Celebrating Black Philanthropy Month with Jordyn Jay

Today, we are joined by Jordyn Jay, artist, arts advocate, project coordinator, and founder of the Black Trans Femmes in the Arts (BTFA) collective, a group dedicated to connecting Black trans women and non-binary femmes in the arts to build empowerment and community.

NICOLE: What does the word 'philanthropy' mean to you? When you hear it, what does that make you think of?

JORDYN: Giving and sharing with people in need? To me it's about sharing the extra resources that you have available to make needs and opportunities available to other people.

NICOLE: What inspired you to create a BTFA? 

JORDYN: There [were] a lot of things that inspired me to create BTFA, but it started with me being in a master's program in my youth, studying art politics, and being very aware of the fact that as a Black trans woman, that was a really rare opportunity

There's not a lot of Black trans women that are in master's programs, especially at the age where I was. So I was conscious, constantly trying to bring Black trans women into the room. And I was just really frustrated that there wasn't a lot of representation for Black trans femmes in the arts, especially in art scholarship and art education. I took the title of 'master' very seriously. What does it mean to be a master of our politics? How do I use that to show up in the art world of influence change? So I started to meet with community members and I realized there's so much more that needs to be done in terms of access and felt like I started organizing around that. And that's how the BTFA [was] created.

NICOLE: How do you think BTFA's mission has evolved over time, especially in lieu of the COVID-19 pandemic?

JORDYN: Yeah, I think that it has evolved into what I actually initially conceptualized BTFA as before BFTA existed concretely. I did a project a few years back when I was still an undergrad actually around developing a community art center for trans women of color. And through doing the work that started BTFA, we started with just a meet up of Black trans femmes in the arts with about 8 people. And from there we did our first in-person event, which was 50 people. We launched a social media app at [the] event and we had plans to have all these new events coming in the spring and then [COVID] happened. And at first it was really devastating, but we took that opportunity to really engage the social media audience. And we went from having maybe 200 followers at the beginning of the pandemic to 800 followers two months in...and [now] 40,000 followers. So we have been able to through using social media and through using the connection that the pandemic has made more accessible. They've always been accessible, but more people are using these tools.

We've been able to get a much larger audience, receive much larger donations and many more donations to be able to do the work that I initially conceptualized, creating a community art center for Black trans femmes, and it's been really amazing to watch that process. It's been unfortunate, that some of the things that have had to happen with the Black Lives Matter movement and the loss of trans lives which has made us more visible, but we are grateful that we're able to be in a position to make those dreams happen much sooner than I expected.

It's been unfortunate, that some of the things that have had to happen with the Black Lives Matter movement and the loss of trans lives which has made us more visible, but we are grateful that we're able to be in a position to make those dreams happen much sooner than I expected.

 

NICOLE: What have truly been some of the most memorable or rewarding moments of working with BTFA? Moments or instances where you take a step back and you're like, "Oh, okay. This is why I'm doing this. This is why I created this."

JORDYN: It's always been stories from members of the collective who, even though I know them personally and I'm close friends with them, they share things that BTFA has done to them that I never knew. On our first meet up, one of the members told me that it was the first time that she'd felt comfortable and excited and had a reason to leave her home in months. Or at our first open mic night when my best friend in the world, Gia Love, gave a speech talking about BTFA's importance that was very impromptu and shared that even as a native New Yorker at 29 years old, she's never been in a space like this. And other moments behind the scenes at our productions, when people just tell me how thankful they are that they finally have an opportunity and that BTFA brought something in them and gave them an opportunity to do something that no one has ever done for them before. Those are the moments that keep me going. And that's why I created a BTFA for moments like that.

NICOLE: That's amazing. What do you really want in future donors and investors to know about the work that BTFA is doing? And why they should be donating to Black-led and founded organizations?

JORDYN: I think that they should know that BTFA is not just an arts organization. It is so much more than that. Because through the arts, we're able to give Black trans women new hope for life that they've never had before. I think a very specific instance is my trans auntie, who is 40 years old, she always would talk to me about how she never imagined a life for herself past 35. And now that she's made it, she's just now able to imagine that she can pursue her dreams and BTFA has given her the chance to do that by producing her video content that she's been imagining for years but never thought that she would have the chance to do. 

BTFA is not just an arts organization. It is so much more than that.

JORDYN: Sorry. It makes me emotional to think about. We're giving people an opportunity to live beyond just the survival that black trans femmes so often have to fight for. And it's beautiful to watch that moment when people realize that they can have a life beyond the bare minimum and beyond scrounging for scraps. There is a chance for them to have a seat at the table. And it's really transformative and liberating.

NICOLE: In the most recent report that was released by the Ms. Foundation found that the total philanthropic giving to women and girls of color is just 0.5% of the total $66.9 billion given by foundations. How does hearing the statistics match your experience as a collective that lives off donations? 

JORDYN: That's not surprising to me at all. In fact, we have a similar statistic for Black trans art funding specifically, [where] less than 1% of art funding given goes directly to trans people...Living at the intersection of Black, trans, and woman, it's really difficult to get funding and support. And because a lot of people don't realize that we're here and that we're doing this work, that's why visibility is such an important part of what we do. But, it's really sometimes disheartening to have to validate that we deserve to be here and to see organizations that are doing similar things, receive huge amounts of support and huge amounts of money when we have been working really hard and making most of our money through individual donations with people who have a personal connection to BTFA and to the work that we do.

NICOLE: What would be your advice for Black folks who want to start their own group or organization?

JORDYN: I would say the first thing is always to ground it in community. Make sure that you are serving your community first and putting your community first because they will be the ones who will support you and lift you up when no one else will. Also to believe in yourself and don't ever doubt that you can make your wildest dreams possible. Always work with the largest, most grandiose possible iteration of what your dream is and mind. And even if it's not possible at the moment, work as though it is and you'll get there. And make sure you surround yourself with people who love and support you and people who you trust.

 

Make sure that you are serving your community first and putting your community first because they will be the ones who will support you and lift you up when no one else will.

This interview has been edited for length or clarity.

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