Our Playground
PG produces events serving Black queer Chicagoans. We center Black lesbian, gay, trans, queer people in creative programming that invites grown-ups to play.
Since 2023, we have produced parties, game nights, movie nights, a sapphic pole show, spelling bees, workshops, community potlucks, cookouts, dinners, field days and more.
Through our playdates, we intervene on the loneliness epidemic and safeguard collective wellbeing. PG was made for mutual aid — contributing to our creative ecosystem and local micro-fundraising.
bell hooks describes “childlike wonder” as a precious life force that can transform and heal our lives.
A Black queer social resource for the loneliness epidemic. Nationally, Black LGBTQ+ community members report higher rates of depressive symptoms than white queer counterparts. According to the Surgeon General, half of US adults report experiencing chronic loneliness, which increases risk for depression and premature death. Black and queer young adults, especially those with disabilities and facing financial insecurity, are at highest risk of isolation.
Conversely, research identifies LGBTQ+ community connectedness as a key protective factor improving Black queer health outcomes.
Investing in Chicago’s Black queer creative ecosystem. Being both Black and queer in a segregated city can be isolating. White queer and cis-heteronormative spaces can be micro-aggressive, culturally misaligned, and physically harmful.
Black queer community members have created our own cultural hubs and safe havens. But amongst the businesses claimed by the pandemic, several collectives serving the Black queer community have also folded, largely citing burnout, insufficient resources, and barriers to opportunities.
Origins
I am an Igbo-American, Black lesbian community cook, graphic designer, researcher and curator raised in Chicago, Illinois (unceded homelands of the Council of the Three Fires: the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi Nations).
I have a Bachelors in African American Studies, a Masters of Public Health, and I am a birth worker and abortion companion. I belong to Crossroads Black Queer Writing Collective and Independent Curators International (ICI), recognized as an emerging curator.
My mission is to curate arts exhibits and events that tangibly improve the lived experience of Black queer communities and family systems.
My current art making and curatorial practices are also inspired by Black queer history.
I am inspired by the inventiveness of my inner child and teen.
Attuned to the needs of my community, I began organizing resource fairs, youth summits, and political education workshops by the time I graduated high school. In undergrad, I organized teach-ins, artist showcases, and a social change conference. I have been space-making and hosting from home ever since.
