The new Black Possibilities app is creating a “digital safe space for Black Oregonians to connect, organize, heal and advocate together,” according to Imagine Black, the organization that created the app. Joy Alise Davis, the executive director of Imagine Black, says the idea has been in the works since 2017, when board members started brainstorming ways to help Black Oregonians build community.
“It’s not enough for us to do self-care as individuals,” Davis said. “We need to come together. And sometimes that looks like having fun together in virtual spaces, laughing at what’s happening in pop culture. And sometimes that means showing up and testifying and making sure that we’re voting.”
In an effort to keep the space safe and welcoming, new users are asked to fill out a form to make sure they are aligned with a ‘Black queer feminist lens.’
“It basically means that we center Black Oregonians who are most impacted,” Davis said. “So we ask folks how they … align with that ideology, that framework and we ask them what their gaps are. And it’s not to say that there’s a perfect human. There’s no such thing. But we want to know where folks are coming in so that we can tailor some content to support their learning, but also be able to be support systems for them as they kind of dive deeper.”
In addition to places to communicate with other users, the app offers regular livestreams for things like meditation sessions. There are also regular workshops and opportunities for users to learn about in-person events around the state. In addition, there are private spaces on the app available to allies who are not Black.
The Black Possibilities app is not meant to compete with Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms, but instead serves a different function, says Davis.
“For a lot of us, when we were really young, we were told that we’re not allowed to imagine and dream of new realities,” she said. “We’re also really mindful that, for example, Oregon was dreamt up to be a white utopia ... We want to be involved in dreaming up those new realities.”
According to Davis, there are currently around 500 users, but she hopes there will be thousands eventually.
Joy Alise Davis spoke to “Think Out Loud” host Dave Miller. Click play below to listen to the full conversation:
