Black to the Future

New Voices for Reproductive Justice is a human rights and reproductive justice organization, with branches in Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Philly, that is dedicated to the health and well-being of Black women and girls and women of color. Black to the Future: A 12th Anniversary Celebration, a gala which took place in December of 2016, celebrated 12 years of New Voices' activism and advocacy on behalf of marginalized women. The theme of the event, if the name wasn't enough of an indication, was Afrofuturism--a genre/concept/philosophy that, in part, utilizes science-fiction and fantasy to envision the future of the African diaspora. With that aesthetic in mind, I created all of the graphic design elements for the event: the logo, posters and a program to distribute to attendees, and ads that appeared in Pittsburgh City Paper, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Facebook, and Twitter.

The goal of the program specifically was twofold: 1. to serve as a companion to and guide for the event; and 2. to provide a means for sponsors, allies, and organizations to financially contribute to NVRJ by way of placing ads. In addition to these ad spots, the program included a welcome letter for attendees, an agenda for the evening, information about NVRJ's mission and staff, and thank yous. The contributions garnered from these advertising organizations and individuals ensure that NVRJ can continue its vital work.

Individual pages from the program were printed at poster size, mounted, and displayed throughout the venue, as well. Although the gala offered dope music, delicious food, and amazingly inventive costumes by way of the creative attendees, it was important to remind everyone what New Voices and the Black to the Future gala was truly about -- support, community, humanitarianism -- in a visually stunning way.