We need you this Juneteenth

Your favorite Black lit mag is turning a new corner...

Hey y’all, Ava here. It’s your favorite Black lit mag coming at you with an honest reckoning and exciting updates. If you love our platform, want to learn about the reality of running a literary organization, or just want to hear what we’ve got going on, please read on:

What began as a group of frustrated Black writers has become a stalwart of independent media in an increasingly fascist world order. Since we got started in 2022, we’ve distributed hundreds of magazines about Black thought and expression, created a free workshop for Black and Indigenous writers, and become one of the very few literary platforms built to publish and uplift Black, queer, trans, and non-Western voices.

This month, we are launching a paid newsletter here on Substack, which includes:

• Exclusive writing

• Discounts on our printed editions

• Access to creative and community-building workshops…

…delivered straight to your inbox every month. We’ve put so much care and attention into creating a newsletter worth paying for, and I’d like to take a second to explain the intention behind this decision.

Our team has put in a lot of work to give off a professional and polished vibe, but here’s the truth:

Ebony Tomatoes has not been accepted for a single grant we’ve applied to.

We’re not working with any generational wealth or nepotism hand-outs.

At the moment, we have no institutional donors or paid advertising partnerships.

We are not a corporation.

We are a group of Black, queer, and working class volunteers who are resisting the colonial clusterfuck of state-sanctioned media.

We all work at least one other job, dedicating our remaining time to creating high-quality magazines, digital literary platforms, bi-coastal photoshoots, community events, Melanated Media columns, and weekly mutual aid posts.

Photo Credit: Brooke Kamille

Lit mags like Ebony Tomatoes aren’t just passion projects—they require the labor and time commitment of (at least) a part-time job. I love my work as Editor-in-Chief. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

However, the reality often looks like: Working up to 20 or more unpaid hours every week on top of a regular day job. Worrying about the cost of groceries at the checkout line while responding to emails from writers and editors. Very late nights. Many tears. Pulling from personal savings to travel to zine fairs and community events. Receiving “We regret to inform you…” emails from grant organizations. Trying to make ends meet not only for my family and I, but for my incredibly talented group of friends who have poured their love and labor into this collective. While our passion for this work has sustained us for three years, our platform—and the demands placed on us—is growing fast.

While I have not made any profit from Ebony Tomatoes yet, I hope that the team and I can begin to reap the fruits of our labor. In a time of deep financial insecurity and material threats to our survival, your support can literally change our lives and allow us to continue our work.

I know we’re all tired of opening our wallets in this last stage of capitalism. However, our paid newsletter costs only $5 a month, which is less than a round-trip on the Subway, an oat milk latte, or a can of beer. Newsletter proceeds will go towards building a consistent payment structure for the people who create Ebony Tomatoes magazines, write our newsletters, and operate our social media and events.

If you want to see more independent media on your bookshelves and digital feeds, if you dream of new worlds led by poets with a fire in their eyes and melanated stories to tell, join our fight and help us raise hell. You can upgrade your subscription through our Substack. Thank you for your support, for it truly takes all of us to achieve liberation.

With love,

Ava Emilione-EIC