How We’re Moving Forward
When we launched 433, we were in the early months of one of the worst pandemics the world has experienced in a century, and it seemed hard to imagine that any story could dislodge COVID-19 from the headlines.
And then came George Floyd.
There were others – people suffocated, beaten, shot, wrongly incarcerated, or simply those who have suffered unreported indignities by authorities on a daily basis – but the death of George Floyd galvanized a movement that in some ways began the first time the words “Black Lives Matter” were uttered, but is also just a continuation of the ongoing struggle for equality and human rights.
For our part at 433, in the immediate aftermath of the killing, we postponed our scheduled work and reserved our site only for those writers and artists who were speaking about the movement.
Those features have been archived in our “WE (STILL) CAN’T BREATHE” series. It was a small gesture in comparison to the larger fight, but we are proud to have reserved that space, and to have used the platform and resources we have to amplify Black voices and the voices of those willing to speak as allies.
We wrestled with the question of when it would become appropriate to resume publishing the work that we had originally intended. We still had a backlog of stories speaking to the unique circumstances of the pandemic, and of many other individual and collective heartaches and hopes and furies and dreams. And while there is no right answer to the question, we wanted to provide to our readers an explanation of what our approach will be, and how we will continue to hold space for this movement as we move ahead, even as we continue to share a wider range of content:
What We’re Doing
433 is an entirely self-funded and volunteer-run publication. Nonetheless, our staff has pooled our resources and has donated $300 split evenly between two organizations listed below. We know it doesn’t amount to a major contribution, but for us it is significant, and we hope it will help. We encourage our readers to make a contribution as well.
The Okra Project: a collective that seeks to address the global crisis faced by Black Trans people by bringing home cooked, healthy, and culturally specific meals and resources to Black Trans People wherever they can be reached.
COVID Bailout NYC: donations will help this organization post bail for medically vulnerable people held in New York City jails and provide comprehensive post-release support, such as shelter and food, for these individuals.
We will continue to prioritize submissions that speak to the causes of ending police brutality and promoting a more just and equitable society. To this end, unlike our other series, “WE (STILL) CAN’T BREATHE” will remain open as long as we’re still running, since we believe this is not a singular moment, but a part of an ongoing struggle.
We will continue to amplify marginalized voices. Beyond seeking out their stories only when they are in the headlines as the victims of violence and hate, we will continue being a venue that seeks out stories that celebrate the hopes and joys of people’s lives.
We will continue to tell stories that resonate with this moment, whether that has to do with the fear, anger and isolation that accompanies the current pandemic, the ongoing fight for the recognition of Black life, or the internal struggles that people from all walks of life face.
Lastly, we will continue to be thankful to the artists who trust us with their work, and to the readers who have found comfort, joy, commiseration, or anything else of value in our publication.
