This month, we’re giving Chastity her flowers while she can hold them.

Before the awards.
Before the titles.
Before the rooms knew her name.
There was Chastity.

Opening doors.
Making the call.
Creating the opportunity.
Mentoring somebody through the moment they thought they couldn’t make it through.
Holding people together when nobody was watching.
Making sure the work did not stop.

What the world gets to see is only the tip of the iceberg.

Because Chastity Bowick-Hardgers’ leadership has never been about being seen doing the work. It is about people being different because she did it.

On September 25, our Executive Director turns 41, and at MPJI, we’re celebrating the human behind the leadership. The woman who leads with intention, expects excellence, makes room for joy, and reminds us that care and accountability can live in the same house.

And from those of us lucky enough to call her our boss: thank you. For trusting us. For challenging us. For caring about who we are while asking us to become who we can be. For carrying Marsha’s legacy with purpose and keeping Black trans people, our brilliance, our possibility and our power at the center.

So we’re asking 41 people to give $41 a month in Chastity’s honor.

41 for 41.

Not simply to celebrate a birthday, but to invest in the work she has spent years building, protecting and pushing forward.

Chastity, these are your flowers.

Happy 41st Birthday. We see you. We appreciate you. And we’re still growing. 💐

Give $41 monthly Today!