THERE’S POWER IN COMMUNITY

This Black History Month, Levi’s® is shining a much-needed spotlight on the organizers who are making Black history right now at this very moment. The grassroots revolutionaries and creatives proving there is inherent power in making sure their communities are heard, valued, and adequately represented for future generations to come. Throughout the month of February, we’re amplifying the work of Black Futures Lab and LIVE FREE — two organizations that share the common goal of creating more equitable futures for Black communities across the country — with a multi-part blog series.

Founded by Alicia Garza in 2018, Black Futures Lab aims to transform Black communities by building political power for Black Americans at the local, state and national levels. The same goes for LIVE FREE, a movement of interfaith groups led by Pastor Michael McBride committed to stemming the causes of gun violence and mass incarceration in communities of color. 

In addition to a donation of $25,000 to both organizations, we’ve co-created graphics with the help of artists from each team — amplifying their work with the customizable slogans: “My Black Superpower is ____” for Black Futures Lab and “LIVE FREE from ___” for LIVE FREE. Each organization then engaged members of its communities to “fill in the blank” with inspirational words and phrases that speak to their work. We are honored to feature a cast of community leaders who are doing the work, from the multimedia artists behind the graphics to the photographer, who herself is a native of Oakland where the project photos were shot.

For part one of our multi-part blog series, meet the creatives who brought this program to life, and learn more about what Black History Month means to them.

She began working for the organization around five years ago and prides herself on collaborating primarily with clients who are in the social justice space. The tireless work Black Futures Lab and its affiliated organizers do to advocate for Black communities through policy-making are directly aligned with Exum’s personal ethics. “It's very important for me to just have the work I do during my day job to reflect my values,” says Exum. “It's something that's a continuous process where I'm supporting, giving space, and uplifting Black voices.”

This Black History Month, Exum encourages us all to educate ourselves on the issues that directly affect Black people, noting her own experience of self-educating in the design field. “I came to design school with a very different perspective that wasn't necessarily appreciated by my white peers,” says Exum who put in the leg work to learn about Black female artists she wasn’t often taught about. “I think that people should just go out and find a Black person in history — a Black artist — and learn about that person and share that information with other people.”

When she’s not using her talents to design graphics, she’s making empowering music under the stage name “Miss Eaves” and using her acting skills to take part in theater productions. “I would say my Black superpower is art, for real. I think sometimes it’s easier for me to do that than to even use my words.”

When designing the powerful graphic for LIVE FREE’s collaboration with Levi’s, Alkebu-lan decided to use the iconic raised fist motif — an image that represents unity and solidarity with oppressed peoples. The design, coupled with the organization’s customizable slogan: “LIVE FREE FROM ____” allows its wearers to choose the issue they wish to eradicate within our society, specifically for Black communities. The gradient behind it is meant to evoke the optimism of a sunset, which for Alkebu-lan is a symbol of change.

He believes the work LIVE FREE is doing to eradicate gun violence and mass incarceration in Black neighborhoods in Oakland and around the U.S. is inspiring in its own right. This Black History Month, he challenges us to push past the divides that separate us to realize our common goal. “I am definitely a strong proponent and believer of Black History Year, but I think that, in that spirit, it's very important for not only Black people to understand our history, but for everybody to understand our history, because Black history is world history.”

When documenting this program, we understood the importance of bringing on a photographer who could authentically capture the beauty of Oakland and the Black organizers affiliated with Black Futures Lab and LIVE FREE. Enter Brittsense (A.k.a Brittani Sensabaugh), an East Oakland native and documentarian who specializes in portrait photography that highlights the innate beauty of the Black community. “I like to connect with the spirit and beyond the flesh,” says Brittsense. “I like to say that my movement and my photography highlights the love, because we are the love, we are the light.”

There’s a richness and familiarity found within her portraits that centers Black joy and a humanity that can only be seen through the eyes of someone who is in regular communion with their people. She wants her Black subjects to be undeniably themselves, removing the masks they often wear to uphold society’s racist standards. “I like to shoot us as is. I like to document us as is to highlight that point of view that we have to, in so many spaces, be someone else,” says Brittsense.

For her, East Oakland will always be home. The neighborhood’s resilient spirit stays with her, serving as inspiration as she shoots photos around the world. “There's just no spirit like Oakland. I almost get teary eyed thinking about it, because I love where I'm from,” says Brittsense. “One of the reasons I started doing photography or even documenting is when I transition off this earth, the photos that I've taken and that I've documented will still live on.”

For more information about each organization and the local Black organizers paving the way, explore our introductions to Black Futures Lab and LIVE FREE in the next two installments of this multi-part series.

Photos shot on location by Brittsense (A.k.a Brittani Sensabaugh) at Blk Girls Greenhouse and the 16th Street Train Station in Oakland, CA.