Let’s Talk. Let’s Eat. Let’s Win.
Applications are closed, by check back for next year’s #BlackAndBrownGetDown
In a city that prides itself on diversity, community, and great food, isn’t it a shame that these don’t combine more often?
In celebration of MLK week, on January 24, 2019, Our Voice Nuestra Voz invited neighbors from all over the city of New Orleans to build power and cultivate change in Black and Brown communities through one thing that connects us all: food.
With so many distractions in our lives, we don’t gather around the table as much as we used to. Historically, the dinner table is where transformative discussions and reflections have happened. The #BlackAndBrownGetDown was envisioned as a dinner to foster intimate conversations on ways to join communities together by sharing experiences and coming to understand one another. What better way to create relationships than through breaking bread?Without conversations, community needs cannot be identified, opportunities for success cannot be created, and the barriers that keep us from building coalitions with one another cannot be broken.
Over 250 Black and Brown community members came together to have intimate conversations and create a shared story. Held at the beautiful Hotel Peter & Paul, there was dancing, deep conversation, and celebration. Calpulli Tonalehqueh, danzantes Azteca, kicked off the event by sharing traditional indigenous culture and ceremony, while Fi Yi Yi & the Mandingo Warriors and Free Agents Brass Band ended the night by celebrating local New Orleans culture. In between, participants broke bread with each other. Each table at the dinner had a community champion and a facilitator to guide the conversations around building Black and Brown coalition. This powerful night was not only a milestone for OVNV, but our whole community.
We are excited to do it again next year, and hope that you apply! Come and be the change that our community needs to win big. Winning big will require our collective voices, power, and collaboration between Black and Brown people.
Let’s eat. Let’s talk. And let’s win.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes 100% free! This dinner is an effort to build coalition and conversation so that we can win big for our communities.
Each table will have a community champion and a facilitator to guide them through discussions on building power and coalition between Black and Brown. In addition to the dinner, there will be activities of reflecting both Latinx and African American culture, and a live band to end the night.
OVNV organizers will keep in touch with all of the community members to keep conversations going, build campaigns from ideas that surface during the dinner, and continue to build our power!
The dinner will be held in New Orleans. The exact location will be announced at a later date!
To apply you must be over the age of 18, currently live in Orleans Parish, and identify as a Black or Brown community member.
OVNV will read each application and will select participants with consideration to equal representation across New Orleans. Confirmations will be sent out January 15th, 2019.