Passion Profile: Sage Dolan-Sandrino

Activism

Sep 13

Passion Profile, a monthly interview series for the Politics & Activism section, spotlights the community work of grassroots organizers who discuss how the intersectionality of their identity influences their political education and engagement with the world.

Parachute has partnered with Instagram to amplify the voices of Gen-Z community activists of color who have utilized their social media platform to provide educational tools and access to resources, inspiring other youth organizers to engage in this new wave of activism and social media engagement.

Sage Grace Dolan-Sandrino, a 20-year-old Afro-Cuban creative, public speaker and organizer became an activist when she came out to the world as transgender at the age of 13. When met with hostility from her school community, in dire pursuit to live her truth, Sage and her mom enlisted the help of The Human Rights Campaign in hopes of transforming the environment through comprehensive queer ally training and academic resources. By the age of 16, she was an accomplished writer with multiple story credits for Teen Vogue about gender identity and the trans community under the Trump administration. She began speaking to adults and professionals in the field on issues of gender identity, race, art and education.

How does your cultural background or upbringing impact your organizing?

Sage: As a mixed Black trans woman, the intersections of my identities influence both my lived experience and my art.

Black trans women have always been the leaders at the forefront of every civil and human rights movement, fighting for everyone’s freedom — ultimately, even the freedom of those who one day may harm us.

Being raised in D.C. also allowed me access to a culture of community organizing that encouraged my inner changemaker.

How does social media/Instagram serve as a tool for your organizing/community work?

Sage: Instagram facilitates so many uncommon connections! Instagram has allowed me to connect with and share space with so many other young creators who I may never otherwise have been aware of. Beyond encouraging uncommon connections, I utilize Instagram as my main publication avenue for my independent youth zine, TEAM Mag @theteammag. Our philosophy in using Instagram is fulfilled by our desire to keep our community and content accessible and free to anyone who seeks it!

What does revolution/liberation mean to you?

Sage: To me, liberation and revolution are the radical acts of deconstructing oppressive and harmful social, cultural, political and financial systems that keep us from thriving. Ultimately, liberation is the revolutionary pursuit of a reality in which I am equipped with everything I need to “simply be”!

What does decolonization look like?

Sage: De-centering whiteness and cisness in our every day. Shifts in culture begin with shifts in media and representation. My efforts toward decolonization manifest through my art and community. In my personal creative practice and at TEAM, I choose to invest in opportunities for Black and brown queer folks to see ourselves represented in narratives of joy, excellence, celebration, thriving and love, narratives that we are often denied an opportunity to see ourselves reflected in.

How do we build collective solidarity and mobilization?

Sage: Solidarity cannot be built only through awareness and education, but the will for solidarity must come from inside oneself!

We must understand that not a single one of us is free until we ALL are. The issues of Black trans folks ARE the issues of Black folks! We must interrogate the lines of separation that have been drawn amongst our communities and recognize that homophobia, transphobia, and ableism like racism and colorism are tools of white supremacy and we all must fight against these systems together.

How do you deal with burnout?

Sage: It’s a hard question to answer. I’m not exactly sure how I deal with burnout since in a way, being burnt out is my job. As a freelancer and community leader it’s hard to find a break especially when taking that break may be the difference between rent being paid or not. I am, however, working towards developing more self-care and anti-burn-out routines. Ultimately, sharing space and time with my community and those closest to me making art together is what recharges me.

The stories of Black, brown, and queer individuals are frequently told through watered-down retellings that often fail to include accurate depictions of their lived experiences. Excluding marginalized individuals from dictating the reiteration of their own narratives is far too common within mainstream media. Luckily, there are some things we can collectively do to combat the appropriation of peoples’ life stories and experiences.

You can support Sage, and other artists like Sage, by actively participating in the consumption of media and art conceived, created, and relayed by Black, brown and queer communities.

Here’s some of what The Team Mag is all about:

“At TEAM we are actively exploring the possibility of transforming the existing capitalist structures in media. We are in pursuit of creating an equitable, authentic, impactful, and universally accessible community youth platform. For too long the stories of our Teammates have been not only told without them, but intentionally altered in order to preserve pervasive anti-black, brown, and queer narratives. We are creating a future where WE can thrive, innovate, share, and build endlessly. At TEAM we are engineering possibility.”