Bl*ck Empowerment Party:
Reimaging Outreach & Engagement Best Practices
9-Month Senior Capstone Project
Community, Environment & Planning 2021
Abstract
The research question at hand asks how block parties can be used as an empowerment tool to positively affect civic engagement for the Black community. The project lies within the contexts of outreach strategies for underrepresented minority communities; the power of civic engagement and identity; and the inherently political history of the Black community and public space. The primary methods include an in-depth literature review to adequately frame the topic; the interviewing of Black community leaders in applicable disciplines across the United States for their experience and insight; and a creative depiction of the block party re-envisioning into one that centers Black empowerment, learning, and civic amplification. The expected findings seek to propose a potential solution to magnifying Black voices in civic processes by taking a contemporary approach to the traditional idea of a block party. The final product will be the literature review and representation of the Bl*ck Empowerment Party through a virtual zine. The aim of these products is to provide individuals of underrepresented identities with the framework and inspiration to implement the project through discovering innovative methods of public outreach and empowerment rooted in the histories of their own communities in hopes of encouraging engaged citizens. The Bl*ck Empowerment Party will attempt to address the inequities within city structures and development processes through offering a creative solution that honors the rightful space for affected communities to be empowered stakeholders and catalysts.
The research question at hand asks how block parties can be used as an empowerment tool to positively affect civic engagement for the Black community. The project lies within the contexts of outreach strategies for underrepresented minority communities; the power of civic engagement and identity; and the inherently political history of the Black community and public space. The primary methods include an in-depth literature review to adequately frame the topic; the interviewing of Black community leaders in applicable disciplines across the United States for their experience and insight; and a creative depiction of the block party re-envisioning into one that centers Black empowerment, learning, and civic amplification. The expected findings seek to propose a potential solution to magnifying Black voices in civic processes by taking a contemporary approach to the traditional idea of a block party. The final product will be the literature review and representation of the Bl*ck Empowerment Party through a virtual zine. The aim of these products is to provide individuals of underrepresented identities with the framework and inspiration to implement the project through discovering innovative methods of public outreach and empowerment rooted in the histories of their own communities in hopes of encouraging engaged citizens. The Bl*ck Empowerment Party will attempt to address the inequities within city structures and development processes through offering a creative solution that honors the rightful space for affected communities to be empowered stakeholders and catalysts.
CEP Senior Project Film Festival Video Presentation |
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