Help Us Launch the Blue Roots Residency

Blue Roots Residency

Named in honor of Hodari Blue, a beloved being, creatrix, organizer, and community builder who intentionally and consistently supported the journeys of their Trans and Queer kin, The Blue Roots residency is a two-month guaranteed-income program in East Hollywood for Black Trans and Gender Non-Conforming creatives. Prioritizing those impacted by anti-Trans legislation and unsafe living situations. Participants receive housing, stipends, transportation support, and space to rest, heal, and create (with support for permanent relocation if desired).
This space is a two-month window of time in which creators can rest, regroup, and create new opportunities and realities for themselves through rest, exploration, and community-building. The residency provides space to rest and optional wayfinding sessions meant to connect residents to aligned opportunities that support their long-term growth. This program is the earliest scaling of our vision to create a network of live-work artist spaces (nationally and globally).


The Problem

Currently, URE has obtained a 3-bedroom space in East Hollywood, which we are at risk of losing due to low financial and physical capacity. As we are unable to sublet in this space, short-term rental opportunities are not an option to sustain the space. Thus, Djérae has used their personal income to hold the space while building out URE’s foundational programming.


The Solution

We are looking to build an individual donor base to support this program on a 2-month cycle. This can be done if we obtain at least 176 monthly donors willing to donate at least $25 per month to cover the two-month residency cycle:


Space Costs:
$3,200

Two-month living stipends for two participants:
$4,000

Participant Transportation Cost (Flights, gas, etc., to get participants to residency):
$1,600


Total per cycle:
$8,800

Note: We are currently building out programming to create sustainable revenue generators outside of grant funding.


Why We Need You

Your support will help us pick up where we left off in 2023 when URE founder Djérae and their sibling needed support finding a living space and transporting their sibling to CA.
Our vision was (and is) to create an ecosystem of spaces of refuge for Black Trans and GNC people. Over the past three years, since our first fundraiser, we have expanded our programming, sharpened our vision, and expanded our network to create the Underground Rainbow Experiment, a vision that marries the legacies of the Underground Railroad and the Chitlin Circuit. Your support would allow us to begin pursuing the first iteration of this vision while offering support to Black Trans and GNC people currently being impacted by anti-trans legislation and unsafe home environments.