The Black and brown Get Down was created out of a deep love for Black and Brown people. At the Black And Brown Get Down we cultivate a space where we can build a collective voice and collective power.
Every year, Our Voice Nuestra Voz hosts the event. 400 Black and Brown parents, neighbors, and community stakeholders come together to share a meal, celebrate our culture and history, and have deep transformative conversations about the issues we face and the future we want to build for our people.
It is really meant to honor our people, and to honor the movements that came before us: like the Black Panther party, the Young Lords, the Brown Berets, and here in Louisiana, Black Masking Indians. These movements didn’t just build political power, they helped build a cultural identity for us. The Black And Brown Get Down builds on this idea, and pushes our community to map and chart out our future as defined by us.
The conversations at the event create a basis for our work moving forward. At the event two years ago we created the Community Defense Fund to defend ourselves and our people. The fund was first activated during COVID where we were able to give nearly $250,000 in mutual aid to our people, particularly those left out of government solutions like our undocumented or housing insecure folks. It was activated again after hurricane Ida to give another $100,000 to our people.
As an extension of the spirit of the Black And Brown Get Down we also began the Black and Brown Get Down podcast. Through the podcast we connect to our roots, and explore liberatory practices for social change with Black and Brown thinkers, artists, and changemakers. Each episode we’re joined by a guest who is deeply involved in local or national justice work and we tackle the tough questions and the current issues our communities face.
The Black and Brown Get Down is not just a “moment” it is a “movement”. We envision a world where Black and Brown people can live without harm. Where we can practice liberatory education. Where we can practice restorative justice. These things can happen when we’re in community with each other. We are together. We are a people. And we will continue to fight and to thrive.