The Black Experience started as a small Facebook group in December of 2016. Many of us needed a safe place to talk about the events of that time, without the constant microaggressions and drowning out of our voices. We wanted to center Black Americans and our culture. It was to be a place for current events, sharing experiences, providing resources, and making connections.
Over four years later and The Black Experience is growing! We have members from all over the world that have come together to share thoughts, ideas, and experiences. Our Facebook page and group have grown to nearly 11k members/followers each. We are currently expanding to include a resource, news, and entertainment website, a social network of our own, and an app for both. Our goal is to move completely off of Facebook since we’ve found the voices of Black people are limited or silenced by them.
News/Entertainment Site & App
The news and entertainment website is currently live but we need funds to be able to regularly create content and expand features. All of our content is centered around the Black community. The website is to include some of the following:
- Current news
- Political breakdowns
- Feature articles (lifestyle and entertainment)
- Product & service reviews
- Courses taught by Black individuals
- Black history course
- Missing person’s database
- Memorial database
- Wiki/Library of topics that are of interest to Black people
- Searchable Black business directory
- Business interviews and spotlights
- Scholarships, financial and resource support
- Recipe sharing
- Podcast
- Community features such as book club, advice columns, talent spotlights, opinion pieces, volunteering/activism opportunities, local chapters, etc.
- Merchandise shop
Social Site & App
The social site is currently in beta/testing stages. We have a simple software for the website and a simple app in the works. Funds would be used to add more features, maintain and update the app, and upgrade the server.
The social site and application would completely replace Facebook as a social media platform and would feature some of these options:
- Invitation only system
- Personal profiles with privacy and customization features
- Personal newsfeed with members controlling the appearance
- Ability to post statuses
- Ability to comment or react on statuses
- Ability to add, remove or block other members
- Ability to upload and manage photos, videos, and music
- Ability to follow profiles and pages
- Ability to create and run groups
- Ability to create and run pages
- Ability to add short-form videos (think TikTok and IG reels)
- Features for Black-owned businesses
- Private messaging system
- Option to check into businesses when visiting
- Official TBE groups to carry over our current members
- Community contests/giveaways, games, and polls
- A marketplace
- Ad system that does not target members w/ability to turn off ads
- Forums for deeper discussions and organization of topics
- Member blogs
- Event system
Some of this is already in the works, but with your help, we can press ahead full-time instead of trickling out content and options.
