Okra Project

In 2022, the Okra Project’s founding executive director Dominique Morgan was fired by the organization ³ and charged by New York City prosecutors for allegedly misappropriating $163,665 in Okra Project funds for her own use. ⁴

Overview

The Okra Project was founded in 2018 by transgender actress and activist Ianne Fields Stewart, along with Meliq August of the restaurant Zaddy’s Kitchen. ^{5 6} The organization’s original mission was to hire Black transgender chefs to cook meals in the homes of low-income or disabled Black transgender people, with an emphasis on foods from African cuisines. ⁷ It initially provided services in Philadelphia, before in-home visits were stopped due to COVID-19 restrictions. ⁷

After the outbreak of COVID-19, the project shifted its focus from cooking meals to mental health and expanded its reach beyond Philadelphia. It established the Nina Pop Mental Health Recovery Fund and the Tony McDade Mental Health Recovery Fund to support mental health services for Black transgender people. ⁸ It also announced a partnership with telemedicine mental health provider BetterHelp, which as of 2022 reported that it had provided 150 months of free therapy through the Okra Project. ⁹

In partnership with Uber, it offers a “rides and meals” fund to provide food and transportation services. ^{10 2}

It also operates a Rental Assistance Fund in New York City, a Winter Utilities Fund, a Holiday Grocery Assistance Fund, and operated a “Black Trans Joy Fund” during Mental Health Awareness Month. ²

Activism

In June 2020, the Okra Project co-sponsored a demonstration in New York City to protest the death of Layleen Polanco, a transgender person who died at the Rikers Island jail. The event was co-sponsored by the Marsha P. Johnson Institute, For the Gworls, G.L.I.T.S., and Black Trans Femmes in the Arts. An estimated 15,000 people attended the demonstration, largely clad in white. ⁸

Dominique Morgan Embezzlement Allegations

In 2022, the Okra Project fired its founding executive director Dominique Morgan after discovering a reported $163,665 in missing funds it alleged that Morgan had taken for her personal benefit. ³ Morgan, who was making a reported $200,000 in her executive director role, was charged by New York prosecutors with 24 counts of grand larceny and falsifying business records. ⁴

Finances

The Okra Project was fiscally sponsored by the Arts Business Collaborative until 2024 when it received 501(c)(3) charitable status from the Internal Revenue Service. ³

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Okra Project received a reported “six figure” donation from the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation. ¹¹

According to Forbes, the Okra Project was receiving $10,000 in donations per day before the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests in summer 2020. Since the protests began in mid-June 2020, it received a reported $100,000 in donations per day. ⁶ The organization originally raised all its money through Paypal and Patreon accounts. ⁷

The organization received a $75,000 donation from former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. ¹²

In June 2020, openly gay Olympic bronze medalist figure skater Adam Rippon donated $1,000 to the Okra Project, which led to public criticism by Russian figure skater Alexei Yagudin. ¹³

In June 2020, a group of young tech professionals teased what turned out to be a non-existent app. They suggested that people could jump the line and learn about the app in exchange for a donation to a selected organization in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. The Okra Project was one of those organizations. The operation raised more than $200,000 with an unknown amount going to the Okra Project. ¹⁴