More than 70 artists will gather in Oakland to support Black women

More than 75 artists will gather in Oakland October 3-5 to address issues that disproportionately affect Black women.

The Black Tulip Culture Week is a three-day event where artists from various mediums will use their talents to advocate for social change for Black women. They will discuss topics equivalent to domestic violence, sex trafficking, high maternal mortality, and police brutality.

“It’s really about affirming our lives and also demanding cultural change,” said Anyka Howard, founder Betti Ono Foundationorganization sponsoring the event, he told KQED. “We want to reclaim this public space and bring in an energetic force that will not accept or tolerate these conditions, especially in Oakland, especially in the Bay Area.”

Ono will have a booth on the corner of Telegraph Ave and twenty third Street on October 4 throughout the fair First Friday Street Fair. He works with the (*70*) Youth Clinic in Oakland, which provides young individuals with free health services and meals, and with the SHADE movement, which helps victims of sex trafficking and domestic violence.

The event will end at a day of performances and workshops on Lake Merritt. R&B artist and activist Dawn Richard, who recently became famous filing a lawsuit The primary event will be a match against P. Diddy.

Some artists have direct experiences with gender-based violence. Artist Jada Imani became an anti-violence advocate after her best friend, interdisciplinary artist Zoe Reidy Watts, was murdered earlier this yr, allegedly by her boyfriend. Not only did Imani organize a mural in honor of Reidy Watts, but she can be making a community garden dedicated to her friend.

The Betti Ono Foundation also goals to rally support for a statewide version of this system Black Women and Girls Protection Act. Illinois Congresswoman Robin Kelly introduced this bill in the House of Representatives earlier this yr. If passed, the bill would create a task force to examine the disparities black women face in education, economic development, health care, employment, housing, justice and civil rights.

Maud Alcorn, Betti Ono’s arts and cultural projects manager, said constructing community, particularly in Oakland, is important to achieving her goals.

“That’s the most important part, that it’s not just Black women and girls who say, ‘Hey, our lives have value and they’re worth fighting for, they’re worth protecting.’ It is also about our allies being present and saying the same.” Alcorn said in an interview with KQED.