Fund Black Joy

My name is Shellie-Ann and I am an unapologetically black woman who lives with anxiety and depression, which are exacerbated by racial injustice. Recently, I shared some of my anxieties on social media and there were so many BIPOC followers that had the same fears and concerns. Realizing this shared anxiety, it became clear to me that BIPOC folks need spaces where we can relax and commune with each other, and try to restore our peace amid the tumult of American life.

I’ve spent the past nine months working to turn a hoarder’s paradise into a food oasis known as Bunkhouse Acres. 2021 will be my first season as a farmer, and it is cause for celebration. With that in mind, I decided to have a farm launch party on Juneteenth that would focus on liberation, both psychological and physical. 

This fund is specifically for curating events and activities that allow BIPOC living in predominantly white environments to build community with each other and escape from the traumatizing reality of compounded injustices. The first such event will be Liberation and Libations: A Juneteenth Farm Launch. The intent is to provide a laid-back space for descendants of enslaved people to celebrate freedom with food and fellowship on land stewarded by a black woman, in a state where we tend to be few and far between.

I need your support to make this as inclusive a space as possible. Every person will attend free of charge and will be nourished with local food, earth-centered meditations, games, music, pleasant surprises, and most of all, the fellowship of others who look like us.

The budget for this party is $7,500( $75 per attendee), additional funds raised will go towards future activities. Thank you in advance for supporting this joy-filled resistance with money, services or supplies.