Southerners On New Ground

SOUTHERNERS ON NEW GROUND, INC. (SONG) IS A HOME FOR LGBTQ LIBERATION ACROSS ALL LINES OF RACE, CLASS, ABILITIES, AGE, CULTURE, GENDER, AND SEXUALITY IN THE SOUTH. SONG BUILDS, SUSTAINS, AND CONNECTS A SOUTHERN REGIONAL BASE OF LBGTQ PEOPLE IN ORDER TO TRANSFORM THE REGION THROUGH STRATEGIC PROJECTS AND CAMPAIGNS DEVELOPED IN RESPONSE TO THE CURRENT CONDITIONS IN THE COMMUNITIES. SONG BUILDS THIS MOVEMENT THROUGH LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, INTERSECTIONAL ANALYSIS, AND ORGANIZING. SINCE 1993, SONG HAS BEEN KNOWN, BOTH REGIONALLY AND NATIONALLY, FOR ORGANIZING AND TRAINING WORK ACROSS ISSUES OF RACE, CLASS, GENDER AND SEXUALITY WITH BOTH LGBTQ PEOPLE AND ALLIES. SONG WORKS TO BUILD AND MAINTAIN A SOUTHERN LGBTQ INFRASTRUCTURE FOR ORGANIZERS STRONG ENOUGH TO COMBAT THE SOUTHERN-SPECIFIC STRATEGY OF THE RIGHT TO DIVIDE AND CONQUER SOUTHERN OPPRESSED COMMUNITIES.

FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2021, SONG OPERATED THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS:(I)LOCAL CAMPAIGN TRAINING AND ORGANIZING: IN 2021, SONG CONTINUED TO TRAIN LGBTQ LEADERS ACROSS THE SOUTH IN GRASSROOTS CAMPAIGN ORGANIZING AND INTERSECTIONAL METHODOLOGY AND CONNECT LEADERS BUILDING LOCAL ORGANIZING CAMPAIGNS WITH EACH OTHER. RESPONDING TO THE CHANGING CONDITIONS IN 2021, LEADERS IN LOCAL SITES WORKED WITH REGIONAL STAFF TO ASSESS THEIR RECENT MOST ORGANIZING CAMPAIGNS ADDRESSING USE OF MONEY BAIL AND PRETRIAL DETENTION TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW THOSE EFFORTS HAD IMPACTED LOCAL CONDITIONS AND THEIR OWN ORGANIZING SKILL. ADDITIONALLY, SONG MEMBERS WORKED TO EVOLVE ORGANIZING PRACTICES IN THE RESPONSE TO PANDEMIC CONDITIONS WHICH REQUIRED SHIFTS IN ORGANIZING METHODOLOGY AND LIMITED CAMPAIGN TACTICS.(II) COALITION AND ALLIANCE WORK: SONG BRINGS LGBTQ LEADERSHIP, EXPERTISE, AND VISIBILITY TO KEY RACIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE ALLIANCES AND ORGANIZING FIGHTS IN THE SOUTH AND INCUBATES COLLABORATIVE WORK THAT HELPS TO CONNECT BASES AND SHARED PRIORITIES. IN 2020, SONG CONTINUED TO PARTICIPATE AS A PARTNER IN MULTIPLE COALITIONS INCLUDING MOVEMENT 4 BLACK LIVES, THE NATIONAL BAIL OUT COLLECTIVE, AS WELL AS PARTNERING WITH OTHER LOCAL AND STATEWIDE COALITIONS AND ALLIANCES THROUGHOUT THE SOUTH.SONG ALSO CONTINUED TO SERVE AS AN ANCHOR ORGANIZATION ALONG WITH EIGHT OTHER SOUTHERN MOVEMENT ORGANIZATIONS TO LEAD THE SOUTHERN POWER FUND WHICH WAS DESIGNED TO RAISE AND DISTRIBUTE RESOURCES TO GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS THE SOUTH. AS ONE OF FOUR ANCHOR ORGANIZATIONS OF THE SOUTHERN POWER FUND, SONG HELPED RAISE AND DISTRIBUTE $10 MILLION INCLUDING ABOUT $4 MILLION THROUGH SONGS FINANCIAL INFRASTRUCTION.(III) REGIONAL MEMBERSHIP & BASE-BUILDING: SONG MAINTAINS AND BUILDS A BASE OF MORE THAN 4,000 SOUTHERN LGBTQ BLACK PEOPLE, PEOPLE OF COLOR, RURAL, WORKING CLASS, AND IMMIGRANT PEOPLE. IN 2021, SONG CONTINUED OUR WORK TO CONNECT AND SUPPORT SONGS BASE THROUGH GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS, TRAINING AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNICATIONS WORK, AND REGIONAL CONVENINGS. DUE TO CONTINUED PANDEMIC CONDITIONS SONGS GATHERINGS WHICH HAVE BEEN CENTRAL TO OUR WORK HAD TO CONTINUE VIRTUALLY AS OUR STAFF WORKED TO SUPPORT CONTINUED CONNECTION WITH USING ONLINE MEETING TOOLS AND OLD SCHOOL TECHNOLOGIES LIKE PHONE CALLS.IN SUMMER 2021, SONG OFFERED SMALL ORGANIZING SCHOOLS TO LOCAL CHAPTERS WHO WERE ABLE TO GATHER IN-PERSON AND CONTINUED MEMBER INITIATED PROJECTS (MIPS), WHERE GROUPS OF SONG MEMBERS REQUEST MINI GRANTS OF UP TO $5,000 TO SUPPORT A LOCAL ORGANIZING AND COMMUNITY BUILDING IN THEIR COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE SOUTH.IN CONTINUED RESPONSE TO THE CONTINUING COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND ONGOING CLIMATE CATASTROPHES, SONG OFFERED A MEMBER SUPPORT FUND AND DISTRIBUTED MORE THAN $500,000 IN EMERGENCY SUPPORT FUNDS TO SONG MEMBERS AND OTHER COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN NEED DUE TO PANDEMIC-DRIVEN ECONOMIC CRISIS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EMERGENCIES.THROUGH THESE PROGRAMS IN 2021, SONG BROUGHT LEADERSHIP TO INTERSECTIONAL ORGANIZING PROJECTS; FURTHER DEVELOPED LEADERSHIP WITHIN A MULTI-RACIAL, INTERGENERATIONAL LGBTQ BASE; AND ENGAGED SOUTHERN LGBTQ PEOPLE IN PROJECTS AND CAMPAIGNS THAT DIRECTLY ADDRESSED INSTITUTIONAL AND SOCIAL INJUSTICE.

FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2021, SONG OPERATED THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS:(I) LOCAL CAMPAIGN TRAINING AND ORGANIZING: IN 2021, SONG CONTINUED TO TRAIN LGBTQ LEADERS IN SEVEN LOCAL CHAPTERS ACROSS THE SOUTH IN GRASSROOTS CAMPAIGN ORGANIZING AND INTERSECTIONAL METHODOLOGY AND CONNECT LEADERS BUILDING LOCAL ORGANIZING CAMPAIGNS WITH EACH OTHER. RESPONDING TO THE CHANGING CONDITIONS IN 2021, LEADERS IN LOCAL SITES WORKED WITH REGIONAL STAFF TO ASSESS THEIR RECENT ORGANIZING CAMPAIGNS ADDRESSING THE USE OF MONEY BAIL AND PRETRIAL DETENTION TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW THOSE EFFORTS HAD IMPACTED LOCAL CONDITIONS AND THEIR OWN ORGANIZING SKILLS. ADDITIONALLY, SONG MEMBERS WORKED TO EVOLVE ORGANIZING PRACTICES IN THE RESPONSE TO PANDEMIC CONDITIONS WHICH REQUIRED SHIFTS IN ORGANIZING METHODOLOGY AND LIMITED CAMPAIGN TACTICS.(II) COALITION AND ALLIANCE WORK: SONG BRINGS LGBTQ LEADERSHIP, EXPERTISE, AND VISIBILITY TO KEY RACIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE ALLIANCES AND ORGANIZING FIGHTS IN THE SOUTH AND INCUBATES COLLABORATIVE WORK THAT HELPS TO CONNECT BASES AND SHARED PRIORITIES. IN 2021, SONG CONTINUED TO PARTICIPATE AS A PARTNER IN MULTIPLE COALITIONS INCLUDING MOVEMENT 4 BLACK LIVES, THE NATIONAL BAIL OUT COLLECTIVE, AS WELL AS PARTNERING WITH OTHER LOCAL AND STATEWIDE COALITIONS AND ALLIANCES THROUGHOUT THE SOUTH.SONG ALSO CONTINUED TO SERVE AS AN ANCHOR ORGANIZATION ALONG WITH EIGHT OTHER SOUTHERN MOVEMENT ORGANIZATIONS TO LEAD THE SOUTHERN POWER FUND WHICH WAS DESIGNED TO RAISE AND DISTRIBUTE RESOURCES TO GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS THE SOUTH. THE COALITION HAS BEEN ANCHORED BY FOUR CORE ORGANIZATIONS: SONG, HIGHLANDER TRAINING CENTER, ALTERNATE ROOTS, INC., AND PROJECT SOUTH, INC. AS ONE OF THE FOUR ANCHOR ORGANIZATIONS OF THE SOUTHERN POWER FUND, SONG HELPED RAISE AND DISTRIBUTE $10 MILLION INCLUDING ABOUT $4 MILLION THROUGH SONGS FINANCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE.(III) REGIONAL MEMBERSHIP & BASE-BUILDING: SONG MAINTAINS AND BUILDS A BASE OF MORE THAN 4,000 SOUTHERN LGBTQ BLACK PEOPLE, PEOPLE OF COLOR, RURAL, WORKING CLASS, AND IMMIGRANT PEOPLE. IN 2021, SONG CONTINUED OUR WORK TO CONNECT AND SUPPORT SONGS BASE THROUGH GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS, TRAINING AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNICATIONS WORK, AND REGIONAL CONVENINGS. DUE TO CONTINUED PANDEMIC CONDITIONS, SONGS GATHERINGS WHICH HAVE BEEN CENTRAL TO OUR WORK HAD TO CONTINUE VIRTUALLY AS OUR STAFF WORKED TO SUPPORT CONTINUED CONNECTION BY USING ONLINE MEETING TOOLS AND OLD SCHOOL TECHNOLOGIES LIKE PHONE CALLS. IN SUMMER OF 2021, SONG OFFERED SMALL ORGANIZING SCHOOLS TO LOCAL CHAPTERS THAT WERE ABLE TO GATHER IN-PERSON AND CONTINUED MEMBER INITIATED PROJECTS (MIPS), WHERE GROUPS OF SONG MEMBERS REQUEST MINI-GRANTS OF UP TO $5,000 TO SUPPORT A LOCAL ORGANIZING AND COMMUNITY BUILDING IN THEIR COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE SOUTH.IN CONTINUED RESPONSE TO THE CONTINUING COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND ONGOING CLIMATE CATASTROPHES, SONG OFFERED A MEMBER SUPPORT FUND AND DISTRIBUTED MORE THAN $500,000 IN EMERGENCY SUPPORT FUNDS TO SONG MEMBERS AND OTHER COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN NEED DUE TO PANDEMIC-DRIVEN ECONOMIC CRISES AND ENVIRONMENTAL EMERGENCIES.THROUGH THESE PROGRAMS IN 2021, SONG BROUGHT LEADERSHIP TO INTERSECTIONAL ORGANIZING PROJECTS; FURTHER DEVELOPED LEADERSHIP WITHIN A MULTI-RACIAL, INTERGENERATIONAL LGBTQ BASE; AND ENGAGED SOUTHERN LGBTQ PEOPLE IN PROJECTS AND CAMPAIGNS THAT DIRECTLY ADDRESSED INSTITUTIONAL AND SOCIAL INJUSTICE.