CLLCTIVLY is throwing a festival to celebrate Black-led orgs

To celebrate August as National Black Business Month, CLLCTIVLY, the Baltimore-based social change organization, is throwing a three-day festival called the We Give Black Fest this weekend.

CLLCTIVLY was founded to build an ecosystem of grants and resources to nourish Black-led organizations. In an effort to get the community in on supporting Black-led organizations, CLLCTIVLY is partnering with the seventh annual Vegan SoulFest, which celebrates where veganism and Black culture intersect, to support programming centered around wellness and community impact. Vegan SoulFest, which includes musical performances from local and national artists, takes place Aug.19-21 at West Covington Park.

“CLLCTVLY’s mission is to provide Black-led social change organizations and changemakers with a platform to increase their visibility, expand their impact, and foster deeper connections through community,” founder Jamye Wooten said in a statement. “We invite Baltimore to join us in supporting these boots-on-the-ground organizations dedicated to making change a reality in Baltimore, and providing for the future of Black Baltimore.”

The festival will include talks from nonprofit leaders like Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson, CEO of the Children’s Defense Fund; Susan Taylor Batten, CEO of ABFE; and E. Bomani Johnson, associate director of social impact org funder and supporter Forward Promise.

Vegan SoulFest’s musical performances will include artists like Jade Novah, Maimouna Youssef (aka Mumu Fresh), Daley and Grey.

Starting today is the We Give Black Quest, a scavenger hunt supporting Black-owned businesses throughout the city. Using the app Scavify, the hunt will take participants across the city to take photos with landmarks, spread the word on social media about Black businesses, visit local establishments and answer trivia. There are first, second and third place cash prizes as well.

On Sunday, the final day of the event, at 4 p.m., there’ll be a Changemaker Awards ceremony to highlight individuals and organizations that are driving lasting change throughout Greater Baltimore.

See the full schedule Donte Kirby is a 2020-2022 corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The Groundtruth Project that pairs young journalists with local newsrooms. This position is supported by the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation.