2023 BYC Ptown Fall Retreat

Hello Michael C!

Thank you for subscribing to The Blackyard Collective newsletter!

We are a support network for Black queer people recovering from addiction and alcoholism, whose goal is to build and sustain a community of care grounded in self-love and mutual respect. We host shared meals, social gatherings, and spiritual retreats that center queerness, Blackness, and wellness in order to uplift the dignity of our identities and experiences so that we might live free from addiction and alcoholism.

While The Blackyard Collective was officially launched in 2023, the seeds of our community were planted back in 2016 when a few Black queer sober New Yorkers chose to become intentional about getting to know one another. So of course, we scheduled a brunch. Then one brunch became two … and two became three. After a few monthly Black queer sober brunches … we added more and more Black queer friends to the mix. Today we are a community that extends beyond New York, to Chicago, California, Hawaii and beyond. Today we are are more than friends. We are family!

Since 2016, there has been brunch, cookouts, Friendsgivings, Christmas parties, beach trips, and so much more. But most of all, there has be #BlackQueerJoy. Something special happens when you move people from isolation to connection … when you courageously, unapologetically lean in to Blackness and queerness as your source of resilience and strength.

The Blackyard Collective’s goal is to continue to make space for Blackness, queerness, and joy so that we might live free from addiction and alcoholism by offering mutual aid, wellness workshops, and creative outlets.

If you are Black and queer and seeking sobriety, we invite you to JOIN US.

If you have a loved one who is Black and queer and seeking sobriety, we welcome your support and invite you to “like,” “share,” and “follow” us on social media. We also invite you to become a Blackyard Supporter.

Gratefully,
Michael

Michael J. Crumpler
Founding Member & Advisory Board Chair
The Blackyard Collective
michael@theblackyard.org

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2024 Fall Retreat in Provincetown, MA

The 3rd Annual The Blackyard Collective NYC Fall Retreat was epic. Together, we laughed, we cried, we danced, we argued, we ate, WE LOVED. Magic happened. Like a seed that bursts open beneath the ground, the true impact of a thing is not always fully understood in that moment. What is ultimately born takes time and patience and care before it ultimately comes to fruition. For now, suffice it to say, that it was indeed good. Very good. As I sit home on my couch exhausted, I’m so fulfilled.

Black joy is very peculiar and often hard to articulate. It’s the way we move. It’s the way we laugh. It’s the way we respond. It’s the way we sing and dance. And more than these, it’s the way we call in and affirm one another. It’s the way we heal. Really, really heal.

The world is on fire. More joy, more rest, more care is essential. As I return home from retreat to reality, I am inundated with the reality of war. People across the world are reeling. There is death and murder and anger and pain. I’m reminded that hate is so abundant. Today we must make time to be with the ones who love us the most. Today we must pray for peace, true peace. Today we must move toward love and care and community.

I am so eager for the next retreat. I’m so eager for the next uninterrupted space to be with The Blackyard Collective to laugh, cry, dance, argue, eat, and be LOVED.

Thank You Facebook Fundraising

In September, The Blackyard Collective was approved for Facebook Fundraising … Just in time for National Recovery Month. Thanks to the generous support of our Facebook friends, we were able to raise $3,354 in just one week. We are so grateful to all who gave.

To future ensure our success, we invite you to consider creating a Facebook fundraising campaign our behalf of The Blackyard Collective. Your support will help us continue to host retreats, workshops, and initiatives that build and sustain a community of care grounded in self-love and mutual respect for Black queer people recovering from addiction and alcoholism.

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The Blackyard Collective is a registered 501(c)(3) organization (Federal Tax ID # 88-3641425) and all donations are tax deductible to the extent allowable by law.