UO Interviews: Brown Girl Butterfly Project
Today we’re shining the spotlight on Gabrielle Richardson (@fridacashflow), star of our most recent editorial. On top of being a part of Art Hoe Collective, Gabrielle is the organizer behind Brown Girl Butterfly Project (@browngirlbutterflyproject), a new initiative focused on healing the Black and Brown femme community. Read on to learn more about the collective, their upcoming activations and how you can get involved.
Photos by @richieshazam.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do for a living.
My name's Gabrielle Richardson and I am a model, artist, curator, and founder of Brown Girl Butterfly Project.
What made you decide to start The Brown Girl Butterfly Project?
When the protests first began I was making care packages for protestors with a bunch of my friends. We were on the front lines every day for about two weeks giving out waters, snacks and first aid. The stress that comes with protesting and fighting injustice doesn’t end when you come home. It lingers and permeates every aspect of your life. I was contemplating ways to combat racial violence and the stress that comes with it long term. And with that idea birthed Brown Girl Butterfly Project.
We saw that you’ve given out Wellness Kits in multiple cities so far and they’ve been hugely successful. For people who want to get involved in the collective, what can they do to help?
All I can ask for supporters of Brown Girl Butterfly is to show up for Black and Brown femmes within their own communities! Most of our outreach is asking brands to donate their resources to redistribute so there isn't much groundwork that we would need physical volunteers for. I think the most important thing we can ask is to carry these values within your everyday life.
What about people who may want to start their own collective? Do you have any advice for helping it get off the ground?
If you believe in something, bring in some friends who also believe in your cause and believe in you. Nothing can be done without community. It's all about finding friends and making it work!
Can you tell us a couple initiatives you’ve already worked on this year?
I am a curator for another collective entitled Art Hoe Collective. Starting in March we started an initiative to create grants for Black and Brown artists and another grant to specifically provide aid for Black trans women for their endeavors in art and in life.
Who do you look up to when it comes to organizing and activism?
I think I look towards my peers and other collectives and grassroots organizers getting shit done. Activism isn't about how many resources you have; it's about coming together to make a change, and not asking for a payoff or recognition.
How do you see the Brown Girl Butterfly Project expanding in 2020? Beyond 2020?
We're doing our best to expand our avenues for healing and creative ways to give back! I would love to one day have a proper office and bring all our beautiful butterflies together post-covid to have workshops and in person programming.
What’s one thing you’d like people to know about you and your work that they may not realize?
It's really 90% communication and organization. Us physically assembling and distributing the kits is one of the smallest parts of the process. It's mostly all of us in a group chat and on our computers sharing resources, figuring out logistics and thinking to ourselves how are we going to make this work? And we're going to make this work!
To see more from Brown Girl Butterfly Project, follow them on Instagram:
@browngirlbutterflyproject