THRIVE • Wellness, Skill-Building & Economic Power

A holistic ecosystem of wellness care, workforce opportunities, food access, and financial empowerment designed to help Black LGBTQ+ people build stable, self-determined lives.

This pillar recognizes that healing, economic security, and community nourishment are all essential to thriving. THRIVE combines healing justice, Black cultural traditions, practical skill development, and wealth-building tools into a comprehensive pathway toward long-term stability and liberation.

1. Black Queer Wellness Cooperative

A culturally rooted healing network created to support the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of Black LGBTQ+ people.

The Black Queer Wellness Cooperative provides free therapy, peer counseling, mind-body healing modalities, and chronic illness support — all delivered by practitioners who reflect the lived experience of the community. This cooperative affirms the right of Black LGBTQ+ people to access healing without barriers, stigma, or system-based harm.

The Cooperative centers joy, rest, choice, and culturally specific healing as necessary parts of liberation.

2. Tha Blacq Smoke Workforce Pathways

A culturally grounded workforce development program designed for unhoused and at-risk Black LGBTQ+ people seeking income, skills, and stability.

Tha Blacq Smoke Workforce Pathways transforms creativity into employment by offering paid apprenticeships in incense-making and product creation — reflecting Black cultural tradition while offering tangible job skills. The program provides mental health support, digital literacy training, and business development resources, creating pathways to both employment and entrepreneurship.

This program builds economic power through creativity, dignity, culture, and community support.

3. The Kitchen Table Food Justice Program

A food justice program honoring Black foodways and ensuring Black LGBTQ+ people have consistent access to nutritious, culturally resonant meals.

Inspired by the tradition of gathering around the kitchen table, this program creates spaces for nourishment, connection, and community care.

The Kitchen Table ensures that food access becomes a site of love, culture, and collective survival.

4. Queer Money & Homeownership Academy

A wealth-building and financial empowerment academy designed for Black LGBTQ+ people navigating systemic barriers to economic security.

The Queer Money & Homeownership Academy provides financial tools, knowledge, and hands-on support to help participants repair credit, build assets, and access homeownership. The program integrates traditional financial education with community-based, culturally affirming approaches.

This academy creates real, tangible opportunities for Black LGBTQ+ people to secure housing, stability, and generational economic power.