email redacted]
The Color Bloq Team
Niq D. Johnson, PhD
Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief
Sean-Paul Rocero
Co-Founder, Design Director
Kyle Lopez
Poetry Editor
Guerrilla Davis
Visual Arts Editor
Nic Perales
Co-Founder, Communications Director
Aaron McCall
Development Manager
Chief Esparza
Co-Founder, Executive Director
This is our first fundraiser as Color Bloq (formerly known as EFNIKS.com / @efniksdotcom). We are offering something in return for donations of $25, $50, and $100. Scroll down to see what we offer as a special thanks for supporting our platform.
Our Story
Color Bloq is a non-profit platform for queer & trans people of color, found online at ColorBloq.org. We elevate individuals from the QTPoC community within our organization, and we elevate the community of organizations that we belong to. For the last 3 years, we functioned as EFNIKS.com, paying out $18,000 to more than 150 QTPoC individuals, and building 7 community spaces where we fed and made room for over 280 community members.
It is our mission to build and curate safe spaces for our community. As Color Bloq, we will:
• a literary journal published as a monthly digital magazine featuring non-fiction articles and essays, poetry, and visual arts, where we elevate voices and experiences from all corners of the QTPoC family
• community spaces like discussions, panels, parties, and more, to share conversations, to build connections, to celebrate our joy in common, all where QTPoC live and thrive
• youth fellowships, where younger members of our community can learn skills to take them further into their organizing and professional journeys.
Our platform is funded through community donations and support from collaborating organizations. Color Bloq is maintained by a core staff of dedicated individuals, all of them queer & trans people of color.
Follow Us
Twitter: @clrblq
Instagram: @clrblq
Facebook: @clrblq
Our campaign goal is broken down by program.
Literary Journal: Journal From The Margins - FULLY FUNDED FOR 2019
We are asking to fund the literary journal from July through December. This includes payments to writers for non-fiction articles and essays, and to poets and visual artists for showcasing their work. Our incentive rates for contributors are competitive with many for-profit digital media ventures.
• The Platform, a bi-monthly (every two months) collection of academic articles and personal essays centered on a single theme that, combined, provide a quilted narrative of the QTPoC experiences relative to that topic
• The Poetry pages, published bi-monthly, which will include original and republished poetry, discussions around the art form, and interviews with talented queer / trans poets of color
• The Visual Arts pages, published bi-monthly, which will include features, interviews, discussions, and displays of various visual arts media and the queer / trans artists of color who craft them
Our Editor-in-Chief, Poetry Editor, and Visual Arts Editor have approved these programs.
Community Spaces: The Kickbacks - NOT YET FUNDED FOR 2019
We are asking for $6,000 to fund the community spaces from July through December. These events are known as, The Kickbacks because we provide food, music, and laughs, with a discussion that brings it all together. The budget for this includes panelist and performer fees, food and beverages, and expenses like marketing and incidental needs.
This also includes funding for a summer QTPoC Brunch Mixer where we will collaborate with various community groups and platforms to provide a mid-size networking space for mission-driven organizations, professionals, parties and socials, and performers, all with the goal of building community.
Our previous 7 community events from 2018-2019 were budgeted between $800 and $1200; we averaged over 40 attendees per event.
Youth Fellowships: The Workshop
We are asking for a stretch goal (not included in the listed goal) of $2,500 to fund a paid fellowship program for young queer / trans people of color (high school to college undergrad) in the Winter 2019/2020 term. The fellowship--known as The Workshop--would provide several hours of instruction & activity, professional skills, and industry networking each week over the course of 3 months. Each dedicated fellowship would be led by a member of our staff. Our target is roughly $15 per hour paid to each student and non-student accepted to this program.
With Gratitude
Below are original images from our online publication, with watermarks that are removed for printing.
• For every $25 donation, we will send you a 2.5x3.5-inch sticker with your choice of image below (with the watermark removed).
• For every $50 donation, we will send a 5x3.5-inch postcard print of your choice.
• And for $100 donation, we will send an 11x17-inch print with one of these originals.
Make your donation and we will contact you for your choice. Or, you can email [email redacted] with proof of donation and we will go from there.
From, "Desires and Boundaries: How Kink Turned Me into an Advocate for My Body". October 2018.
From, "I Am Trans, a Woman, & a Mother, and I'm Finding Peace and Strength in This Puzzle Unknown". September 2018.
From, "A Conversation With Queer Filipinx Scholar and Author, Dr Anthony Ocampo". May 2018.
From, "The Signposts of My Grandparents and My Ongoing Search for Home". December 2018.
From, "I Am Learning to Heal, I Am Discovering Intimacy, and I Know I Am Not Alone". July 2018.
From, "The Story Of A Black & Japanese Girl Who Found Her Way Home". May 2018.
From, "Chinese Roots, Queer Kinships, and the Writing That Bends Toward Home". December 2018.
From, "My Faith in San Judas, San Sebastián, and the Queerness of the Church". September 2018.
From, "There Is More to Fat Bodies Than Stories of Self-Loathing". October 2018.
From, "I Had to Be Willing to Be Radically Soft and Vulnerable". August 2018.
Under our previous name, EFNIKS / EFNIKS.com, we have:
• Published nearly 150,000 words across our website
• Paid more than $18,000 to our contributors, paying virtually all within 15 days of publication or appearance
• Featured over 150 writers, artists, poets, creatives, scholars, academics, organizers, and speakers--all of them queer & trans people of color
• Built seven community events around intimacy, Latinx identity, Two-Spirit and Native communities, anti-Blackness in the LGBTQ community, body acceptance, asylum stories, and comic book representation.
• Fed and made space for more than 280 members of the community, and spilled more than a little wine in doing so.
To find out more, or to share your thoughts, email us: [email redacted]
The Color Bloq Team
Niq D. Johnson, PhD
Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief
Sean-Paul Rocero
Co-Founder, Design Director
Kyle Lopez
Poetry Editor
Guerrilla Davis
Visual Arts Editor
Nic Perales
Co-Founder, Communications Director
Aaron McCall
Development Manager
Chief Esparza
Co-Founder, Executive Director
Organizer
Chief Esparza
Organizer
San Francisco, CA