SD Black Arts + Culture District Campaign for Community Engagement

The San Diego Black Arts + Culture District is a recently designated cultural district created to cultivate appreciation and growth of Black Arts + Culture. With the district as the backdrop, the campaign aims to highlight Blacks' contributions to arts and culture in San Diego. The objective of the San Diego Black Arts + Culture District Campaign for Community Engagement is to implement a series of activities employing emerging and established artists who will ignite interest in the district with a goal of long-term involvement in the lowest quartile communities in the surrounding areas. Activities include engaging the poetry and spoken word community with the district and uplifting individuals by supporting cultural expressions that are uniquely African American. Additional activities include introducing Black filmmakers to the district and surrounding communities and a music festival featuring performances from the Black Diaspora with a diverse lineup of performers in both musical genres and generational. Arts and culture are among the most powerful tools to share pro-Blackness representations, messages, and stories, and they are valuable tools for engaging the community around social equity topics and supporting transformative learning. The campaign messaging supports a vibrant district and the need for people to become more involved in this impactful addition to the community.