Help Raven, A Black Trans Woman, Escape An Abusive Home ASAP

Hi everyone! Sending so much love and healing to you all in these absolutely devastating times. My name is Raven Aagarna. I am an artist, musician, photographer, filmmaker and activist from Upstate New York. I'm fundraising to recover from a car accident, escape my abusive home upstate to live in/by New York City to be closer to my beautiful community and comrades, and overall work towards my dreams and fund my work. There's so much I have done and want to do to help people. And with your support I'll be able to fight for all of us even better. Goal is 15K but literally anything helps even just $5.

I'm currently unlearning the guilt and shame I've always had with asking for help. "Why should anyone help me when others clearly have it worse" right?

I try to tell myself over and over that my problems aren't that bad. That it's just terrible right now but It'll get better - I just need to work harder.

But the more I've been in community, the more I see it takes a village. We NEED each other. It always has and always will take a village. I be so quick to donate to others because mutual aid is healing. Mutual aid is liberation. But like It says...It's mutual. So here I am finally allowing myself to receive. As a Black Trans Woman, I know what true liberation looks like more than most. The visceral instinct to help humanity and especially the most marginalized and vulnerable of us runs through my veins. POC, Indigenous, Black, Brown, Queer, Trans, Women/Femmes, Neurodivergent, Disabled, Working Class, Poor, Homeless, The Global South, Palestine & beyond. Easily seeing the systems of oppression that seep into every facet of this world and harm us all. White Supremacy, Homophobia/Transphobia, Capitalism, Fascism, Colonialism, Genocide, Slavery, - Abuse

Abuse. The very reason this GofundMe exists. For 21 years I've lived with my immediate family including with my oldest brother. My brother has been and still is unapologetically transphobic, emotionally, verbally, and physically abusive towards me. He is emotionally unaware and has deep-seated anger issues from being abused himself as a child that he takes out on everyone around him. He has assaulted me physically, sexually and continues to threaten assault countless times over the most frivolous matters. I constantly feel unsafe in my own home and lock myself in my room all day to avoid him. Thankfully, I have a car and can escape to NYC for the day some days to be safe in community. But it's often inaccessible from upstate and costs upwards of $25 each time just for transportation.

I briefly escaped in 2022 to live with a now ex-boyfriend who was also...you guessed it...abusive

The funds donated will help me permanently escape to somewhere safe for me physically and emotionally. I'm so blessed to have stable shelter at all and I don't take it for granted. I've tried to make the best of it for years but I simply refuse to live like this anymore. This isn't living. What good is a home without love? What good is a home where I barely feel alive let alone safe? Where I skip eating, drinking, showering, and using the toilet to hide in my room to not encounter abuse? Where my other family members are complacent about the harm my brother causes?

Moving isn't easy nor cheap and its especially hard to move to NYC from out of town. Thus, my funds goal is perhaps larger than other native NYC housing aid requests. But ANY support is highly appreciated! Donating, Sharing, as well as sending me any NYC/NJ housing leads/services on Instagram @aagarnamusic or contact me through GoFundMe.

June 2023 I was in a rough car accident. I ended up going to the hospital and in an ambulance. Usually your car insurance company pays for the medical bills after you file a claim. And they did...or so I thought. I got hit with two random bills from the hospital and the Ambulance company 6 Months after the accident! And when I called State Farm no one said they could help...

Funds will also go toward paying off this debt to make moving easier

Art has always been apart of my life since I was a little kid. I've always loved to sing my heart out and make music. I also love visual arts like photography and filmmaking. Art, I've discovered, is a very beautiful and integral part of resistance and revolution. I get so angry and emotional when I see injustices in the world and to my community members. And while doing so I often just want to fight. Violence with violence lol. But I like to remind myself that "peaceful" things like song and dance are just as important and sacred as grabbing pitchforks and torches. It can be both-and, instead of either-or.

So when I move I'm going to continue to make my art and practice healing work for my community. I produce music as Aagarna and I'm currently expanding into film and photo with Aagarna Films . I can't wait to offer these services to my community. To keep inspiring and healing with my work. To tell our stories. To uplift and empower as we continue to organize and fight for liberation.

Funds donated will also go towards sustaining my work, such as camera gear and audio equipment.

I can't wait to not be isolated anymore. To be in community. To be safe. To be held. Thank You All So Much❤️

CA: $aagarna

PP: @aagarna

V: @aagarna