The year after its founding, By Us For Us (BUFU) was crowned “The Dopest NYC Art Collective You’ve Never Heard Of” by Vibe magazine, which was both accurate and conveyed something of its unique high-low mash-up sensibility. The group’s approach is grounded in pedagogy, critical theory, and protest movements, but also brings ambitious programming and technological knowledge to bear on self-care and wellness, all with a focus on members of the African and Asian diasporas. Since it was founded in 2015 by Jazmin Jones, Jiun Kwon, Tsige Tafesse, Katherine Tom, and Suhyun Choi, the collective has partnered with a huge range of organizations and individuals on an equally rich array of programs. BUFU and its partners have worked on month-long pop-up programs, a free summer school (with classes like “Reimagining Debt and Sustainability: A Collective Approach” and “Twerk Shop: Workshop”), a how-to zine for direct action, and much, much more. Most recently, BUFU teamed with the nonprofit China Residencies to create CLOUD9, an online program of virtual events in March and April that was open to anyone affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We don’t want to be experts on what black-Asian solidarity is, but we’re hoping, through our politics, to have an influence on what’s going on globally,” Tom told Nylon back in 2017. “In light of what’s happening politically in the world, how do we show up for each other in a way that extends beyond theory?”
The 5 co-founders of this project (Jazmin Jones, Jiun Kwon, Tsige Tafesse, Katherine Tom, and Suhyun Choi) started BUFU in September 2015. Since then, we’ve expanded our work through collaborating with multiple partner organizations, collectives, and individuals. We wish to to highlight the lived experiences of those who have been impacted politically and socially by white supremacy, while de-centering whiteness and resurfacing our deeply interconnected and complicated histories. This evolving archive lives online, on a screen, in an exhibition, in a journal, with endless possibilities for growth.

BUFU IS BY US FOR US

// WYFY WITH YOU FOR YOU.

A PROJECT BASED COLLECTIVE INTERESTED IN SOLIDARITY AMONGST US, CO-CREATING WITH YOU EXPERIMENTAL MODELS OF ORGANIZING & MAKING A PRACTICE OF PRACTICING LIBERATION & LOVE.

 

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I want to bring awareness to the injustices women and girls face around the world.


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