In Memory and Power: Patty Berne

Image Description: Patty Berne,a Japanese-Haitian person with light brown skin, smiles playfully with love and light shining from their brown eyes. They wear an off the shoulder opalescent blue dress and an amethyst pendant. Their brown hair is pulled back into their signature two buns. Behind Patty is a pink background with radiant red and yellow flowers. At the top of the image, iridescent capital letters spell out “PATTY LIVES THROUGH US.” On the bottom right corner is Sins Invalid’s logo, a black rectangular box with white letters that read “Sins Invalid.”
We are heartbroken beyond words. Our beloved Co-Founder, Executive and Artistic Director, Patty Berne, joined the ancestors on May 29, 2025.
In the weeks and months ahead, we will hold spaces to honor and celebrate Patty’s world-shifting legacy. As they would wish: we will mourn, we will make art, we will learn, we will resist—and you will be invited to join us. You are in our hearts.
This is all so hard. For now, you can access our statement below in ASL and English.
If you are moved to support Sins Invalid in this difficult time, we thank you for your love and generosity. Please find the “DONATE” button in our homepage menu.
You can contact the Sins Team at pattypresente@sinsinvalid.org
An Unshamed Claim to Beauty in the Face of Invisibility.
Our stories lay a foundation for a collective claim of liberation, beauty, and human rights.
Disability Justice
Movement Building
Performance


Image Description: A Black person with short dreads wearing a white one-piece unitard leans to the left with legs spread, their back to the camera. They hold a white scarf outstretched in their left hand. Watery blue and white images are projected onto the scarf and their body.

Image Description: : A fat white Jewish femme wears a tight green bejeweled bodice and a turquoise mermaid tail, with ribbons cascading from their hair and wrists, in front of a watery blue background.