In the last year or so, we have witnessed and endured great tragedies, in our own communities and in others across the world. With strength and resilience, we have continued to fight for justice, in hopes to one day find freedom for us all. As an act of solidarity, the members of the QSoCC committee decided to cancel the conference for the year of 2024–a decision that, while difficult to make, felt extremely important. Part of what holds us together is the understanding that we must stand for our right as humans to live freely and authentically, without condemnation.

In one example, renaissance was used to describe a period of time when Black political and social art was on the rise in the communities of Harlem, New York in the early 1900’s. A moment we pay homage to in this year’s theme. When you hear the word “renaissance”, you might think of these revivals of art and literature in history—or possibly the famous Beyonce album comes to mind. In a general sense, it can be thought of as “rebirth” or “re-emergence”. It is in this spirit that we have come back this year, with vigor and an eagerness to display our ability to endure and come out evermore persistent in our fight for change, evermore solid in our values. However you may interpret it, it all fits in the context of our lives and our journey to liberation.

Our vision for this year’s QTSoCC is to make it a space for celebration of our continuance; an acknowledgement of all our triumphs in the face of adversity and attempts to extinguish us. It will be a re-introduction to our collective fire—our joy, our grief, our passion and the many other parts of our experience that make up who we are. We hope to revel in the authenticity of that experience, and use it as fuel to continue fighting for our shared liberation.

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