December 15, 2020

National Harm Reduction Coalition creates spaces for dialogue and action that help heal the harms caused by racialized drug policies.

+ INTERNATIONAL DAY TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST SEX WORKERS: This Thursday, December 17, is International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. This is a day to remember, to honor, and to celebrate; to be in ongoing movement for collective liberation and to renew commitment. There are many events to watch out for this Thursday and orgs to support, here are a few:

#IDEVASW Events

• National Users' Union Monthly Sex Work Call today, December 15, 9 PM EST -- sex workers only (no allies) this month

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  GLITS NYC and NYTAG are hosting a trans sex workers' panel featuring Ceyenne Doroshow, J. Leigh Brantley, Matatoe Aiden James Nevils, and Frances Steele. 4-5 PM EST, December 17
• Coyote RI is holding a  24 hour drop-in Zoom memorial all day on Thursday
• SWOP Behind Bars is also doing a drop-in memorial from 9 AM-midnight, December 17
• NASTAD / Reframe Health & Justice "Trans-Inclusive and Trans-Centered Harm Reduction Services" webinar. 4-5:15 PM EST, December 17

#IDEVASW Donate & Take Action

• Lysistrata Mutual Care Collective Fund
• Whose Corner Is It Anyway? GoFundMe

• Women with a Vision New Orleans

• SW Emergency Community Aid Fund
• Homeless Black Trans Women Fund
• Coyote RI
• #BlackTransandSeen
• Host a (virtual) SWOP Behind Bars letter-writing party

+ SEX WORK SESSIONS POSTPONED: At this time we are going to postpone our December 17 panel discussion. Community has called us in and we are going to take some time to re-imagine what Sex Work Sessions could look like, in a way that acknowledges how NHRC has not shown up over the years and also uplift the work that those in the decrim movement have been pushing tirelessly to interrupt violence against those in the sex trade. Please direct all of your support to other Dec 17th events. 

+ NEWS: This month, in a historic vote, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment & Expungement (MORE) Act by 228 to 164 votes, making it the first piece of comprehensive marijuana reform legislation that actually deschedules marijuana – and the only one centered in reparative justice – to pass either chamber of Congress.

+ ICYMI: What are syringe services programs learning as they navigate winter and COVID-19? Check out this new report: SSPs, Winter Weather, and COVID-19: Recommendations for Harm Reduction, Service Provision, and Public Health

+ RESEARCH: "We are being called upon to radically reimagine our societies: to collectively envision a future that is safe for us all; a future that does not tolerate the violent surveillance, policing and imprisonment of our communities." Check out Astraea Foundation's new report "Technologies for Liberation: Towards Abolitionists Futures". 

+ PANEL: This 2 -hour virtual panel discussion on December 16, 3-5 PM ET is the second of a two part series examining the impact of stigma and COVID-19 on marginalized communities. The first part of the series featured leaders of the largest harm reduction policy organizations in New York and the nation as well as representatives from New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) and New York State Department of Health. The second part of this two-part series brings in outreach workers, case managers, peers, and other frontline workers' perspectives on this topic. Don't miss it! 

+ ICYMI: People who use drugs and people who do sex work are sacred. With the launch of the Spirit of Harm Reduction: A Toolkit for Communities of Faith Facing Overdose, we came together for two panels: Spirit of Harm Reduction: A Conversation with Toolkit Contributors and Liberatory Love — A Human Rights Day Ritual Experience with People Who Use Drugs. Did you miss them? Don't worry - they were recorded for you to watch and share!

+ EVENT: Join New York State Harm Reduction Association for The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: COVID-19's Impact on Services for People Who Use Drugs, an engaging discussion of the impact of COVID-19 on harm reduction organizations and services throughout New York State, December 16, 6-7:30 PM ET.

+ POLICY: "Overdose Prevention Programs must become a critical component of our health care system in California in 2021." - Laura Guzman, NHRC. The California Supervised Consumption Site Bill SB57 has been reintroduced this year!

+ EVENT: Sign up for this NASTAD hosted webinar, Trans-Centered and Trans-Inclusive Harm Reduction Services, covering the importance of tailoring syringe services and other harm reduction programs to transgender participants and how to assess and respond to specific community needs, December 17, 4-5:15 PM ET

+ BLOG: Read our new blog post with Monique Tula exploring the question put out by United We Rise: What would the response to HIV look like if it was led by Black people? Black people who use drugs? 

"Indeed, Black leadership in HIV has defined the trajectory of the movement. Building on the visionary brilliance of Black feminists and Black gay men activists in the 70s, the radical fierceness of the Panthers, the strategic preservers center of the civil rights movement leaders, and the legacy of risk-taking of ancestor Harriet, Black leadership in HIV demanded our seat at the table." 

Check out how other people are diving into these questions.

+ HARM REDUCTION FUTURES: Harm reductionists are known for responsive work — creating safety where there isn’t enough, responding to harm and violence, redistributing resources, and sharing struggle. Surviving a system hostile toward people who use drugs is a daily grind. We don’t get much shared space to dream of a future on our terms.

Harm Reduction Futures is about creating and holding that space together. We want to honor afro-futurist traditions of dreaming of futures free from oppression and imagine a future rooted in the principles of harm reduction — beyond surviving the racist drug war, toxic drug supply, and stigma toward people who use drugs. Share your dreams for the future at: https://bit.ly/HarmRedFutures, or on social media using #HarmRedFutures. 

+ CONTENT STRATEGIST: Do you want to end overdose? Do you want to work for a dynamic organization committed to promoting the health and dignity of individuals and communities who are affected by drug use? The Content Strategist role will work across teams at National Harm Reduction Coalition (NHRC) to plan, create, and disseminate digital and printed content to advance programs and policy for the harm reduction movement. Learn more here.

+ CALIFORNIA SYRINGE EXCHANGE PROGRAMS COALITION LOGO DESIGNER: California Syringe Exchange Programs (CASEP) Coalition is a mutual-aid and advocacy network of syringe services providers and participants who work collectively to build strong harm reduction programs and who organize to reduce the harms of the racialized war on drugs and drug use at the individual and community level. CASEP is in search of an artist to contribute creative art and design skills to a project with a budget not to exceed $5,000. Learn more here.

+ NEXT DISTRO CONTENT EXPERT: Next Distro is seeking two Harm Reduction Content Experts for a three month push to improve the scope of their online resource hub.  Next Distro looks to elevating the collective wisdom of the harm reduction community by cultivating an accessible online library for individuals across the country to use- especially for folks that can't access in-person services. They are also developing this resource with the acknowledgement that mail-based harm reductions services are growing- they're working to create an online resource for everyone to use. Learn more here.