BRUNCH No8 - FUTURE HISTORY
WHAT'S FOR BRUNCH?
Doors open 1pm
Those who brunch will be treated to an afternoon menu of networking, live performances, arts & skills exchange, and debate, all overflowing with Black Boy Joy, and prepared lovingly by us, for us:
dine 1.30-2.30pm
Brunch is served! Over plant-based brunch, lovingly prepared by @FAM VEGAN, we emphasise connection and encourage diners to mingle and mix – a space for inter-generational networking, making connections, support and calls to action. This month, there are 40 guest spaces for brunch – with a menu that emphasises hearty, nutritious, sustainably sourced flavours … with soul.
Are you a foodpreneur? We are creating a roster of suppliers for Brunch and other BLKOUT events and aim to support food businesses that are led by Black and/or queer owners – get in touch
Deliberate 2.30 - 3.30pm
A highly engaging, topical discussion led by our special guests, the team behind BAFTA nominated short film, The Black Cop - G Turawa and director, Cherish Oteka, exploring bullying, trauma, and racism within institutions we rely on for protection, and the redemptive power that can come from owning our own narratives and breaking oppressive silences.
discover 3.30-5.00pm
Take part in a personal development workshop, share a skill, help our mental health partner, Koothplc, develop improved digital services, co-design our latest visual arts project, learn something new or teach new things to someone else, explore a new hobby, refresh an old skill, court and document different opinions and experiences, through participating in a debate, conquer this month's scavenger hunt team challenge, make a new friend . . . 'only connect'.
Would you or your organisation like to offer an hour-long workshop – perhaps as an intro to your brand, a taster for a longer course, to recruit new staff or volunteers, or simply to be part of the fun? Click here to pitch your idea
A full list of available workshops will be shared a week before Brunch – those who brunch can sign up online or decide on arrival.
delight 5.15-6.15pm
Delight in our monthly entertainment, arts, and current affairs show, Hard Pressed. Presented by co-hosts, Rob and Nzube, with insightful panellists from across our community, those who brunch will join talented podcasters, top-notch performers, emerging and established artists and opinion-formers, to share in the wit and wisdom of Black queer excellence.
Think you should be on the Black Men Who Brunch stage? – Have a story to tell, a new book, event, or film to promote to other Black Queer Men? Tell us about it - shoot your shot and pitch your idea
Decompress 6.30 - 7.30pm
Introducing a new segment, Mike's Mic, open mic music and spoken word performances, celebrating the healing power of creativity, the joy of connection through performance, and sharing the remarkable depth of talent among our peers. Led by singer/songwriter Mike Scott-Harding, with a live band, the open mic session sets out to inspire us and charge our resilience batteries until the next Brunch.
EAT IN & TAKEAWAY
Thanks to generous donors from our community, our mental health partners, Koothplc, a 2021 National Lottery Community Fund contribution, and a grant recently received from British Land, (managers of the Regent's Place complex, in addition to their already generous, in-kind contribution of space) we have been able to put in place the necessary tech and post-production support to record a live podcast. We will now be able to make an edited version available for those who are unable to physically attend. Look out for an increase in the number and quality of video, audio, and livestreamed elements of workshops and performances.
The BLKOUT Hub – our newly rebooted community app, will become an increasingly significant part of the event for those attending as well as those who are on catch up or ‘brunching from home’ - you are encouraged to download the app, get your membership verified, and get connected.
We are stronger through our diversity and consciously work towards inclusion. Our venues have step-free access. Our online platforms include captioning where possible. If you have particular needs that we can meet that we may have missed, do not hesitate to contact us.
We recognise that we operate in an unequal society and therefore offer events at lowest possible cost, and ideally free of charge. When a fee is required, we offer subsidised tickets to those who may find it harder to pay and give those who can afford more, an opportunity to buy a ticket for others via our ‘pay it forward’ option.
To enable us to effectively address persistent inequalities, facilitate healing from trauma, and shelter from the racisms and homophobia that we face, it is necessary, on occasions, to host spaces as part of the event that are exclusively for those who identify as Black gay, bi and/or trans men.
While Black Men Who Brunch will always centre the needs and experiences of Black Queer men, it is open to all who come in solidarity, and attendance is not an indicator of ethnic or sexual identity. We ask all who attend to respect themselves and others in the space by seeking to do no harm and, when asked, to co-operate with mediation to resolve issues that may arise.
We are creating ‘brave space’ in which existing structures and patterns of behaviour and belief are open to challenge and change. We recognise that we are all ‘works in progress’. This is a process that requires trust to be built between attendees. We take safeguarding of each other seriously and have been collaboratively developing our policy and practice in this area. If at any point you feel at risk, or witness behaviour which puts others in harm's way, please let us know. There may be parts of the programme that are reserved for those who identify as Black Queer men and seek to operate as more traditional ‘safer space’ - facilitators will work with those groups to clarify the implications for those invited into such spaces and to offer participants an informed choice about whether to stay. We thank our friends for their understanding.
