Want to change the world? Join a non-profit agency! At an organization full of compassionate visionaries dedicated to making the world a better place, nothing could possibly go wrong – right?

Okay, so nobody’s perfect, and no non-profit is the perfect agent for change. As you may know, some aspects of non-profits can be stressful, challenging, and even counter-productive to the ultimate goals of social change work. And that can be hard for me to hold, knowing that even people with the best intentions can contribute to creating obstacles in the way of true liberation.

Luckily, we now have some courageous folks to help us name what goes on in the wacky world of non-profits, through a new activist-artist group called Peacock Rebellion. And they’re doing it all with fun and sass, as well as a deep sense of hope in the power of true activism.

Peacock Rebellion is centered around queer and trans people of color, and the artists craft their work through lenses of intersectionality, interconnection, interdependence and transnationalism. These artists aren’t afraid to speak the truth about the dangers of a non-profit industrial complex that upholds problematic patterns and stifles activists' dreams.

The truth is, we don’t have to accept the problems of the non-profit world, even with the best intentions. As Peacock Rebellion founder Manish Vaidya says, “we can dream bigger.”

Our big dreams take center stage at Agen(c)y: Nonprofit Dreams + Disaster, Peacock Rebellion’s first cabaret. Twelve queer and trans people of color use comedy, film, burlesque and more to critique the current state of social change, and to share their freedom dreams. The tremendously talented performers include Lambda Literary Award winner Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, Deep Dickollective founder Juba Kalamka, and Mia McKenzie, of the revolutionary blog Black Girl Dangerous. In addition to the all-star performers and curators (Maya Chapina and Manish Vaidya), there’s an all-star line up of sponsors: INCITE, Mangos with Chili, POOR Magazine/Prensa POBRE, Queer Rebels, and QWOCMAP. In other words, a whole lot of fierceness has gone into this show.

Agen(c)y: Nonprofit Dreams + Disaster premiered last night to a packed house at La Peña Cultural Center, and tonight’s show is nearly sold out, so it may be too late to see it on this run. But don’t worry! We’ll be seeing much more of Peacock Rebellion’s amazing work. To find out more, you can visit their website or their Facebook page, and to offer your support, visit the Indiegogo page.

I just came across this hilarious video on Clutch Magazine Online, and I have to share. Speaking of using humor to expose injustice, comedian Sasheer Zamata tells her story of street harassment with surprising honesty and a clever sense of humor. Watch and see what you think. For another great short film on street harassment, check out Nuala Cabral's "Walking Home." I'm so glad to see these films lifting up this perspective.

After I wrote about the "agenda" problem yesterday, I realized there are certain subjects I've avoided lately, partly because I would have an impossible time approaching them without my "agenda" coming through boldly and unapologetically. Now I wonder why I thought that was a bad thing.

I've avoided the hot topic of Daniel Tosh's rape joke, for instance, partly because I know my own experiences would influence my response. But how's that for silencing myself? I guess I fall under Sarah Silverman's joke about the laziness of rape comedy  - "'Cause who’s going to complain about a rape joke? Rape victims? They don’t even report rape."

But I've been watching closely as others respond, and what I really like about this whole conversation is that it's so complex. The best responses acknowledge that there are no absolutes - it's not that rape jokes always work, or never work. But Tosh has sparked an important conversation about how to make a rape joke work without being, well, a "lazy asshole."

In the spirit of not showing an agenda, the Women's Media Center has put together this video of rape comedy. You can watch and decide for yourself why some of these jokes seem to expose injustice in a hilarious way, while others, well...I'll just let you characterize them for yourself.

It's been a while since I've been excited about a new movie, but here's one I can hardly wait to see, and it's not even completed yet!

Creators of the film "Dear White People" released a trailer as part of their Indiegogo campaign to raise enough money to complete their project. Since then, they've received media attention, exceeded their original fundraising goal, and sparked a lively conversation about the concept of race identity in a so-called "post-racial" society. Clearly, I'm not the only one eagerly awaiting the release of this film.

The film is "a satire about being a black face in a white place." I want to see it because it looks so funny, and I'm also curious about how it addresses the issues it brings up. I've been thinking a lot about humor, identity, and speaking up against oppression, especially after participating in last week's National Queer Arts Festival Edition of That's What She Said! The show was hilarious, and it also went beyond simple entertainment to speak to issues of gender, sexuality, and what it means to have to struggle to claim your identity.

In an article on the Huffington Post, Justin Simien, writer, director, and producer of "Dear White People," discusses his motivations for making the film. He says, "The truth is, my film really isn't about 'white racism' or racism at all. As I see it racism is systemic and is inherently reflected in any honest story about life as a minority in this country. What my film is about however is identity. It's about the difference between how the mass culture responds to a person because of their race and who they understand themselves to truly be."

Watch the trailer and see what you think. You can visit the Dear White People tumblr page, and follow Dear White People on Twitter, to keep up with the film's progress. 

I'm back from my MFA residency, and I can't think of a better welcome back to the Bay than tonight's event. I'm reading some poems as part of the special National Queer Arts Festival edition of That's What She Said! It's a variety show featuring a bunch of crazy-talented women, so I'll just be trying to live up to my place on this brilliant line-up. The poems I'm reading are supposed to be funny, and though it's quite possible that the audience will laugh at me and not with me, I know I'm going to have a blast. The show is hosted by the fabulous host of all hosts, Wonder Dave, and by Caitlin Gill, whose comedy is really blowing up on the scene lately. The lineup promises, laughs, music, and more - visit the show's website for details.

My residency was a lot of work, but it was also so much fun, reminding me that one of my reasons for writing and performing is just to enjoy myself. So, That's What She Said! Queer Arts Edition is the perfect way to settle back into doing what I love here at home, and it's also the perfect setting for showing up as my real, strange self.

You may remember that I was part of a previous edition of That's What She Said!, as half of the comedy duo The Hermana Sisters. You can watch videos from that show here on Vimeo. It was so much fun! So I can't wait to be part of the fun again tonight, at 8 pm, at The Garage's new location, 715 Bryant St in San Francisco. Hope to see you there!

Black folk don't blog. No, we keep our business to ourselves. If we share it with anyone, it's family. Black folk don't write. Just look at the widely accepted U.S. literary canon and you know a young black woman like me has no business trying to be a writer. Also, black folk don't talk about things like violence, survival or healing. We survive, wordlessly, and go on with our lives.

Okay, so clearly it's not that simple. I do all of the above. But it's amazing what it can to do to a person, the amount of hesitation or fear or self-doubt that can sneak in when I feel compelled to do something after hearing that "black folk don't."

The idea behind the documentary web series "Black Folk Don't" is to have conversations about those activities that often complete the statement "black folk don't..." Series creator Angela Tucker talks to folks who show that there are exceptions to every rule, and also some history, some pain, some shame and some humor behind each one. It makes for a very insightful show. In an interview just published on The Root, Tucker chats about season one of "Black Folk Don't," as well as the upcoming second season.

Let's see, what else don't black people do? Black folk don't identify as queer. If we do lean that way, we certainly keep it to ourselves. Oh, and black folk don't get tattoos. Black folk don't listen to white folks' music. And black folk don't love animals. We certainly don't occasionally refer to our cats as "soulmates." And if we did, we certainly wouldn't admit to it on a public blog.

Let's talk about what we do and don't, and why. It seems like a good step toward understanding one another, beyond the limits that sometimes hold us back.