Black South Rising

Black South Rising was founded in 2018 after six Black HIV leaders came together to support an HIV leader from a Southern AIDS service organization after anti-Black racist behavior by their employer. At the time, many Southern HIV organizations were led by white people while being staffed primarily by Black people, often in ways that mirrored plantation-like power dynamics. For that reason, we made a conscious decision not to focus our energy on attacking one individual organization. Instead, we committed ourselves to doing systems-level work by leveraging our relationships, collective experiences, and shared vision for the Black South we wanted to see.
For the next six years, we met on the third Tuesday of every month to strategize and reimagine what was possible and the role of BSR. What began as a safe space for a small group of HIV leaders to heal, reflect, and reimagine what was possible for Black people in the South grew into a powerful space for collective ideation, healing, planning, and action.

Today, a number of Southern HIV organizations, including the organization referenced above, are led by Black women. The person harmed in 2018 is Black South Rising’s first Executive Director.

Black South Rising is an unapologetically Black serving organization of individuals committed to the liberation of Black people in the South. BSR uses a regional systems-level approach to intersectional cross-movement work grounded in systems change, power building, self-determination, centering Blackness, leadership, human dignity, equity, and accountability.

We envision a South where political power is held by and for Black Southerners, where our collective quality of life is evidenced by dignity, respect, and well-being. We also envision a South as a place where the lived experiences of people of African descent are honored and celebrated through education, self-discovery, healing, and resilience.

Our mission is to build political power for the Black South in order to improve health outcomes and promote healing.

We serve Black people in the South with special focus on Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas.