OUR MISSION
Fenix Collective is a nonprofit devoted to advocacy and support for LGBTQIA+ and gender-non-conforming individuals, women, girls, and BIPOC individuals experiencing and returning from incarceration.
OUR WHYS
LGBTQIA+ people are disproportionately affected by mass incarceration, especially our BIPOC trans siblings, who face existential threats from a society and government that denies their right to personhood, autonomy, and to live their truth.
We have seen the damage and even death that has occurred because we have also not been seen and supported by a community that accepts us for who we are.
We are not only allies, we are directly impacted and are part of this family of survivors and thrivers. We know the struggle, because we have been through it, too! We seek to help people awaken to their potential.
We seek to diminish hardship and advocate for those who have traditionally been discriminated against and stigmatized simply for living their truth. We have walked that path and we want to help others not feel alone, and to feel accepted and loved as they walk theirs.
We understand, and we say: never again.
Change must happen, and it begins inside us.
When we are strong and find our voices, we can change the world around us.
OUR GOALS
We want to break the cycle. We want to interrupt the abuse-to-prison pipeline by addressing trauma, rebuilding community, and restoring dignity—while being led by and for directly impacted people. NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US.
We are committed to building affirming systems of care and leadership within justice-impacted communities, especially trans and gender-expansive people. We call ourselves a collective because we are part of a larger whole, a Beloved Community where all folks are welcome, all folks are seen and heard, and all folks contribute to the success of that Beloved Community. We accomplish this by partnering with other community-based organizations and coalitions to lean into their strength and reach, while also lending them ours. We can do so much more when we are not alone.
We will focus on advocacy for policy and systemic change. We work with coalitions for criminal legal system change, with the goal being abolition and a complete reimagining of how justice is served, identifying strongly with the principles of restorative justice and indigenous practices of storytelling, art, and other methods of individual expression in order to foster individual and cultural healing and restoration.
In order to affect change at a granular level, we focus on holistic healing and recovery, doing work from the inside-out to support our siblings as they develop autonomy, agency, and identity within a system that denies their worth and even existence. This includes evidence-based trauma healing programs, support groups and individual mentoring, workshops for self-advocacy and leadership, and community work that gives back to others while building bonds for collective power.
We also lean into the practical areas of dealing with systemic oppression: we offer a wide array of wraparound services for women, girls, BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ folks who are returning from incarceration, including transitional and safe housing in the Charlotte, NC, and surrounding areas.
