Day 1: Black People Tell Black History with J Mase III (@jmaseiii) In the beginning there was the Word and the Word was with God but it was also likely Black and it certainly wasn't just cisgender and straight. I'm sleep tho, in Jesus Name. J Mase III is a Black/Trans/queer poet & educator based in Seattle by way of Philly. As an educator, Mase has worked with community members in the US, UK, and Canada on the needs of LGBTQIA+ folks and racial justice in spaces such as K-12 schools, universities, faith communities and restricted care facilities. He is founder of awQward, the first trans and queer people of color talent agency. J Mase is author of And Then I Got Fired: One Transqueer’s Reflections on Grief, Unemployment & Inappropriate Jokes About Death as well as White Folks Be Trippin’: An Ethnography Through Poetry & Prose. He is head writer for the theatrical production Black Bois. He is co-director of the forthcoming documentary, the Black Trans Prayer Book and is finishing his latest solo work, Is Your God a Violent God? Finding a Theology for Survivors. This year he will be leading a series of workshops on Reparations Frameworks, called "All That DEI & Still No Reparations?" Find out more on IG & TikTok @jmaseiii and sign up for the mailing list on his site: www.jmaseiii.com How to support his work: My Cashapp is: $jmaseiii Venmo is : @JMase-Mase Intro music: "Black People Tell Black History" by Patience Sings Outro: Apathy Happy by Benjamin Earl Turner Excerpt: Reverend Valerie Spencer at the 2010 TransFaith Summit, courtesy of Diamond Stylz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nmqg_jxzCOA