On April 30, 2019, the Black Latinas Know Collective (BLKC) made its way into the world: “Ya llegamos,” we declared in our first post. We shared a statement telling our story, as well as our Collective’s vision and intention. As a Collective of Black Latina scholars who produce innovative research at the intersection of Latinidad and Blackness, BLKC conducts and disseminates scholarship from the perspective of Black Latinidad. We understand that this is a necessary intervention given the prevalence of scholarship that purports to tell our stories without our voices and perspectives. And while academia generates competitive and individual-centered scholarship, we take seriously the “collective” aspect of our name, working together to advance knowledge with the goal of dismantling global anti-Blackness through an antiracist feminist intersectional inquiry and praxis for liberation. This means that we are committed to critical self-reflection on our own practice and social location in grids of power.
Since that late April day when we made our debut, we have written blogs, participated in academic and public panels, and created social media campaigns. We have shared our Knowledge with Univision, Telemundo, and Pero Like and our website has officially been included in the United States Library of Congress Women's and Gender Studies Web Archive.
And now it is time to expand!
We are looking for new Black Latinas Know Collective Network Members who are excited about our mission and committed to working collectively to create publicly-engaged scholarship about Black Latinidad. BLKC Network membership is open to any and all Black Latina scholars producing knowledge and scholarship in academic and non-academic settings. We are especially interested in network members who bring the following skills, experiences, and expertise: Black Latina scholars with social media and/or graphic design skills, who are in STEM fields, who are cultural and /or knowledge producers outside of academia, who are graduate students, and those who are connected to Mexico, Central and South America, and Caribbean and diaspora communities.
Membership in the BLKC Network provides opportunities to connect, collaborate, and build community with other Black Latina scholars in the network. BLKC members will be added to our website and have an outlet to produce (via our blog) and disseminate (via our social media accounts) public facing scholarship. BLKC Network members will also be placed on a curated media list, and may have the option to play a more active role in the collective by applying to be on the Steering Member Committee, which is responsible for planning events and writing blogs with other collective members. Members pay a small yearly fee (scaled between $10-$40) to share in operating costs. Please let us know if you require a fee-exception and we will find a way to cover you.
To apply, please submit a 1-2 page application letter with your contact information and describe: 1. who you are as a Black Latina scholar; 2. how your scholarly, cultural and/or community work relates to the BLKC statement and is a part of ongoing conversations about Black Latinidad (broadly); 3. briefly share why you’re interested in being part of this collective of Black Latina scholars; and, 4. a potential blog topic you are excited to write about. Please submit your letter to the attention of BLKC Membership Committee at blacklatinasknow@gmail.com by Friday, July 16th. Please name your document as follows “Firstname Lastname_BLKC Network App.” Acceptance notifications will be sent out by September 1st.