J Mase III is a Black/Trans/queer poet & educator based in Seattle by way of Philly. As an educator, Mase has worked with community members in the US, UK, and Canada on the needs of LGBTQIA+ folks and racial justice in spaces such as K-12 schools, universities, faith communities, and restricted care facilities. He is the founder of awQward, the first trans and queer people of color talent agency.
He was raised by a Baptist Mother and Nation of Islam father.
J Mase is the author of And Then I Got Fired: One Transqueer’s Reflections on Grief, Unemployment & Inappropriate Jokes About Death as well as White Folks Be Trippin’: An Ethnography Through Poetry & Prose.
Currently, he is the head writer for the theatrical production Black Bois and is co-editor of the Black Trans Prayer Book.
Find him on Instagram (@jmaseiii) and www.jmaseiii.com!
Why did you agree to join BTF’s advisory committee?
“Because I believe in this transformative time, we are going through a Black Trans Renaissance that has the power to shift the cultural and material reality of Black Trans & Non-Binary folks for generations to come.”