To celebrate Black History Month in February 2021, “Black Makes a Way” focuses on the perseverance of the Black Community by drawing inspiration from Facebook Groups and Group-members who had been looking deep into their communities' needs and helping to solve them.
Set in an Atlanta barbershop - a sacred place within the Black Community, poet Theresa tha SONGBIRD starts to recite her powerful piece “You So Black” while scrolling the Facebook App newsfeed on her phone. As the poem continues on, we cut to various different Black Facebook Groups exemplifying excellence and showing the breadth of diversity within the Black Community.
In a little over two minutes, Theresa tha SONGBIRD reintroduces Blackness as we all see it, something diverse and beyond any stereotype. As the poem concludes, the Black Community is affirmed in who they are as well as the power and magic that is inside.
The phrase “Making A Way Out of No Way” exists within the Black Community. Black people have always created opportunities and paved the way even in the face of adversity and systemic racism. Black Makes A Way is the campaign line that nods to that saying, showing that the Black Community will make ways regardless of their circumstance. The campaign contained a social longform piece that aligned poetry and activism, performed by Theresa tha SONGBIRD. Furthermore, exceptional Black individuals from all walks were featured throughout the month of February. We topped it all off by creating shareable cards and artwork to highlight the month of February.
Equity still has not been achieved by the Black community at scale. Words are no longer enough, the path forward needs to be through sustained action.
History is made every time Black excellence perseveres in the face of inequity.
"Making a Way out of No Way," is a notable phrase within the Black Community, underlining how African Americans have been known for their resilience, no matter the circumstances. To celebrate Black History Month, in a year that was even more challenging than usual for Black people all over the world, we focused on the perseverance of the community as a whole. Looking to highlight grassroots movements, we found incredibly inspiring Facebook Groups and Group-members who had been looking very deep into their communities' needs and helped solve them, from food deserts to the pursuit of healthier lifestyles. As a launching piece, we made a film - directed by Jason M. Harper - giving the stage to the highly charismatic poet Theresa tha SONGBIRD and her poignant piece "You So Black", a commentary on the brilliance of Blackness. The piece flips negative stereotypes associated with “the dozens'' into positive affirmations.
The "Black Makes A Way'' campaign was very specifically targeted towards the African American community. In order to celebrate the resilience and incredible inspiration coming from our community, we wanted to make a film that was as authentic as possible, making sure not to gloss over the hardships - old and recent - that Black people had to overcome on our way to equity. At every stage of the conception, it was paramount for the team to make sure we were staying true to the spirit of our community.
