The Black Light Project

We are applying for this prize because we are situated in an area that is frequently overlooked by revitalization efforts and underfunded. Southeastern North Carolina  finds itself in a death grip of old white “money” which strangles the ability of creativity to thrive and grow. Also, by being overlooked, often times a monolithic perspective of southern black life is painted and our unique  Our organization would use the money to produce narrative shifting media and arts for Black creatives in the rural area of Eastern North Carolina. We would use the funding to provide a platform for storytellers, filmmakers and media groups and creatives to develop and market content that advances a positive narrative of Black life. By giving a platform we can employ Black and Brown creatives in their respective fields and utilize other Black vendors to support the economic infrastructure that these communities find difficulty establishing and sustaining. We would bring state of the art facilities, technologies, and opportunities to Eastern North Carolina.

Founded in 2017, The Black Light Project believes that the sharing of narratives is activism. It is in our stories that we gain a deeper understanding of the human condition and begin to analyze, question, and shift our perspectives on our fellow man and their life experience. Specifically, The Black Light Project focuses on those narratives of the oppressed and disenfranchised; those who are systematically deprived of proper representation and whose lives are often depicted in negative stereotypes and in stories told by others.

Our Project challenges the images we see in the media, recognizing the harm that hundreds of years of negative framing has done to the private and public image of Black people and to the psyche of Black people as a collective and individuals. Was we have grown and worked within our communities, we have found that we starved of proper representation throughout a multitude of important social, economic, and educational platforms. We believe wholeheartedly that media development is the tool best used to shift narratives and inject much needed focus on Black stories and increase knowledge and interaction with Black spaces.

Visibility and proper representation is a significant problem in Black communities. From everyday life to business to education and so on, our lives are often painted in a negative light or virtually ignored aside from tragedy and criminality. The issue I am specifically aiming to change to normalize the everyday contributions of Black citizens in their communities. Media is a powerful tool that has been used to harm the reality of Black life; impressing negative images throughout the world with no balance. Black people are either the criminals or people who possess inhuman abilities that few can identify with. In many ways this leaves Black people feeling isolated or unseen. Our goal is to situate Black life in truth by actively challenging negative narratives and replacing them with positive community driven stories. We gather stories from within individual communities and display Black life on a large platform. Through media we reflect the good and the humanity in Black communities and also force other communities to reconsider their preconceived notions. 

The approach we are taking is that we travel from community to community to getting to know the people there. We help communities reimagine themselves as vital and worthy. We believe the power to change lies within the people first believing that they are worthy of great things. We provide media that showcases them to themselves. The media we create is largely for the community that participates. It is a moment to foster connectivity from within. 

Frankly the biggest issue Black people face is the inundation of negative media which stems from the lack of visibility and the lack of spaces to produce media and the arts.  It is arts and culture broadcast and situated in humanity. 

1. We reach out to communities and the entities there that are conducting business, non-profits, service organizations and more.

2. We get to know the community and ask them to lead us through their history and reality.

3. We develop media centered around communities.

4. We invite artists to create alongside our programming.

5. We support the initiatives of other arts programs and that of artists.

6. We pointedly challenge negative press and media coverage.

This works because it is a necessity within communities to create and see themselves as vital and drivers of culture.