10 STEPS TO UNDERSTANDING HOW RACIAL INEQUITIES AFFECT LGBTQ COMMUNITIES OF COLOR

8. Keep in mind that racial segregation continues to shape our country, our cities, our job industries, our organizations, even our interactions. For grantees working with LGBTQ people of color, the repercussions of this segregation plays a part in their organizational priorities

Detailed maps of regions, cities and neighborhoods have portrayed how racial/ethnic segregation continues in our country; a division that also plays out in our education system, the workforce and within nonprofits. Further, geographic areas with higher concentrations of people of color also house under-resourced schools, reveal higher concentrations of poverty and less access to affordable, high quality health care. Here, we then see poorer outcomes in education, income and health. Moreover, within social change movements, LGBTQ people of color and their organizations have less access to decision-making bodies and arenas of popular discourse, which relegates their analysis to the fringes and leaves popular thought without the key insights of these communities. Grantmakers might consider how segregation has heightened the vulnerability of LGBTQ people of color in various geographic pockets. Further, it might consider how integrating the diverse voices of LGBTQ people of color can spur community-wide solutions and enhance the well-being of an entire community.

PrYSM is led by and for Southeast Asian LGBTQ youth and families, many of whom reside in areas of Providence, Rhode Island characterized by high poverty and fewer resources. A growing research field has correlated under-resourced neighborhoods—marked by dilapidated housing, underfunded schools, few employment or transportation options, high health risks and minimal health care options—with decreased life chances. Thus, those born into these neighborhoods are less likely to benefit from the key opportunities that largely dictate one's quality of life.