Black x Asians AF Block Party 🎉
Black x Asians AF Block Party 🎉
We Shut Down Part of the City 👀
WOKEPDX’s programming halted due to the pandemic. So how could the organization build momentum again in a post-quarantine world and bring community together?
We know sneaker culture is a HUGE thing in Portland with Nike HQ stationed in the city’s backyard. And we also know the two biggest ethnic cultures and communities who rally around sneaker culture are the Asian & Black community. So when SneakerweekPDX 2022 rolled around, it was the perfect opportunity to bring both sneakers and the two community groups - via a block party, of course.
I helped bring alive and host a Block Party, shutting down a whole city street in for a Lion Dance, live art installation, kids’ activities, Black & Asian AF fusion food, & our version of a Bodega/Mini-Mart with our fav childhood snacks.
It started with a 3am idea
My Program Director texted me at an ungodly hour about throwing a block party. She wanted it to be 90’s hip-hop themed with a mix of familiar vibes from our own childhood. She also demanded we shut down a whole street to do this. We got to brainstorming on the theme with the mood board (left) to coin our event name.
After hours of Fresh Prince memes, Sunday school stories, and latchkey kid memories, we arrived at: “Black x Asian AF Block Party.”
…Then We Got Some Event Branding
There was no point of return - we were going to make this event happen in a span of 6 months’ time.
So we got some creative pro-bono help from local Swift Agency on our event branding, leading with creative direction from our mood board. They design our event logo and social assets.
Sticking with our original creative concept, the final assets hit perfectly on that street style, 80s to early 90s vibes we envisioned.
…We Invited Everyone to Come Party and Gained Community Partners Too
A Block Party isn’t complete without calling all the homies to come through. From Deadstock to the City of Portland, the Block Party wouldn’t have been a success without the support of our local and national partners:
…And Finally, We Shut The Street Down
The city gave us the green light to fill the streets with tons of biodegradable confetti, two Lions dancing, a pop-up bodega/corner store, a non-stop line for Asian and Black fusion food, and endless selfies at the photo booth - all in 102 degree weather.
But also let us run back the impact stats for you:
🫂 250+ Attendees on event day
📚 150+ Free K-12 books given away
🍳 250+ plates of exclusive
Black x Asian Fusion menu sold
🆓 125+ hours of creative pro-bono time from our partners
💸 $10,000+ local donations to BAAF
👟 100+ pairs of sneakers donated to local youth programs
Featured on Portland Monthly: “The Best Photos from Sneaker Week PDX 2022”
Lastly, We Got Press, Press, Press: We Made Front Page of Portland Monthly Mag
Our talented designer friends over at SGK Inc. laser cut and recreated an Air Force shoe made from left over pegboards. This again, was a 3AM idea that came to life and, hey, attendees and the press loved it.
Peak at the full article here.