So many good things to do!

Greetings!  So, you may have seen and heard me promoting Black Cannabis Week (BCW) for a few years and saying that YOU really wanna be in the rooms, but it's true!!!  And truer this year than ever due to the state of things globally, nationally, locally, at home, and with ourselves.  Safety, community, healing, and fun have become crucial for our survival as fear, trauma, ignorance, disenfranchisement, violence, inflation, and occupation are grabbing at us like straws, flailing as it melts like the wicked witch of the west, then drowns in its own muck and finally evaporates so the molecules can reconfigure as pure goodness.  We know that one perfect love is the antidote, and it IS winning, which is why they are wilin' out like they currently are. 

That said, we also have to anticipate that, like when we clean our homes--closets, cabinets, basements, under beds, junk drawers and all, it will be messy for a minute before everything is clear, clean, and refreshed.  We also know that we'll have to create the world we desire and envision.  Black Cannabis Week and specifically the Diasporic Alliance for Cannabis Opportunities (DACO) Cannabis Opportunities Conference is access to that.  It is the only conference of its kind and the only one that is FREE and open to the community.  There will be free PA Medical Card certification and registration, felony record clearing, cannabis job fair, education, various healing modalities, games, DJ, vendor marketplace, town hall forums, and more.  The few events that require paid tickets are actually fundraisers that make producing the entire event possible.  And they are sooooo dope and inspiring that it makes the monetary cost feel more than worth it.  

Whether or not you get down with cannabis (weed!), it is important for us all, including YOU, to come together in our own spaces for this organized interaction.  While rooted in something that has been terribly stigmatized (for reasons that DO DIRECTLY relate to being Black and Latinx in this country) and at times illegal/illicit, cannabis has been continuously revered globally since antiquity by both indigenous cultures and the dominant religious texts, as the Healing of the Nation for a reason.  NOT just because it helps people mentally deal (not cope) with life's challenges, but for the possibilities for environmental and financial sustainability as well as the avenues it offers for social equity.  This event puts you in the room with the policy makers, licensors, influencers, innovators, leaders, organizers, and people who have been directly impacted by the harmful effects of the War on Drugs.  Whether we choose to be or not, we are all impacted by how this does or doesn't shake out.  Gun violence, youth spiraling into a scary abyss, homelessness, lack of services and resources, collapsing bridges, striking sanitation and airport workers, transportation cuts, deportation, abortion access and reproductive justice, gentrification, personal autonomy, accessibility, real food, big pharma, healthcare, voting, freedom of speech etc., and so-called Americans instigating WW3, involves all the same players, shitstems and civics as cannabis legislation, policy, industry, and economics.  Cannabis is as intersectional as I am. 

Cannabis industry, community, and opportunities are not just about getting high.  Mostly it's about sustainable paper and building materials, textiles, and farms.  It's about natural medicine that actually heals people and providing respite for people who are suffering from pain and trauma.  It's about giving people a fresh start in life after being in the carceral shitstem.  It's about having a piece on the board in the game of the future.  It's about being able to enjoy your work in HR or accounting or whatever because it's a whole progressive and life-affirming vibe because the wack people aren't over here with us.  It's about actually bending the ear of YOUR elected officials.  It's about skills and career development.  It's about educating and embracing each other in, and as, community.  It's about Black beauty and style.  It's about making connections for every reason.  Artists, doctors, teachers, parents, farmers, politicians, CEOs, scholars, therapists, yogis, chefs, elders, travelers, entrepreneurs, performers, and more.  Learning, laughing, caregiving, building, planning, strategizing, buying, selling, playing, partying, eating, and more!

I want you there mostly for my own selfish reason:  I want to share this experience with you.  I want to enjoy it with you.  I want to be hype with you (in my low-key way, of course).  I want to create what's possible with you.  Like forreal.  I am not just saying this.   It’s a dream of mine to just have fun together enjoying dope things with other dope people all powerfully and positively impacting the world, being fly, living it up, and leading by example.  If I were tryna guilt trip you, I'd say it's a month before my 50th birthday, and this is one of my bday celebration wishes.  Take that if you wanna, but if you will just let yourself be open to possibility (yes, I am a graduate of the Landmark Forum lol), I guarantee that YOU will have a life changing experience in some valuable way, shape, or form if you support BCW and the DACO conference and me with your presence.

We are still looking for donations, sponsors, and vendors for any or all 3 days to both fill out our venues and cover the financial shortfall that is too often par for the course of being independently produced and funded by us for us.

Finally, if you would like to volunteer, we'd love that too!  It's a great way to have an immersive experience!

Time is of the essence.  We have 18 days and would be ever grateful if you made your contribution today or get your tix as soon as you can. 

All of the links below are from the Black Cannabis Week Linktree, but for your ease I have also included below the ones for Philly events that are the fundraisers I mentioned above.  Let me know if you have any questions or difficulty, and/or if you get tix or make a donation (any amount large or small--we've gotten a few $4.20, though the ask is $420 x 100).  

VIP All Access Tix (which is also included as gift for the $420 donation)

Friday Morning Policy Breakfast Tix

Friday Night Blaze the Runway Tix (Super fun, fly, lit Fashion Show)

Sunday Puff and Pose (yoga day party)

Sign up to model or perform at Blaze the Runway (emcees, vocalists, poets, and people who can rock looks on the runway for a hype audience)

~Naeemah Afi Patterson 

ONE PERFECT LOVE 

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