SPICY is a collective led by women of color and queer/trans people of color working at the intersection of art, organizing, and publishing. Launched in February 2018, SPICY has published over 80 articles, held over a dozen events, and most importantly, we’ve disrupted the white-dominated media landscape.
Our founding team began organizing in November 2017 to co-birth this project because we all felt there was a lack of diversity not only in art and media as institutions, but specifically in the leadership of those spaces. Our team — a mix of first-gens, immigrants, native New Yorkers, queer people of color, artists, writers, activists and more — felt that the nuanced and complicated duality of living with multiple identities was an experience not wholly captured in today’s media. Rooted in an intersectional feminist foundation, SPICY was not only born out of a frustration with mainstream media’s current landscape, but also a knowledge of the beauty and depth that exists in WoC and QTPoC communities. This is a space not only for us and by us, but because of us and our ancestors.
Since our inception we have worked for nearly two years to create zines, spaces, and an organizational culture that empowers WoC and QTPoC to create, express, debate, learn, unlearn, and ultimately reclaim our own stories. As we’ve embarked on various initiatives, from Build ‘n Chill, to Unpack That: A Panel Series, to our PoC Open Mic, the publication of 001 and later Queering the Alphabet, and much more. To collaborate, join, or learn more, email us at hello@spicyzine.com.
OUR VISION
SPICY envisions a world where…
- We love our bodies, our environment, and one another.
- We are safe, loved, and empowered in our own bodies.
- We practice radical self-love and find pleasure.
- We are free to be in and expressive of our love for whomever.
- We tap into generational healing and knowledge, not just generational traumas.
- We do not experience gender-based violence, assault, and scrutinization of our bodies.
- Consent is a norm.
- All patriarchal/colonialist/capitalist systems that are punitive and harmful to people and the planet are dismantled.
- These systems would include but are not limited to
- labor systems
- prison systems
- welfare systems
- housing systems
- healthcare systems
- immigration systems
- electoral politics
- state surveillance (ICE, police, parole, etc)
- white supremacy
- structures and powers that are responsible for climate change (corporations that are responsible for global emissions, industrialization of the food industry, etc.)
- …and a rebuilding of new systems that center restorative and healing justice.
- People come before profit.
- The state is held accountable and reparations are paid to
- black people, who not only built this country but whose culture has been exploited and extracted for white-minded capitalist gain.
- indigenous people whose land we occupy.
- Leadership does not entail hierarchy, rather, it is built, shared, and transferable.
- We are eco-centric, not ego-centric.
- There is no price tag on education. All forms of education are valid, not just formal academic institutions.
- Community > Competition. We support the community around us and learn from each other in order to work towards the betterment of society, developing a foundation for a better tomorrow.
- These systems would include but are not limited to
- Art is seen and valued as a transformative tool that is capable of changing the world.
- We no longer have to define our art in comparison or relation to the white gaze and are given the platforms we deserve. It wouldn’t be unique for us to have these platforms.
- SPICY may not even need to exist if our vision came true.
OUR MISSION
SPICY is a collective led by and for women of color and queer/trans people of color working at the intersection of arts, organizing, and publishing. We operate with the understanding that art is a transformative tool, and our mission is to harness its power to make meaningful change in the world. Utilizing our fundamental practices, we work to create spaces for our community that mirror the world we wish to see.
These practices include creating:
- Platforms for women of color and queer/trans people of color to produce media, including our online magazine and print zines.
- Multidisciplinary events to foster community and celebrate each other.
- A SPICY culture that is based on collaboration, fluid leadership, and the belief that nothing worth accomplishing is accomplished alone.
SPICY 