Community spotlight
The Blackyard Collective: Where Black Queer Joy Is Revived and Renewed
· Lucid
The Blackyard Collective is a recovery community built by and for Black queer and trans people, rooted in New York City and reaching across the country. Learn what they do, their upcoming national conference, and why their work matters.
Recovery is hard enough on its own. Recovery in a room where nobody looks like you, where nobody shares your story, is harder still. The Blackyard Collective exists to change that. It is a recovery community built by and for Black queer and trans people, rooted in New York City and now reaching across the country, and its tagline says everything: a place where Black queer joy is revived and renewed.
What they do in the community
The Blackyard Collective began the way the best community work begins: small. Intimate brunches, local meetups, people showing up for each other. Over time it grew into a registered nonprofit organization, and its meetings now reach Black people in recovery through international Zoom gatherings as well as in-person events.
The core of the work is creating Black-centered recovery spaces. In interviews, members have described how predominantly white recovery environments can feel isolating for Black people working toward sobriety, and how much changes when the room centers Black experience instead. The Collective's mission is to provide a safe and welcoming space for Black queer individuals to find community, solidarity, and support, and to break down the barriers that keep people from recovery.
That mission shows up in programming that goes well beyond meetings. The BYC Book Club reads and discusses works by Black authors tied to healing, identity, and resilience. Workshops have covered breathwork centered on Black queer people in recovery, Black queer love and intimacy in sobriety, educational journeys, sexual freedom in recovery, and trans and non-binary inclusion and belonging. Celebration is treated as part of the work too: this February, the Collective hosted its Black Love Gala at the LGBT Center in Manhattan, marking ten years of Black queer and trans recovery.
Upcoming events
The biggest thing on the horizon is the first-ever Blackyard Collective National Conference, happening Friday, October 9 through Monday, October 12 at Tahquitz Pines Retreat in Idyllwild, California. The Collective describes it as a homecoming: a sacred space centered on Black queer and trans people in recovery, rooted in joy, healing, and collective liberation, where around 135 people from across the country will gather to deepen their recovery, celebrate their brilliance, amplify their voices, and imagine their future together. Registration, which covered lodging, meals, programming, and bus transportation from Los Angeles, sold out, and a waitlist is open for anyone hoping to join.
The conference joins a calendar of gatherings that have become traditions. The Juneteenth Celebration Weekend, first held in 2021 and now in its sixth year, brings the community together in New York City each June for cookouts, shared meals, and time together. The Fall Retreat, held each October at the historic John Randall House, the only Black-owned guesthouse in Provincetown, offers a weekend of recreation, relaxation, and renewal. Alongside these, the Collective runs fundraisers like the L.A. Cookout and community raffles, with proceeds supporting the national conference and the organization's ongoing work as a registered 501(c)(3).
Anyone who wants to follow along or get involved can find the Collective at blackyardcollective.org.
Why their work matters
Addiction does not discriminate, but recovery spaces have not always been built for everyone. Black queer and trans people face compounded barriers: stigma around addiction, racism inside and outside of recovery rooms, and the particular loneliness of being the only one. A space that centers Black queer experience is not a luxury. It is the difference between staying and leaving, between isolation and connection, between surviving and recovering out loud.
Ten years in, the Blackyard Collective has shown what happens when a community builds the room it needed all along. People find each other. They stay. They celebrate. That is worth honoring, and worth supporting.
At Lucid, we believe connection is everything. We are building a verified dating web app where people can meet, be seen, and be safe being exactly who they are. Community organizations like the Blackyard Collective remind us why that matters: because everyone deserves a space where they belong. Learn more about their work at blackyardcollective.org.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Blackyard Collective?
The Blackyard Collective is a recovery community built by and for Black queer and trans people. Rooted in New York City and now reaching across the country, it offers meetings, workshops, a book club, and community events centered on Black experience in recovery.
When and where is the Blackyard Collective National Conference?
The first-ever national conference runs Friday, October 9 through Monday, October 12 at Tahquitz Pines Retreat in Idyllwild, California. Registration, which covered lodging, meals, programming, and bus transportation from Los Angeles, sold out, and a waitlist is open.
Is the Blackyard Collective a nonprofit?
Yes. It is a registered nonprofit organization, a 501(c)(3). Community fundraisers like the L.A. Cookout and raffles support the national conference and the organization's ongoing work.
How can I get involved or learn more?
You can find meeting information, events, and the conference waitlist at blackyardcollective.org.
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