Valerie Summers Black Trans Justice & Futures Fund

Valerie dreamed of a world where Black trans women could live without fear, where their brilliance and power were recognized and nurtured. Through this fund, we commit to making that vision a reality. We invite you to join us in this fight—because justice delayed is justice denied, and the time to act is now.

Valerie should still be here!

She should still be laughing with us.
Dreaming with us.
Organizing with us.
Teaching us.
Holding us accountable.
Building futures alongside us.

What does it mean to say we love Black Trans women if we do not materially protect their lives?

When crisis and violence comes, be it physical, emotional, sexual violence and/or housing instability, food insecurity, migration, healthcare emergencies, legal precarity, family rejection, job loss, too many Black Trans women are left navigating survival alone.

But because systems continue to fail them.

And because too many institutions celebrate Black Trans leadership publicly while underinvesting in Black Trans survival privately.

We refuse to accept that as normal.

In memory of Valerie Summer Herrera, AfroResistance have launched the The Valerie Summer Herrera Fund for Black Trans Liberation a regional fund rooted in urgency, dignity, care, and political imagination.

This is collective responsibility. This is what love looks like in material form.

This fund will provide direct emergency support for Black Trans women across the Americas while helping us build long-term infrastructure for safety, leadership, and liberation.

Because survival should never depend on luck.

Because brilliance deserves protection.

Because Black Trans women deserve more than crisis management.

Trans Women deserve futures.

What your gift will support

Your contribution will help Black Trans women access:

Emergency stabilization
Housing assistance, relocation support, transportation, emergency safety planning, and crisis response.

Food and daily survival
Immediate assistance when basic needs become barriers to dignity and safety.

Healthcare and healing
Gender-affirming care, urgent medical needs, mental health support, and wellness resources.

Legal and migration support
Immigration-related emergencies, legal navigation, advocacy, and protection.

Education and economic possibility
Scholarships, leadership development, skill-building, and pathways beyond survival.

Community care
Mutual aid, collective healing, accompaniment, and trans-led support systems rooted in Black dignity.

Why $500,000?

Because we are thinking bigger than survival.

We are building infrastructure.

This first phase will help establish one of the few regional Black Trans emergency and liberation funds centered specifically on the realities of Black Trans women across the Americas.

Our goal is to mobilize immediate support while co-designing sustainable systems for care, accountability, leadership, and collective protection.

We believe Black Trans women should not have to wait until crisis to be seen.

We believe care should not depend on luck.

We believe liberation must be resourced.

And we believe Valerie’s name deserves to live inside something that protects people.

Help us build something that outlives grief. Help us turn loss into protection. Help us create futures where Black Trans women are safe enough to dream.

Give today. Share widely. Build with us.

Because Black Trans women deserve to live. Fully. Safely. Joyfully.

The Valerie Summer Herrera Fund for Black Trans Liberation

Help us build a $500,000 emergency and liberation fund for Black Trans women across the Americas in honor of Valerie Summer Herrera.

Team Members