Black Health Commission to host 3rd annual BLK JOY Festival

(Image from Black Health Commission’s Facebook event)

ORLANDO | Black Health Commission, a Central Florida organization launched in 2020 dedicated to addressing health inequities within the Black community, is hosting its third annual festival celebrating Black joy in Orlando this weekend.

The BLK JOY Festival will be held at Lake Lorna Doone Park, located in the heart of West Lakes, on Saturday, Aug. 19, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“We are trying to challenge the norms in our community and trying to make sure that we are creating spaces for all Black folks to come together and enjoy themselves,” says Rebecca Desir, founder and executive director of Black Health Commission. “Our mission is to reframe the narratives on health inequities in the Black community by promoting Black joy through digital education, volunteerism and community engagement.”

This year’s festival will include music, games, performances, a kids’ zone and more. Some things new to this year will be a series of art installations created by a local artist that will be throughout the festival as photo opportunities for community members and a partnership with the Orange County Library to collect books that will be donated to two youth organization in the Orlando area.

“We are collecting books to address the state’s banned book issue,” Desir says. “We are looking for all kinds of books across the board but emphasizing books that have been banned in schools. There are some amazing books that have been written by Black authors and LGBTQ authors that have been banned, so making sure our kids are growing up knowing who is Alice Walker, who is James Baldwin, Bell Hooks, all these amazing writers and making sure they have access to those books.”  

Something that Desir is also focusing on with this year’s festival is the intersectionality within the community.

“We are making sure that this is a welcoming and safe space for all people, including those within the LGBTQIA community,” Desir says.

That focus can be seen in the partnerships and resources that will be out at this year’s festival, which include organizations such as Come Out With Pride, GayDayS and Peer Support Space alongside organizations like Advent Health and Heart of Florida United Way.

“Our goal is not to duplicate the efforts of the amazing work that folks have already been doing on the ground but to really collectively work together and share our resources within the community,” Desir says. “This festival will have lots of moving pieces but the focus is highlighting the access in our community and making sure people know what’s out there for them.”

The 3rd annual BLK JOY Festival will be held at Lake Lorna Doone Park on Aug. 15 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. This event is free and open to the public. More information can be found at Facebook.com/BlackHealthCommission.  

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