Black Creatives Honoring Black-Led Nonprofits during Black Philanthropy Month
Black Creatives Honoring Black-Led Nonprofits during Black Philanthropy Month
Black Philanthropy Month (BPM), observed every August, is a global celebration and concerted campaign to elevate African-descent giving. Here locally in Charlotte, BPM is led by NGAAP (New Generation of African American Philanthropists) and is supported by SHARE Charlotte to rally giving to our 130 Black-led and Black-benefitting nonprofit partners.
In August, through a partnership with My Brother's Keeper Charlotte-Mecklenburg, SHARE Charlotte highlighted #CharlotteCreatives that honored non-profit organizations with a creative piece about their work.
Let’s meet the artists and the nonprofit they honored.
Meet the Nonprofit:
RISE2IMPACT (@rise2impact), led by Jerry Duncan, formed in 2012 because young boys of color in our school, community, and nation are experiencing issues that lead to decreased success in school.
RISE2IMPACT addresses persistent opportunity gaps faced by African American male students to ensure all young people can reach their full potential. This happens through the cultivation of intentional experiences and opportunities that inspire and challenge our young men to see themselves as commodities and not burdens to society as they are so often portrayed. Pictured here is Saivon Lockhart, #CharlotteYouth and valued member of RISE2IMPACT, who tragically lost his life too soon on July 8th, 2023. He will always be remembered and never forgotten. Rest In Peace!
Meet the Artist:
Ricky Singh, an artist, educational leader, and community curator living and working out of Charlotte’s Historic West End. He is a founding leadership team member of Charlotte Lab School and the Executive Director of My Brother's Keeper Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
A multi-faceted artist, Ricky is a graffiti-based muralist who utilizes canvases, pots, bags, sneakers, and more to share narratives of empowerment, unity, and color in his community and around the city. Originally from New York City, he moved to Charlotte almost a decade ago and has led and facilitated many art projects. He is driven to work with the city to create community-based projects that empower marginalized groups, furthering the mission of the #BeattiesFordStrong mural project, and finding ways to lift up #CharlotteYouth voices.
"Hearing the words and premise of Rise 2 Impact (@rise2impact) being a youth-led program inspired me to create a piece that honors their collaboration with the Jordan Wings program and create a piece that honors BROTHERHOOD" Ricky Singh
See the video: Click here
Meet the Nonprofit:
Hope Vibes was founded as a 501c3 organization in 2017 by the husband-and-wife team of Emmanuel and Adrienne Threatt with the goal of bringing awareness, hope and real solutions to the homeless epidemic in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg region.
A long-held goal for the organization was the development of a mobile shower and laundry center aimed at providing dignity for neighbors experiencing homelessness. Dubbed the Hope Tank, the organization spent nearly two years raising the funds to make the concept a reality, along the way testing its impact.
Meet the Artist:
Ty McBride, is a self-taught oil and acrylic painter originally from the small town of Hemingway, SC that grew up and is currently based in Charlotte, NC. Her style is influenced by the combination of her love of black American culture and the bright colors she grew up seeing in local graffiti.
In her words “I want all of the young black and brown children to be able to look at my art and see a positive representation of themselves. They get enough negativity from all of the other sources around them. I want them to feel like they matter and so does the culture that they grew up in.”
In an odd turn of events, Ty didn’t start seriously painting until her second year of law school. As a student at St. Johns University School of Law in New York, she spent a lot of days and nights in a small basement apartment alone and when she needed a break from studying, she picked up a paintbrush. In the five years since then, she has been selected for the Artfields competition in Lake City, SC three times, been commissioned for the Black Lives Matter mural in Spartanburg, SC, and displayed her work at art shows in NC, SC, GA, and DC.
See the Art:
