Changing the narrative
New media collective highlights BIPOC voices with digital magazine
When Tara Reeves lived in P.E.I. over a decade ago there weren’t many visible BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) folks around.
She grew up on white everything, including media, she said.
“At a certain point, I realized I couldn’t draw what I needed from my surroundings to fulfil myself as a person.”
So, she left.
In 2019, she would have laughed at someone suggesting she would move back to Summerside and start a digital media company.
But that’s what happened. The Black Collective Media launched its website and first product, a digital magazine called The Block, on Feb. 1, the start of Black History Month.
Though coinciding with Black History Month wasn’t part of the original plan, it was a move as lucky as meeting the other two founders, Bianca Pilar Garcia and Daniel Ohaegbu, said Reeves.
“I feel like it was kind of serendipitous because we were talking about January until we realized how much more work we had to complete before we could launch something, actually.”
FIRST EDITION
Planning started in September, when Pilar Garcia approached Ohaegbu and Reeves.
“Bianca was talking about trying to create this ecosystem to amplify (BIPOC voices), so we actually tried different ideas at that point, explored different projects,” said Ohaegbu, “and it seemed like at that time the digital magazine was a product we could launch first.”
Pilar Garcia — who went to school for journalism in the Dominican Republic — set
up the interviews and prepared questions, and then each founder conducted and transcribed interviews for the release.
The project ended up much larger than anticipated, said Ohaegbu.
“At first, we thought it was going to be 15 pages, then Bianca brought out the first one and she brought out 30-something pages and she was like, ‘I’m not even done’.”
In the end, it came out as a 90-page issue featuring interviews, write-ups, photography, video, poetry and recipes focused on the Black culture on Prince Edward Island.
PURPOSE
The goal of the collective and the magazine is to uplift the community and change the narrative around BIPOC folks, who are often portrayed as struggling, suffering and dying, said Ohaegbu.
“And that’s the truth. We are. But we’re also always laughing, we’re always smiling, we’re always dancing. We’re always doing all of those other things.”
While the team won’t avoid talking about challenges like racism, if it’s necessary, it’s not the main focus, said Reeves.
“I’m really tired of talking about white supremacy. That’s kind of like a constant topic, but let’s talk about Black excellence within POC communities.”
There’s also the hope to get a seat at the media table that hasn’t been afforded to their communities by bridging a gap between them and traditional media, said Reeves.
“We are here to disrupt, but we’re also here to create opportunities for folks in our communities who haven’t had their voices shared in a way that uplifts them.”
THE PLAN
Though details are still being worked out, like what the next project will be, the magazine will release two to four issues a year, while the website will be updated yearround.
In the coming weeks, the team will also be setting up an email for those looking to submit pieces or ideas.
Meanwhile, Reeves already sees the launch as a personal success.
“I never in my wildest dreams imagined that I would be back living here, during a global pandemic no less, working with amazing, super intelligent, driven people on a passion project that is out there in the world.”