Our Story
Black Love Fest NY 2017 at Brooklyn Children's Museum
If we had not loved each other none of us would have survived.
— James Baldwin
For at least the past 20 years different organizations and individuals have been producing distinct iterations of Black Love Fest in cities across the U.S to highlight the importance of self-love and self-determination in our communities. In the summer of 2017 we were inspired by these many organizations and individuals to bring Black Love Fest to New York City with the first annual Black Love Fest NY at Brooklyn Children's Museum. We have since held Black Love Fest in Harlem at Sugar Hill Museum (2018), Houston at Emancipation Park (2019) and New Orleans at New Orleans African American Museum (2022). Black Love Fest is a one-day celebration to share the work initiated by the The Black School with the community. BLF also includes music performances, art installations by professional artists, our student’s art exhibitions, hands-on art making workshops, plus much more. The purpose of this project is to demonstrate a radical vision for the future centered on Black Love.
Thank you to the organizers of Black Love Festivals in Washington, D.C., Richmond, VA, San Francisco, CA, and elsewhere for inspiring us. We are part of a legacy that we hope will spread and grow.
Festival Directors
Program Manager Lana Meyon
Social Media Manager Laila Annmarie Stevens
