A Month of Imagination & Faith
Welcome to the March issue of The Scroll Down! Our monthly run down of what's taking place within the Blacks of Are.na community.
As we step into March, our intention is to embrace ambitious strides into the future without shame of looking back with gratitude. This month, we honor Women's History Month, celebrating the invaluable contributions of women across all spheres. We also recognize Harriet Tubman Day on March 10th, commemorating the legacy of a savior who led countless enslaved individuals through the Americas to freedom. Additionally, March 21st marks the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, in recognition of the 1960 police massacre in Sharpeville, South Africa; reminding us of the ongoing fight against racism globally.
Send this to someone who should be in the know. Because the best communities grow when we bring each other along.
Now, let’s get into it.
🤗 Looking Back: What We Loved in February
Recent Events
AFROCONNECTION → 2025
AFROCONNECTION → 2025 was a resounding success!!! Last Friday we gathered virtually in celebration of Black History Month with a focus on connection through sonic memory and musical archives. The event showcased the richness of our culture and the power of community. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all who attended and contributed. For those who wish to revisit the experience or couldn't attend, we invite you to explore the event's official Are.na channel.
Community
Substack: Cheers to over 1000 Subs!!!!!! 🥂
Last month we were celebrating 500 subs, and a couple of weeks later, we are breaking 1000! We are elateddd (if you couldn’t tell).
When opening our recent event to the public, we reflected on how this unexpected growth would impact the vision and function of this space. We quickly learned that the Are.na to Substack pipeline is stronger than we realized and that we just needed to relax… and be open to growth. (“We” meaning in this instance)
For anyone who has been around since the very beginning, they know that the people behind this space are very mindful to preserve an intentional experience for our community that actually contributes to their life. As we grow, we are still shaping and uncovering how exactly those contributions may show up but will always take our responsibility with this platform very seriously.
We are so honored to serve as one of the many online beacons of Black excellence. Most importantly, we are excited to continue to have a silly goofy time with you all!
February Member Highlight
B.O.A. Member Highlight: STR33T
What began as an experimental member shoutout questionnaire quickly turned into an hour-and-a-half-long heart-to-heart with my old friend and fellow B.O.A. member, STR33T—though to me, he’s simply Justin. The same kid we once lost in the Paris Metro (but that’s a story for another day)...
🤗 What’s Coming Up in March
Upcoming Events
URL: The Return of B.O.A. Cinema Club
We’re bringing back the Blacks Of Are.na Cinema Club—and this time, we are mixing things up. In response to feedback from our recent event survey, we’ve decided to depart from our typical Monday evening screening times. While this month we’ll be taking a stab at Friday afternoons, for the following months we’ll continue to survey and test out different time slots with the intention of making the regular screenings as accessible as possible!
This month’s screening will be on Friday, March 30, at 1 PM EST, hosted by futurist, artist, and Black Beyond Artistic Director, Jazsalyn.
If you’ve been with us from the beginning, you may remember that Jazsalyn was one of the first Are.na community members to help guide the early vision of Blacks Of Are.na. Hosting her is seriously such an epic full-circle moment!
She’s curated a powerful lineup of films under the theme of Black Metatheories, exploring four different perspectives:
Afrofuturism → “The Last Angel of History” (John Akomfrah, 1996)
Afropocalypse, as conceived by Jazsalyn → “Dahomey” (Mati Diop, 2024)
Afrovoidism, as conceived by
→ “Shopping Bag Spirits and Freeway Fetishes” (Part 1&2), (Barbara McCullough, 1981)
Afronowism, as conceived by Stephanie Dinkins → “Seeking Mavis Beacon” (Jazmin Jones & Olivia M. Ross, 2024)
Voting for the film is now open in our Are.na Discord. DM us to get access to the server and the private RSVP link for the screening!
IRL: Warpmode: Afropocalypse, at Pioneer Works (NYC) with Black Beyond and Metalabel
Sunday, March 23rd, 3PM EST
159 Pioneer St, Brooklyn, NY
If you’re in or near New York City, you won’t want to miss Warpmode; Afropocalypse. Warpmode is an interactive event series created by this month’s Cinema Club guest-host, Jazsalyn in partnership with Metalabel(1), co-presented by Pioneer Works(1) and Onassis ONX.
For the third session in the Warpmode event series, Jazsalyn will be in conversation with American Artist, moderated by film and cultural critic Zeba Blay, with a musical intervention by SCRAAATCH.
New Yorkers & East Coasters, be sure to RSVP and join! You won’t want to miss this.
📍 Pioneer Works, NYC: 159 Pioneer St, Brooklyn, NY
📅 Date & Time: Sunday, March 23rd 3PM EST
Community
Upcoming Member Highlight: Ra Lee (Andra Lee)
This month, we’re highlighting
, a BOA member and former Cinema Club co-host. She curated and hosted our January screening of The Watermelon Woman.Earlier this month, BOA President, gave her a call, and they got into all the good stuff—solitude, musical savagery, subjective storytelling, and the fine art of hoarding illegal PDFs.
Share With Us!
Got an event, an accomplishment, movement, or a project you want the community to know about? Email us at blacksofare.na@gmail.com. Let’s amplify each other!
Until next time, keep scrolling, keep thriving.
The movie screenings are in person or online?