Alecia Bryan is doing this by rethinking safe spaces through intentional community building. When Bryan is not co-hosting Melanated View on Rogers TV, they are putting community empowerment first with Plump!: an event-based series that is celebrating the dependable and visible Black and Indigenous communities, and other communities of colour within Ontario. Through social, educational, and professional digital events like The Exchange, Plump! is creatively activating conversations surrounding topics like loneliness, interdependence, and intimacy.

Below Alecia invites us into Their home to share with us the importance of BIPOC/queer spaces, persisting through difficulty and embracing ambiguity.

* We would like to note that these photographs were taken in early August 2020 *

WE SEEM TO BE AT A STANDSTILL OF SORTS -  SHIFTS IN THINKING, A CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITY TO TACKLE PERSONAL AND SOCIETAL NORMS. WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN THINKING ABOUT LATELY?

I’ve been thinking about my priorities. I noticed the many ways in which I was not doing what was best for my mental health and well-being. I remember looking in the mirror one day and thinking my lifestyle is not sustainable. I was not sleeping, I was eating a lot of unhealthy foods, I was procrastinating on important projects, I was avoiding the ones I loved because I was tired. Time and time again, my body would try to tell me to slow down but I would continue to push forward in hopes that the hustle would pay off—that one day I'd be happy, one day I'd get to enjoy my life.

The standstill afforded me the opportunity to focus on healing. I was forced to look to myself to fill all my needs and desires. I had to become my own confidant, my own best friend, my own partner.

DID THIS NEWFOUND CLARITY AND HEALING COME EFFORTLESSLY? IF NOT, WHAT KIND OF CHALLENGES DID YOU FACE?

I am not exaggerating when I say I spent two months crying. Recognizing for the first time how little I prioritized my own health and well-being for the sake of my professional life and the lives of my loved ones was hard. It was hard not to fall back into old habits. Learning how unhealthy coping mechanisms can be, as comfortable as they are destructive, was the biggest challenge because I could not distract myself from the consequences of my actions. I couldn’t even justify them for the sake of productivity.

CAN YOU SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR CULTURAL BACKGROUND, AND HOW THAT HAS INFLUENCED YOUR WORK?

I am half Jamaican, half Guyanese, and first-generation Canadian. Until adulthood, my connection to my culture was very thin, rooted in classic songs from Sunday cleaning mixtapes, and food that we would eat during the holidays—specifically pepper pot, roti, curry chicken, and black cake. It’s not until recently that I have become hungry for more. I want to know the people who made me possible. I want to know their stories, their strengths, and challenges. This desire has pushed me to be vulnerable in my work. It has inspired the curiosity that I have for the communities that surround me.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR SPACE/HOME?

I often think back to my student days where I only had a tiny room, a twin-sized bed, and a tiny fold-out desk I would stash underneath my bed. It was terribly uninspired; a space to sleep and write papers. My home was a place where I went to sleep and rushed out first thing in the morning.

A couple of years ago I decided I would no longer waste money on pieces I could not see in my space for a lifetime. I've been patient and intentional when it comes to what enters my home, so it has taken some time to fill, but all of my staples, save an IKEA bookshelf, have been thrifted with intention.

I've been lucky enough to curate a space where I can cry, laugh, host (outside of COVID), dance, and just live. It’s nice to be in a space that inspires instead of 4 plain white walls.

LONDON HAS NEVER SEEN ANYTHING QUITE LIKE PLUMP! IT’S BY AND FOR BIPOC IN THE COMMUNITY BUT IT ALSO DOES THIS WITH A CERTAIN UNIQUE ENERGY. WHAT DO YOU AND HARINA HOPE TO CULTIVATE IN THE CITY WITH WHAT YOU’RE DOING WITH PLUMP?

Honestly, we were tired of very rarely seeing events that catered to our passions and curiosities. Being in spaces where you’re the only one that looks like you is exhausting. Needing to educate in order to be understood is draining. And while there is always the opportunity to go to Toronto, we both decided there needed to be a shift. Creating a space where we instinctively feel comfortable should not be a novelty. It should be a standard. We are grateful to be one of many groups in London that are making it a reality.

THE PANDEMIC HAS LIFTED THE VEIL ON THE EXTENT OF SOCIAL INEQUITIES ACROSS THE BOARD. AS MUCH AS THIS HAS BEEN AN INCREDIBLY TUMULTUOUS TIME TO RECONCILE WITH, WHAT ARE SOME UNIVERSAL POSITIVES THAT MIGHT RESULT FROM THIS UNVEILING? AS A BLACK NON-BINARY ARTIST WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ENVISION IN OUR POST-PANDEMIC FUTURE, GIVEN THIS PARTICULAR AWAKENING?

Universal positives: visibility, active community uplifting, very little gatekeeping, accountability, and accessibility. The queer community has always been so giving and ready to show up for each other, but this year’s circumstances have supercharged people.

As an artist, I hope that the confidence these communities have given me effectively translates to the real world. I've been much more adventurous and have allowed myself the freedom to experiment. I hope it continues when we can comfortably be around large groups again.

TELL US MORE ABOUT THE EXCHANGE. HOW DID THAT IDEA COME TO BE?

The Exchange has been in the Plump! universe for a while, but it was truly born out of the standstill. Vulnerability started flowing with ease when every interaction became intentional. Between Harina and I, “how are you?” became “what are you thinking?” or “what are you feeling?”. Answers transformed from pre-rehearsed “I’m good, how are you?” to detailed and lengthy conversations.

In that spirit, we decided to launch The Exchange to cultivate this shift within the community. It proved to be perfect timing on the heels of the BLM protests here in London. Since August, we have met monthly (currently via Zoom due to COVID restrictions) to discuss topics such as loneliness, transmutation, and intimacy. It has been amazing to witness the deepened connections between those who have participated.

YOU ARE EMBARKING ON A NEW ENDEAVOUR AS A TV HOST. CAN YOU SHARE MORE ABOUT THAT?

Yes I am, and I cannot believe it! I’ll be hosting a show called Melanated View along with 4 amazing women. We will be discussing topics under a Canadian lens, aiming at opening up a dialogue on our experiences as Black people in the diaspora. I’m so happy to be part of such a platform as a non-binary, queer Black person. I hope to do a good job representing my community.

WHAT IS ONE QUESTION YOU WISH PEOPLE ASKED YOU MORE OFTEN?

“What are your pronouns?”

I wish that it was common for people to inquire instead of assuming. I say that lightly as someone who has existed in very queer spaces wherein asking is second nature.

But I know that it’s just a symptom of a deeper wish.

I wish I could show up as I am without having to intentionally carve a space where I can exist wholesomely as myself.

Every time I fall deeper into myself, I'm confronted with the fact that it’s just another way I'll have to advocate to be seen as I am.

AND WHAT ARE YOUR PRONOUNS?

Good question! Right now, “they/them”. “She”, only if we’re family or an unintentional slip.

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