“I work daily to transform the reality of being a trans woman of color. As an Afrocuban queer artist, I use my art and my camera lens to depict a reality in which we are celebrated, protected, recognized, and loved in the ways we are so deserving of and in the ways I know we can be! FLOWERS is my practice of this mission. This project is actively celebrating, documenting, and sharing the lives, work, and legacies of black trans-femmes.” Sage Dolan-Sandrino
The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) is excited to present Flowers, a project led by Sage-Dolan Sandrino, Monica Roberts Fellow, and member of the Youth and Young Adult Action Council and Trans Advisory Council. Flowers is a media project that celebrates the lives, legacy, and existence of Black transgender women and femmes in the New York area.
Culture and politics are shaped by people and the conversations we have. For too long, the conversation surrounding trans life, legacy, and existence has been anchored in harm, trauma, and prejudice and not led by trans folks, who know themselves and the reaches of their legacy better than any other. Flowers shows up differently as a conversation-based photo series, shot by and for members of the trans legacy and experience. Like every initiative led by NBJC, Flowers partners a call for justice with the humanity and authenticity needed in order to create documentation, a resource, and a collection of interviews and stories from Black Trans Femmes in the New York Area.
Share Your Flowers On Social Media, Using The Hashtag #NBJCFLOWERS.
Call to Action
The words we use matter. Learn more about language and understand your impact by downloading NBJC’s Words Matter Gender Justice Toolkit. Equip yourself with the language necessary to start informed conversation today and contact your local congress member in support of the Equality Act to ensure ALL of our siblings are protected against illegal discrimination and harassment. Call the Capitol Switchboard number is (202) 224-3121 and encourage your senator to vote yes on the Equality Act.
Project leader and creative team:
Sage Dolan-Sandrino (she/her), Creative Director and Lead.
Sage, 21, is the founder and creative director of studio and digital magazine, The TEAM Mag & stars in the upcoming Disney+ Original series, Growing Up. Creating art at the intersections of her identities as an Afro-Cuban queer and trans woman, Sage utilizes her art practice to shift culture via authentic and impactful storytelling. A young changemaker, she is committed to creating opportunities for young black and brown queer and trans folks to see themselves reflected in narratives of joy, love, acceptance, and celebration— A reality we are too often denied. Since transitioning in middle school, Sage became a public voice for trans rights. She was an ambassador to The White House Initiative for Educational Excellence for African Americans under the Obama Administration and now serves as the Monica Roberts fellow at the National Black Justice Coalition, directing creative projects for liberation.
Zahri Josita Jackson (she/her), Director of Photography+Cinematography.
Zahri is a 22-year-old Jamaican-American filmmaker, actress, and NYU alumna based in Brooklyn, NY. Her creative work explores themes of loneliness, Black woman- and girlhood, and mental wellness. Originally from the D.C. Metropolitan area, onscreen worlds rarely reflected the world she experienced, fueling her mission to saturate the mediasphere with content that reflects and empowers her communities. Between acting in various films and series for HBO, Disney+, and Netflix, co-directing the digital zine and creative studio, TEAM Mag, Zahri has become a 2021 Gucci Changemakers Scholar, and landed production roles at Culture House Media and Showtime Networks, and is currently in post-production for her short film, In My Garden.
Tamara Blake Chapman (they/them) (b. 1997 – Queens, NY) Lead Portrait Photographer.
Tamara is a Caribbean-American photographer who lives and works in New York City. Their work explores themes of intimacy, connection, and love.
Six L. Lead Editor+Production Manager
Six is an interdisciplinary designer, creative technologist, and artist currently pursuing their MFA in Design and Technology at Parsons. Their work is centered around the power to imagine, dream, and realize the futures that we want and need. As a Black, queer, non-binary individual, Six designs to create space for the lived experiences of those of us who are too often left out of the conversation. Six continues to call on their audience and peers to be both the dreamer and the dream.
