Niko Wagner| Contributing Writer
This quarantine has revealed many things about the primal human need for socialization. Some of us (the introverts) are having the time of our anxiety-free lives, not having to muscle through human contact every day, but I think it’s safe to say the rest of us have cabin fever like a MF (excuse my digital language). It is this reason I’ve done my best to compile a short & sweet list of digital Black-led activities you can partake in this quarantine season! I will provide the social media handles/ web links where you can find zoom links & other info. You’re welcome!
1.Black Xpression – Every Friday 8pm (PST)
This open mic event is a personal favorite of mine. It usually takes place every Friday night at an art gallery in the Barrio Logan area. These days the event creators have taken it to the zoom machine to give us a socially distant open mic experience! This event provides Black folks a safe space to share, network, sing, dance and just plain ol’ chop it up together. The sense of community that’s been cultivated from this weekly event is refreshing to say the least, and I’m sure yall will agree 😉
IG – @Xpress_it
2. Black Thoughts After Dark – Every Friday 9pm (PST)
Black Thoughts is another function that has made the transition from in-person to zoom meetings (lucky for us). This discussion space is functions as a forum for thoughtful discourse around subjects relevant to our community. As the name suggests, since the move to an online forum, many of the questions pertain to sex, love, intimacy and relationships – the tea is hot and served every Friday night!
3. How do you identify – July 28th 2020
This zoom discussion panel is a one-time event, however, I would suggest following The African American Culture Center of Long Beach (AACCLB) on eventbrite.com to stay up to date with future zoom panels! How You Identify is described as: “… a rich open panel discussion around identity within our community. We invite you to an exchange of thoughts as we dive into the evolution of our identity”. Tickets are free but the conversation will be rich, See y’all there!
Web link-
4. Ghetto Yoga – Every Monday night 10pm (PST)
I don’t know about yall but I am a firm believer in the power of yoga and ooh baby is this form of self-care and healing underutilized in the Black community! Certified yoga instructor, Tanjanae Walker, is serving her community every Monday at 10 pm (PST) with her Ghetto Yoga series on zoom. I personally love the idea of ending a long day with a rejuvenating and soothing yoga session to release the energies and stresses we’ve accumulated throughout the day before we take all that to bed with us! It is free to join but I encourage anybody interested to consider leaving our good sis a lil something in the cashapp tip jar, found in her Instagram bio along with the zoom link and password, Namaste!
5. We wear the Mask – August 15, 2020
Another one-time discussion forum that is worth including in our list is “we wear the mask”, described on it’s eventbrite.com page as: “Black parents and students of private, White, Christian and Independent schools engage in an open discussion regarding race and faith”. There’s 6 different sessions to this event, each covering different areas, such as, Trauma sensitive parenting & counseling, Post-traumatic slave syndrome and segregation/discrimination within the Christian faith.
Web link –
6. The Sit-In San Diego – Every Tuesday 5pm (PST)
“An intentional Black healing space because Black people making the choice to sit together and heal is a form of protest”. That is how this community-based organization describes themselves, and honestly, we’re here for it. The Sit-In is another zoom based Black discussion forum but this one is geared toward decompressing, venting and healing together while we navigate through the hardships & tragedies thrown our way in the name of racial discord. It is important in this volatile climate for us as a people group to find spaces where we can offload and process our emotions to others who relate to our experience.
IG – @Thesitinsd | FB – The Sit-In San Diego
