To Our Community—
We hope you are finding rest, care, and joy.
Color Bloq has grown from a simple idea, to an valuable nonprofit organization in the LGBTQIA+ community. Our body of work speaks for itself. Our cofounders and staff have poured love, care, and dedication into building a publication and events space that queer & trans BIPOC can be proud of.
If only one person felt affirmed, safe, and felt joy through our work, then it makes it all worth it. In fact, tens of thousands have experienced just that as social media followers, event participants, and readers of our publication.
After more than 5 years of this work, it’s time for us to shift into something new.
This summer, two of our cofounders — Editorial Director, Niq D. Johnson, and Community Director, Nic Perales — decided to transition away from daily management of Color Bloq’s strategy and programming. Join us in celebrating them as they step into their new roles with Color Bloq and beyond!
Our publication, The Collections, thrived under Niq’s direction and care; this program will be archived with their departure as Editorial Director. As a team, we’ve decided that this era of our community conversations deserves to be preserved.
As Editor-in-Chief and then Editorial Director, Niq elevated the publication above and beyond what it had been, and distinguished Color Bloq from other QTBIPOC literary and media outlets. Niq found the stories, deeper reflections, and experiences at the heart of our communities. This is the work of narrative change that remains at the core of our mission and values.
Nic came into the space first as a contributor, then a guest artist, and an assistant on social media. Eventually, she helped create a model for community sharing and connection that amplified our storytelling mission to thousands around the world. Nic has grown with the org, and allowed the org to grow into what it is today.
As Community Director, Nic helped build an organization that touched hundreds of lives, and reached hundreds of thousands more through her community work and social media amplification. She helped ensure people felt validated, seen, heard, and welcomed—this is a gift that simply cannot be taught.
But this is not the end of our work together. Niq will be joining Color Bloq’s Advisory Board, to support us in staying true to our mission. We are grateful to have them in this community as our work moves forward.
Chief will remain as Executive Director; Sean-Paul will remain as Design Director. They will share duties related to communications and community in the time ahead.
Next month, we will share more of what we will be working on. We want you to know more about these new changes as we try to keep this community storytelling organization going.
Thank you Nic, Jay, Dana, and Niq. And thank you all for your continued support. What a ride it’s been.
In community, 
Sean-Paul Rocero
Co-Founder and Design Director
Chief Esparza
Co-Founder and Executive Director 
Niq D. Johnson, PhD
Co-Founder and Editorial Director Emeritus
Nic Perales
Co-Founder and Community Director Emeritus