The Resistance Lab

Overview

BlaqOut is launching The Resistance Lab, a multi-tiered political organizing and advocacy platform rooted in the lived experiences of Black LGBTQ+ Missourians and designed to catalyze a new generation of civic leaders.

Over an 18-month period, this innovative initiative will build skills, cultivate leadership, and drive policy change by training organizers through intensive civic boot camps, leadership development intensives, and a year-round fellowship.

At a time when Black and LGBTQ+ communities are under relentless attack—from rollbacks in civil rights to public health funding cuts and legislative assaults on bodily autonomy—The Resistance Lab ensures those most impacted are prepared, resourced, and strategically positioned to fight back and lead forward.

Background and Need

Black LGBTQ+ Missourians face some of the harshest inequities in health, housing, political representation, and economic opportunity. These communities have also been the least represented in formal civic and policy spaces, despite their long-standing leadership in social justice movements.

The Resistance Lab addresses this systemic exclusion by placing the tools of power—political education, organizing strategy, and policy fluency—into the hands of those closest to the pain. As Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley so powerfully said, “The people closest to the pain should be closest to the power.”

Intended Outcomes

The Resistance Lab aims to:

Increase voter registration and Get Out The Vote (GOTV) efforts;
Expand community voice and representation in local and state policymaking;
Develop a sustainable leadership pipeline for civic engagement and issue advocacy;
Strengthen Missouri’s statewide coalition infrastructure with a justice-centered lens;
Drive long-term, equity-focused policy wins in health, civil rights, and economic justice.