Let's explore Black Futures

Following the lead of Black leaders creating possibilities for collective liberation & joy

Hi friends!

We have lived like this for over 400 years.

In order to hold Indigenous land and build the United States - colonists needed many people to do their bidding for free or very little pay. They created a new, over-simplified way of dividing people - ‘Black,’ and ‘white,’ and used these labels to determine who had access to rights and freedom, and who had to work for free.

All of our modern systems - including the way we educate, spend money, and create laws - are designed to keep Black people from gaining power - so we can keep them working for cheap.

Enslaved people fought against - and abolished - the old system of slavery, in addition to innovating and shaping American culture today. Black people reclaimed what it means to be ‘Black’ as an identifier of pride in their survival and culture.

But we still use systems that target and hurt Black families. And since none of us are free until all of us are free - it’s our responsibility as Americans of every racial background - to end racism and targeting against our Black family, friends, and community.

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Love you, Black

Did you love this month’s Black Futures Toolkit? It was brought to you by my co-conspirator, Bellamy Shoffner.

Get highlights on contemporary Black creators paving the way for the next generation of kind and courageous leaders in her ‘Love You, Black’ series on Cerebellum. (That, and way, way more!)

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Coming up next

Next week I’ll be back with updates from the Luminary Braintrust with new resources from the Trickster Lab.

With you,

Ashia