FIERCE

FIERCE is dedicated to building the leadership & power of LGBTQ youth of color in NYC!

Hello FIERCE community!

FIERCE is excited to participate in the 2nd ever Give Out Day and we hope you'll support us by making a donation on May 15th or pledging one right now on this page!

As queer and trans people and people of color we have been supporting our communities for generations and Give Out Day is an extension of our gratitude and generosity as a community.

Thousands of folks will be donating to larger mainstream LGBT organizations on Give Out Day. As a smaller grassroots organization dedicated to racial and economic justice, FIERCE is working on the ground with LGBTQ youth in the West Village, in neighborhood highschools and organizations. We're running Know Your Rights trainings across the city, doing movement building with QTPOC youth across the country, and holding political education programs for LGBTQ youth of color. We need our community to support us for this work to continue.

We hope you'll join us by donating to FIERCE on May 15th or pledging today! You'll help us reach our goal and sustain FIERCE's organizing for police accountability and safe public spaces!

Thanks for Giving OUT to LGBTQ youth of color at FIERCE!

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Our History:

Fabulous Independent Educated Radicals for Community Empowerment (FIERCE) was founded in 2000 by and for LGBTQ youth of color dedicated to building our own social and political power to change our conditions, shape our futures, and become effective agents of change in our communities. 

Our Work:

• Campaigns: FIERCE has prevented the displacement of LGBTQ youth of color in historically safe spaces in the West Village amidst rapid private development in the neighborhood. Our organizing efforts ensure that more City resources are directed specifically to the needs of homeless and low-income LGBTQ youth. We confront police brutality through Cop Watch and Know Your Rights street outreach and trainings for hundreds of queer youth. As a member of Communities united for Police Reform FIERCE is fighting to end discriminatory policing and empower our communities after the passage of the historic Community Safety Act last year!

• Leadership Development: As a youth-led organization, FIERCE has graduated over 376 LGBTQ youth of color from the Education for Liberation (ELP) program - our intensive policitical education, anti-oppression and community organizing program. FIERCE members have inspired thousands of homeless and low-income LGBTQ youth in New York City into collective action and many former FIERCE members go on to take leadership in the social justice movement. 

• Base-building: FIERCE has reached thousands of LGBTQ youth of color, many of whom have become members. FIERCE’s growing membership base and leadership development efforts make it possible for FIERCE to leverage crucial campaign victories. Our current membership exceeds 1600 youth, making FIERCE one of the largest member-led youth organizations in the U.S.

• Media and Arts and Culture:  Cultural expression and art has always been central to FIERCE’s work. From our 2001 Fenced Out documentary about gentrification and the re-development of the Christopher Street piers to our Safe Space Saves Lives campaign victories that bring free queer cultural events for LGBTQ youth back to the West Village -FIERCE has fought to ensure that LGBTQ youth of color are free to express ourselves, create independent media that truly reflects us, and engage in media advocacy to forward our campaigns. 

• Wellness and Sustainability: FIERCE launched this program to deal with the life issues our youth members have and sustain the longevity of LGBTQ youth of color in the social justice movement. While FIERCE’s campaign work addresses the systemic challenges LGBTQ youth of color face in the world, our Wellness and Sustainability Program supports members in their personal transformation. This program helps members develop the tools to build spiritual, physical, career and emotional wellbeing for themselves and others through wellness events, fitness events, political education trainings, and lifeskills-building workshops e.g. resume writing.

For more information about our programs, please check out our website: www.fiercenyc.org