Our 2nd Annual Black and Brown Solidarity was successful! We had over a hundred people attend the event to experience cultural food, dancing, music, and more!

The event opened with a moving spoken word performance by one of the youth on the B&B committee, Itzel. Right after was the reveal of the mural painting, made by Gabe, Amie, and Yekseny. The Mural, titled "Under the Same Sun," features vibrant colors of reds, oranges, and yellows. The imagery - hands formed in fists, raised in unity. This mural is to show that when we come together as a community, from different backgrounds, we come together as one and become stronger. Additionally, there was more artwork that ranged from self-drawn portraits and paintings. Thirteen youth artists from Proviso Township submitted their work! Additionally, we had various foods and desserts from Black and Brown cultures for guests to enjoy while appreciating the art. Tacos Regio also provided delicious tacos for event attendees! After the mural reveal, the B&B youth committee introduced community circles, explaining the importance of community healing. Soon, four circles formed at every table, with community members of different ethnicities, generations, and towns. To end the night of performances, dancers blended a variety of music styles, transforming them into dances that combined hip-hop, salsa, reggaeton, and more. The night was filled with so many aspects of culture; it was beautiful to see them all put together.

The committee also invited various non-profits to share their mission and services. Yosoyella, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting women’s emotional and mental healing. People also had fun at the Picture Perfect Photobooth, led by Radiant Vessels Community Services, capturing memories to take home in photo strips. The event wrapped up with an exciting raffle, where we announced the winners of Cubs tickets, a birthday party at Brown Cow Ice Cream Parlor, a slow cooker, and others.

A heartfelt thank you to the youth committee for their dedication to this event, and we are also grateful for all our guests who came and showed their support!

Our Black and Brown Solidarity Art Convening was a success! Over a hundred people came through and viewed our youth artist’s work. Our youth team, Adlemy, Amaryani, Jazmynn, Neidalis, Milo, and Savannah planned the entire event. Shoutout to them!

We started off our evening with a chance to view the art gallery. We had 14 art submissions, all by youth who live in the Proviso district. Their work ranged from digital art to drawings and photography. Before the presentations, Jazmynn and Amaryani led our guests through an icebreaker. Neighbors, community members, and guests shared their thoughts. Next, we had our spoken word youth, Jermaine from PMSA, present his piece. He talked about what good allyship looks like to continue to respect African American struggles. Then, Milo, Amaryani, Adlemy, and Jermaine, PMSA students, presented their video, which showed a day in the life of the Latina experience and the black experience. After, the youth team did a Q&A so the audience could learn more about the project.

After our presentations, there was more time to explore the space. We had Tacos Regio food truck making Tacos. Our drink table had aqua frescas and lemonade. We also had a table of black and brown cultural desserts from small businesses from the community (Borinken Cakes, Krazy Grapes, Kribi Coffee, Panaderia Pueblo, Sweet Tooth N Company, Yanira and Emilia's Taste of Puerto Rico).

Thank you so much to the youth team who put on this event. Also, we are so grateful for all our guests who came and supported the youth!