Black And Pink: Rhetorical Analysis

Black and Pink is a pro LGBT organization whose primary objective is to end the prison industrial complex. In sum, this group directs its focus to the damaging effects of mass incarceration on LGBTQ persons, presenting a “radical,…anti capital[ist],…feminist,…[and] anti racist” approach to queer liberation. Black and Pink was founded by Rev. Jason Lydon, and began in 2005 as a personal pen pal project in Boston, Massachusetts after he experienced the distinctive sexual abuse of an LGBT segregated prison. By 2010, Lydon’s program became organized on a larger scale and was composed of multiple state chapters. Currently, the group consists of nine chapters and is managing pen pal programs, advocating educational resources on mass incarceration
Instead of using language to dehumanize, stereotype, or further isolate its members, it is used to construct a larger community built on recognition for each individual’s unique identity. In doing so, the rhetoric of the Black and Pink website is inclusive and intersectional. To emphasize, regarding the meaning of LGBTQ, the site recognizes that, “Sexuality and gender are much bigger than these letters…we want to find better words for all people who identify outside of…strict gender boundaries.” Accordingly, religious identities are not omitted, but incorporated into support groups. Principally, Black and Pink manages a monthly newspaper publishing inmate art, poetry, and writing, and conducts a pen pal program providing incarcerated LGBTQ connections to people outside of prison. By publicizing incarcerated voices, these projects challenge a society that regularly dismisses the humanity of people behind prison walls. Another critical aspect of the pen pal program is its ability to mobilize court accompaniment for members in Boston. Boston members have stated that the presence of Black and Pink members can change court rulings. On another note, having a pen pal is a basic means of providing inmates with hope and occasional visits. Furthermore, members are often disowned by family, but find a community through these programs. Both the pen pal program and newsletter
Although it is not explicitly stated, it should be presupposed that their main goal is to uplift and support the most isolated identities of the LGBTQ community. Nevertheless, this group advocates the multifaceted nature of each identity. In the words of scholar and activist Angela Davis, “Prisons do not disappear social problems, they disappear human beings.” In essence, Black and Pink is working to reverse the practice of silencing that the prison industrial complex relies on to perform its disappearing