EBONY GALA - UW-MILWAUKEE’S BLACK STUDENT UNION (2/22/20)
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“Lift every voice and sing, til Earth and Heaven ring,” echoed through the Union Ballroom as around a hundred beautiful people of all parts of the African diaspora sang the Black National Anthem. Greeted warmly by the Black Student Union’s current president, Tanasia Shaw, we were welcomed to the very first Ebony Gala that has ever been on the campus of the predominately white institution of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Throughout the night, we shared laughs, accomplishments and conversations about what blackness and black history is. The lineup of live performances were very diverse. They had rappers, singers, musicians, you name it. Justus was the first performer of the night, followed by Xarion. Xarion surprised me because live performances are scary and nerve-wracking… but she killed it. She sang so beautifully and lightheartedly, the audience hung onto every-single-note. And boy did she have a vibrato… shesh. Did I mention she also was playing a guitar? Mhm, mh, mh. Next, we had a surprise performance by Cam Will. I know y’all remember him. He performed his single “Down” and of course, I got super excited because I’m like aye, I know this dude. I’m familiar with his music so that was a cool moment for me to see him doing his thing knowing the scrutiny he’s faced in the past. Refer to the write-up about him if you want to know more. Shout out to all the performers including Afrika, Lonnie, Scotty and Manny who held down the rest of the Gala. To be in an audience where black performers were being respected and encouraged to express their talents was humbling, to say the least. I say that because whether the performances were good or bad, they had the courage to share that moment with us at a Gala that is glorifying all things Black.
The first speaker of the night was one of UWM’s very own Black faculty members and Black student advisor, Ms. Victoria Pryor. Victoria shared with us the importance of Black resilience on the campus of UWM, where the Black population is represented by less than 8% in a city that is almost 40% Black. She went on to honor the Black Cultural Center’s staff and also the former Black Student Union presidents, which included myself. The keynote speaker for this event was no one other than the first Black Lieutenant Governor in Wisconsin, Mandela Barnes. In his inspiring speech, he talked about the importance of Black history in Milwaukee. Next, Dr. Biko Baker spoke about the importance of family and staying humble throughout your journey of success. And lastly, Jacarrie Carr spoke about his non-profit organization, Jacarrie Kicks for Kids. He also stressed an important fact about distancing yourself from people who aren’t on the same path as you. Choose your friends wisely. Everyone can not come with you.
As the night of ball gowns, heels and ties came to an end, the feeling of comfort and progressiveness did not. Surveying a room of collegiate black bodies engaging in a space where we once were not allowed gave me butterflies. BSU President, Tanasia Shaw, and the Vice president, Coretta Dishmon, wished us well for the evening before adjourning the elegant Ebony Gala. With kind words and thoughts, we were dismissed.
A room full of love and Black excellence… What a way to bring Black History month to an end.
“Facing the rising sun of our new day begun
Let us march on 'til victory is won.”
/Imani for CW
Show Yourself w/ black & white collage portraits from CopyWrite
/Here are some collage portrait our photo intern Mitzi has been working on. As we continue to spread our #SelfLove Campaign all 2020 don’t forget to get in on the action and #SupportTheLocal
C-Space: the new spot for Black & Brown Creatives (Press Interview w/ CopyWrite Magazine)
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THE FUTURE IS YOUNG, BLACK, BROWN, AND LIT (& now it is creative too.)
Say it one more time for the people in the back!
LIT [MKE] (or Leaders Igniting Transformation) has moved to Bronzeville neighborhood on Milwaukee’s East Side. The organization itself “work[s] to build homegrown leadership, expand access and opportunity, and promote an equitable society by engaging and organizing young people” (@lit_mke). Of course, that is #LIT in every sense of the urban dictionary word, but it is their new program, C-Space that has us ramped up for the movement. CopyWrite sat down with Corey Fells and Nailah Johnson from LIT’s Cultural Organizing Department to get the heads up on what they have instore for MKE and why they are in need of Black and Brown creatives ( Artist, Photographers, Videographers, Musicians, lyricist, Writers, Poets, etc.) to link up.
C-Space is a co-creative space for Black and Brown creatives to get the support they need, build community and expand their networks through art.
So let’s just get it out of the way now. The plight of Black and Brown people is documented from the eyes of the oppressor and thus that has created generational disenfranchisement. Though there are many non-Black/Brown advocates for change and push for equality in all sectors of society, they still have many inherited advantages that Black and Brown people don’t possess. Because of this, C-Space is a safe and productive space, strictly for culturally BLACK and BROWN creatives.
(We all thank you in advance for respecting that boundary).
Nailah: “We are developing creatives as leaders and arts activist. That’s basically C-Space”.
As “Cultural Organizers” it's both Corey and Nailah’s job to get creatives to want to be apart of C-Space, make their time there prolific, help guide (and partially sustain) a creative to use their talent as a political, activating, informing, and culturally re-defining form. This will be done through monthly meetings, workshops, and fellowship/residency opportunities that include stipends (Yes that's money!), networking, partnerships, real-world experience and testimonials from Black and Brown creatives that have had success in their fields. Once again I say “Its #Lit”.
Corey: “I have a question for you [as a creative] what would you have needed in 2013 when you were just starting out?”
CW: “Money.” We all chuckled in agreement, but it was that plus many other things that as a young creative of color I had to struggle through. Without resources or guidance I had to learn, and still am learning how to navigate the system. Something many of our counterparts know nothing about.
As I listed off my grievances, including lack of access to other Black and Brown professionals, lack of studio/space and resources, Corey and Nailah listened intently to what I had to say. At certain points they would stop me and ask more questions as if they were researching perspectives on creative needs and how C-Space can serve them better.
With or without a degree a creative should be able to enter the market and be taken seriously for their craft. Black and Brown art forms should not have to present themselves as historical monuments, or mappings of the Black and Brown diaspora to be relevant and C-Space wants to help change that narrative by inviting YOU to their space.
Corey: The C in C-Space stands for a lot. What we are trying to do is expand upon all of that. . . We are partnered up with many other states but we have yet to see something like this in Wisconsin. Because of that, this is something that really could help creatives in our community.”
Their aim is for those creatives, who are ages 14-35 (the young), who have work that has a message, or want to develop work that has a message, that are willing to be apart of the movement. Even though LIT has a very political presence, Corey & Nailah suggest that C-Space is beyond traditional politics but opens the conversation of Black and Brown existence in itself being political and that those interpretations of existence are part of building community and changing the narrative that we don't get enough of. So don’t be scared if protesting and polling is not your thing, there are other ways in which your art can have a voice.
Through our conversation we discussed the idea of those who become a part of their fellowship program to be helped with the production of resumes and portfolios in order to actually have tangible items that will help them transition into creative carriers and actually have the experience to back them up.
Corey: “How do we cultivate these people’s talents and help them figure out how to monetize it and be able to be a person that has something tangible that can be brought to a company or a carrier that can give them some type of insight? See for me [as a self-taught photographer] I wasn't able to track all that.”
So the game plan is to level up the next era of creatives out of MKE, so they don't have the same issues as those who came before them, like Corey. We will call this intergenerational “communal” mobility.
Nailah: “So as a cultural organizer my job is to intersect art and activism. . . One of the things that I have noticed about Milwaukee is that it has a lot of activists and not organizers. Like people who know how to use that anger, information, and knowledge to really impact communities and make a change. So affecting legislation, and things like that. So a lot of my job is making sure artists understand and know how important their art is; how important culture is and not to sacrifice that.”
Corey: “I’m a photographer and videographer, so I’m coming from that standpoint. I have always wanted photographers to know that they can do more than event photos, profile photos, wedding photos, or whatever. They are not just photographers, they are a part of a marketing tactic and if they use it in the correct way, they can use that tactic to [their own advantage]. They don’t have to take pictures of celebrities or the most poppin person in the city to be relevant. . . I want photographers and filmmakers to be empowered because of that. . . Anything they can't be inspired by they shouldn’t have to do.”
As C-Space representatives, their intentions to help other creatives in our community is more than a job. It’s coming from a very personal place and putting what always seems to be just a conversation into action is far overdue.
“Freelancers are the most disrespected people.”
Say it two times for the people in the back and down the street!
As abstract as C-Space may seem it is in its tangibility that we find its most vital component. C-Space is meant to establish Black and Brown spaces and protecting those spaces.
They are currently looking for people to come and be apart of C-Space which is a monthly meet up. The first two of the year will be January 25th and February 22nd from 2:00-5:00pm at the LIT (2201 N. Martin Luther King Dr. Milwaukee, WI 53212). From that group of individuals, they are hoping to find creatives from all different kinds of backgrounds and talents to join the cohort. From the cohort, with a certain level of commitment, some creatives will receive a fellowship, stipends and all the other assistance we wish we had when we were finding our way.
Corey: “Every time they come they will learn something more.”
And “more” is what we need if we are going to make the change to put creatives in the place they belong in our society; right at the top.
So check out C-Space, if you are a young creative looking for a way to succeed. The world is waiting.
/Lexi for CW
