Mondo got up to a LOT in the last few years. Here are some of the highlights from 2024.
He and his partner Q also starting curating mask required events for the BIQTPOC community in Sacramento, depending on need and community request, under Haus of Do Events, starting with The Sexual Liberation Speakeasy for Love Liberated Sacramento in January, which was mask required and featured an all BlackQT variety show.
He was able to continue his work with academic writing. He collaborated with his peers, N. Davis, M. Seiferle-Valencia, J. Saldaña, D. Brame on “The Library is NOT for Everyone (Yet): Disability, Accommodations, and Working in Libraries” in February. (https://crln.acrl.org/index.php/crlnews/article/view/26204/34145).
In February, he was also able to work with community in Stockton, CA to put on their first BlackQueer History Pride event and spoke on a BlackQueer Panel addressing community needs and experiences.
In March, he was featured in Sacramento’s city marketing campaign, Unapologetically Sacramento to bring a spotlight on the diversity of Sacramento’s Queer and Trans community, and local Drag kings.
He also was able to participate in career day at his former high school to introduce the students to Librarianship as a career, and clear up confusions around that work.
He was additionally honored as a 2024 TRANSfutures Commissions grantee by Fresh Meat Productions, which enabled him to redistribute more funds to his community and continue to create!
In April, he was proud to perform in Johnnay Lasha’s music video for her song “Pressed”.
He created a mask required BlackQueer variety show for Juneteenth and Pride in Sacramento in June, titled The Blacker the Berry! He also organized with Love Liberated to put on a BlackQueer Family Cookout for Juneteenth. Additionally he performed at Elk Grove Pride, an event he has previously curated an all Black drag show for in 2023.
He also made the papers in Chico for his storytelling performance as a part of Bonfire Storytelling in June, telling a new story after his debut in October 2023.
Finally, in June, he was able to present on Juneteenth, for San Jose State University, with renowned storyteller Binnie Tate Wilkin, and librarian icon Richard Ashby, Jr. in collaboration with the California Librarians Black Caucus.
In July, he became a general board member with Love Liberated, with a focus on addressing accessibility in the community. He also joined Borealis Philanthropy as a Participatory Grantmaker for their Disability Inclusion Fund.
Mondo also worked hard to bring more of the BlackQueer Community in greater Sacramento together, by organizing as BlackQueerSacramento, creating events with Covid precautions for his BlackQT community, including a BlackQueer Mixer in April, the Beach Blackout in August, a Black centric collaboration with local event organization, Big Queer Cookout, and a BlackQueer Hike in November.
The Black Violet Revue was showcased at Stockton Pride in September!
His article “Information and intersectionality in the digital millennium” was published in Education for Information (https://doi.org/10.1177/01678329241300576) in November.
He took a break from performance, and put the Black Violet Revue on temporary hiatus.
None of this would have been possible with the support and love of his community. He was blessed to have housing, and food, and care as he ran around doing all the things.
Thank you for reading! And that’s what you missed in 2024 regarding the work of Mondo Connections!
Mondo Connections 