Community organizers are the new CEOs..
August 1, 2025 —- It was the Family Reunion (Orisun Soul Sessions #14) and I was invited to participate in the Kids Corner! Right up my alley 😊 This is how we get our village back. To unite all generations from families with ancestors on every continent is exactly the future we dream of.
Quick backstory: In 2020 I “founded” (though I don’t like to use that word) 2 organizations, Black Designers Ignite and Think Olive Creative (@black.,ignite & @thinkolive.co), both with intentions of using our creativity and unity for good. See I was always looking for my village, always creating opportunities for connection. And this was no different! This weekend, two of my passions came together. Youth, art, design, social justice, unity!
On August 1st, 2025, 5 years later, we moved from virtual events to my city of St. Paul! Instead of collecting virtual tickets in Crowdcast we gathered on Dakota land. Instead of saying hi through screens, we got to hug and dance. The best part, our kids were there! I’ll remain a “broken record”, we need to include the kids! I’ll never forget my first event, hosted by Peace Coffee back in 2016 for the MSP OpenIDEO launch party. Not only because 80 strangers showed up to this design event I dreamed up, but because I put so much heart and love into the kids room, and brought my son, only for him to be alone with my mom all night. Peoples’ kids were all at home!
Moms need to feel like they can bring kids to social networking events. Organizers need to ensure kids have activities to do, too! The thing is, they should be watching what we do. They should be hearing all these things we’re talking about. And they should have a voice in solving the problems facing our future! This beautiful event did both those things. We curated a special space for our kiddos to gather, create, and connect. Here are some pictures captured from the day.
I am so grateful to the head organizer, Lenora Magee, founder of Orisun Wellness and Orisun Soul Sessions. While walking in one of my favorite St. Paul parks over a year ago, I stumbled across her group speaking truth into the mic. I felt then what I do now.. I felt it in my soul. “This is how we get our village back.” Community organizers are the new CEOs. They should be on the cover of our magazines and given all the funding. They may not be pioneering the next big tech thing, but they, WE, are certainly uniting the people. And that matters!
❤️+✌🏽
Heatherlee
