Atlanta’s finest are gathering for an all-week experience unlike every other this city has seen before. Powered by Atlanta Black Star, Black Star Week is weeklong celebration centered on health, wealth and reciprocal generosity.
Taking place June 17-22, the inaugural event series promises a week’s worth of community events, empowering conversations, as well as engaging and educational activities to help to bring the diaspora together, starting Monday.
“Black Star Week celebrates our rich cultural heritage, drives economic growth, and fosters a spirit of reciprocal generosity and collaboration,” said DDM Group CEO Neil Nelson. “This event highlights the city’s vibrancy and our commitment to empower our communities.”
“Reciprocal generosity is about helping each other out. By giving and receiving support, we create a cycle where everyone benefits. When one person helps another, that person is more likely to help someone else in return, creating a community where everyone looks out for each other,” Nelson added.
Nelson, in conjunction with a team including DDM Group COO Tracy Donnelly and the company’s Director of Business Development Osei Kweku, created a one-of-a-kind experience for Black people in the city of Atlanta to celebrate themselves.
Advocates from the Black Man Lab will continue their mission to mentor and empower the youth by hosting a mentoring panel on Monday, June 17. The organization was founded in 2016 by Black fathers and sons in an effort to improve relationships and communication between generations of Black men.
Join us Tuesday, June 18, at the hottest Black-owned art gallery in the metro Atlanta area, ZuCot Gallery as local community leaders openly share their progress stories in hopes of inspiring others. This event is being put on in partnership with Shine2Inspire, a Black-owned organization that accepts and collects backpacks and other school items throughout the year to donate to children in need.
The next day, carve out time to get your mental, physical and spiritual fed with a day of fellowship and community. On Wednesday, June 19, get your heart rate up during the community Metropolitan 5K run led by a local organization, hosted by a local fitness brand, Cause of E.F.F.E.C.T., for Juneteenth.
The 5K run will take place in Atlanta’s southside community along Metropolitan Parkway.
Later that evening, those of you who own or rent bikes can join the Dope Pedalers bicycle club based in Atlanta, founded by Jay Reid. The group offers regular weekly rides around the city, but for Black Star Week, they are hosting a three-hour group night ride to promote unity.
Kweku believes now more than ever is the time to cultivate our own culture and find various ways to create community.
“We’re bringing forward community more than anything and I think that the community that we believe in and that we know is out there is key,” he said during an interview.
“The more that we’re moving forward I see a new community emerging from out of Atlanta that in turn can really impact other cities that have Black influence across the country and even around the world. This is a global celebration of the black community at the highest level,” he added.
Black Star Week’s events also include a lunch ’n’ learn at the Riverside Epicenter in collaboration with The Brand Architects also on Wednesday. The two-hour discussion will revolves around overcoming stigmas, seeking help, and supporting men’s mental health and the unique challenges professional athletes face. The lineup of featured speakers includes Super Bowl champs Dominique Easley, Jonathan Casillas, and Chris Hubbard, and others.
To bring some entertainment for June’s Black Music Month celebration, tune into the sounds of Afrobeats, soca, reggaeton, dancehall, reggae, hip-hop and more at one of our music houses and marketplaces. Friends and family are welcome to come enjoy the good vibes and plenty of food.
On Juneteenth, the party ends at midnight at Blue Martini and on Friday, June 21, the party at Roc Steady ends at 2 a.m.
This year’s Black Star Week is intended to enlighten, educate, inform and engage your active mind, body and soul. We help each other when we take care of each other.
For more information about the daily schedule and tickets, please visit BlackStarWeek.com.
DDM Group, the lead sponsor of Black Star Week, is the owner and publisher of Atlanta Black Star.