Culture-First
Community Development.
BlackSpace demands a present and future where Black people, Black spaces, and Black culture matter and thrive.
We invest capital and capacity in founders and projects advancing culture-first community development
Pronunciation: cul•ture•first
Culture-first projects begin with the histories, values, and creative expressions of the people there today.
.
Capital
Capacity
Community
Our tools and resources, like the BlackSpace Manifesto, guide our work.
-
Create circles, not lines.
-
Choose critical connections over critical mass.
-
Move at the speed of trust.
-
Be humble learners who practice deep listening.
-
Celebrate, Catalyze, and amplify Black joy.
-
Plan with, design with.
-
Center lived experience.
-
Seek people at the margins.
-
Reckon with the past to build the future.
-
Protect and strengthen culture.
-
Cultivate wealth.
-
Foster personal and communal evolution.
-
Promote excellence.
-
Manifest the future.
We love sharing our story. Take a look at what folks are saying about us.
“Spotlight on BlackSpace [for their] commitment to informing, inspiring, and investing in Black communities.”
Read more
Check out what our community is dreaming, designing, and building:
As the warmth inspires us to get back into the swing of going out and moving around in the world, we’re made to contemplate the history of Black cultural centers of joy, nourishment, creation, and connection. ☀️🌍🎭📚🎨✍🏼🎶🫂
Black-owned churches, nightclubs, restaurants, theaters, and juke joints nurtured (and continue to nurture) the development of Black artists.
The venues, located across the South, East Coast, West, and Midwest, were special in that they were some of the only places where Black culture could be freely celebrated and Black musicians felt safe touring and sharpening their crafts, especially during segregation.
These spaces were often a part of a collective effort, like the Chitlin Circuit: pioneering the creation of new spaces for Black creative expression in America - spaces that artists like Beyoncé and Ryan Coogler continue to reference today.
While many of the venues have been demolished, are no longer open, or have changed ownership, BlackSpace continues to invest in Black-led (or co-opted) spaces that continue the legacy of creating open space for Black creativity across several art forms...
✨https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/chitlin-circuit
✨https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304803104576428193503273726
✨https://www.npr.org/2011/12/20/140596530/before-rock-n-roll-the-chitlin-circuit-performed
✨https://www.miamiherald.com/detour/article262010170.html
✨https://www.thejewelon4th.org/about
Community, you showed up and showed out at Kinfolx Imagining Neighborhoods NYC! With your support, we launched our urbanist accelerator, Studio KIN and exchanged ideas to reimagine the value of place and power, and explored paths to a future where wealth and ownership are accessible in Black communities. ✊🏽
Shoutout to our speakers:
@cbedc_official #LaShawnAllenMuhammad• @urbanedevelopment #JamesJohnsonPiett • @blackimagination @dario.studio • @youthdesigncenter @khwar_deen • @theblackroom.store @black.n.ugly @doperifa • #thebronxisbreathing @amina.acid • #Vesi #AprildeSimone • @blackreconstructioncollective @eadmassu @kidcadaver • @kinfolktech @homeishowiheal • @mellonfoundation @urbanpatchrw @urbanpatchorg @j.g.moore
Collectively, we raised $9,792 with 82 attendees and donors. Thank you to our sponsors and partners @mocada_museum @mellonfoundation @1772_foundation @latent_design @amalgamated_bank @unclenearest_nyc @flatbushfood @moorsbeer @cornbreadsoul @tacombi and you!
Help us continue to support Studio KIN and get to our $10k goal!
Make a gift before the end of the month (or in honor of Juneteenth!) at the Studio KIN Founding Partner level at $250 or in any amount! Link in bio.
⏳Grab up the last tickets!
Don’t miss the Storefront Salon, one of two simultaneous sessions showcasing New Ideas in the Black Built Environment. We’re excited to feature a fantastic salon exploring building storefronts as community institutions including Dario Calmese, Quardean Lewis-Allen, and Sherifa Gayle!
✨Kinfolx Imagining Neighborhoods - BROOKLYN is happening on June 10th from 2-6:30 PM at MoCADA Culture Lab II (10 Lafayette Avenue). ✨
This is a sliding scale ticketed fundraiser supporting BackSpace and our new urbanist accelerator, Studio KIN!
🔗 Tickets & full schedule in bio!
Huge thanks to our partners & sponsors: Latent Design, MoCADA, Mellon Foundation, 1772 Foundation, Moor’s Brewing Co, and Uncle Nearest!
⏳Grab up the last tickets!
Don’t miss the Collective Investment Salon, one of two simultaneous sessions showcasing New Ideas in the Black Built Environment. We’re excited to feature a fantastic lineup of lightning talks including Amina Hassen, April de Simone, Emanuel Admassu, Olalekan Jeyifous, and Ravon Ruffin.
✨Kinfolx Imagining Neighborhoods - BROOKLYN is happening on June 10th from 2-6:30 PM at MoCADA Culture Lab II (10 Lafayette Avenue). ✨
This is a sliding scale ticketed fundraiser supporting BackSpace and our new urbanist accelerator, Studio KIN!
🔗 Tickets & full schedule in bio!
Huge thanks to our partners & sponsors: Latent Design, MoCADA, Mellon Foundation, 1772 Foundation, Moor’s Brewing Co, and Uncle Nearest!
Subscribe to our newsletter and get good news delivered straight to your inbox.
