An Open Letter to Denver and Beyond: How to Support Black Innovators and Creatives

All photography by Bailey Murrell Green, Act. Studio

Black History Month is a month of honor, tradition, remembrance, celebration and grit. 

There are many ways I wanted to write this article. However, I do owe it to myself to write about how I feel. As I sit here writing this, over the past few days, I’ve been bombarded with the racist images our current President posted of Michelle and Barack Obama. I, like many Americans, have been outraged. This action, including the lack of accountability from this administration, continues to feed that feeling of hopelessness. 

That is not how we are supposed to feel this month. That is not how Americans, regardless of immigration status, are supposed to feel at all. And despite this current administration’s constant display of racism, hatred and bigotry, we must carry on. 

Black lives should always be protected. Black art should always be admired. Black stories should always be heard. Black success should always be celebrated. 

So we will overcome and continue to carry on. During times like this, what matters most is our community. As a Black creative, relying on feelings, comforting memories and my senses brings solace and inspiration. 

For this story in particular, I kept reliving the moments at our photoshoot at Trybal African Speakeasy. The dimly lit, inviting and beautifully decorated speakeasy is a nod to African heritage. With a menu dedicated to authentic cuisine and native cocktails, this speakeasy is an immersive experience and gathering space. 

Jeff Sankeu, co-owner of Trybal African Speakeasy, was all smiles on set and had mimosas prepared for all of our guests. Sankeu, who recently returned from a trip to Africa, shared that he was visiting his family members and saying a bittersweet goodbye to some. As Sankeu talked about his time there, he pointed out the new artwork displayed on the walls that he brought back from African street artists. Sankeu also pointed out the painted African women on the walls, the original mothers and grandmothers to us all. 

Jeff Sankeu, Founder of Trybal African Speakeasy

“Meaningful community support isn’t just about being seen but also being invested in. When Black creatives have access to capital, space and real opportunities to lead, the city won’t just celebrate culture occasionally; it will sustain it,” said Sankeu. 

As we spoke, Sankeu was sitting across from Nayada Moore, a talented multi-hypenate and Producer of the upcoming Aurora Fashion Week. Moore and Sankeu arrived early to the shoot, and filled the space with so much laughter. As I watched them get acquainted and proceed to share stories and experiences, I couldn’t help but think, “this is exactly why we did this.” 

Trybal opened recently, on October 25, 2025. Sankeu and his friend and business partner, Collantine Nkaum are both from Cameroon and brought this space to life to cultivate community and creatively share African culture. 

With excitement in his voice, Sankeu said, “We need to do this again. Let’s get more creatives and entrepreneurs in here together regularly.” 

There it was, that feeling again, along with the voice in the back of my head whispering, “This is so right. This is why we are doing this. We need to continue to do this.”

As more creatives and entrepreneurs continued to show up for the shoot day, they posed for headshots taken by photographer and director Bailey Murrell Green. Green is also the owner of Act. Studio, Act of Musing and Commune Gallery. Her studio provides a space for photographers, models and videographers to gather and create. 

Green was intentional with each shot and individual. One by one, we sent each creative to shoot with her while she directed and acknowledged everyone’s unique personality and look they arrived in. 

This wasn’t just a set for a photoshoot. This was a space to be seen, inside and out. So many familiar faces gathered in a room filled with paintings and images on the walls of our culture, heritage and ancestry. 

I looked around in amazement as the room continued to fill. In total, 14 Black creatives and entrepreneurs were present. Each individual was hand-selected because of their vision, impact and the ways they’ve inspired us and many others in the community. 

Some we’ve had the privilege of working with early in our careers or on-going, and some we’ve just met. We watched in awe as new bonds were being made, hugs exchanged and existing friendships were reunited, all for a time to celebrate one another and both the individual and collective impact.

Before the shoot, we asked each participant to answer one question: What does meaningful community support look like to you, and how can Denver continue to create more opportunities for Black creatives and professionals to thrive?

The responses were filled with wisdom and real-life examples from innovators and changemakers that the city of Denver is lucky to have. 

Alicia Myers and Samantha Joseph, Founders of Color of Fashion

“Meaningful community support is intentional, sustained and action-oriented. It goes beyond visibility or one-time collaborations and shows up as real investment—financial resources, access to space, mentorship and decision-making power. Meaningful support means trusting Black creatives with leadership, honoring their expertise, and compensating them fairly for their labor and vision.

For Denver to continue creating more opportunities for Black creatives and professionals to thrive, the city must commit to long-term pathways, not short moments. That includes funding Black-led organizations consistently, expanding access to creative and professional pipelines for youth, and opening doors to networks that have historically been closed. It also means institutions and corporations doing the internal work—diversifying leadership, listening to community needs, and co-creating rather than extracting culture.

At Color of Fashion, we believe thriving communities are built when Black creativity is not only celebrated on stage or on the runway, but supported behind the scenes—with infrastructure, education and ownership. When Denver invests in Black talent holistically, the entire creative ecosystem grows stronger, more innovative and more inclusive.” 

Erika Dalya Massaquoi, Founder & CEO, OULA

“At OULA, we operate from the belief that beauty and joy in storytelling are sources of economic and cultural wealth and are essential to individual and collective wellbeing. 

OULA was built on the premise that aesthetics can serve as valuable, revenue-generating assets. Meaningful community support looks like investment that is intentional and enduring, and that honors our full humanity, creativity and intellect. When Black professionals are trusted, resourced, and celebrated beyond moments of crisis or commemoration, they are able to build sustainably, and entire communities thrive. 

Denver has an opportunity to deepen its impact by investing in Black professional talent, supporting Black-owned businesses at scale, and embedding our leadership into the economic and creative infrastructure that drives the city’s future.”

Bryanna Warren aka Bella Tooshay, Content Creator

“Meaningful community support means people showing up and supporting each other in real ways. Denver can create more opportunities for Black creatives by expanding access, visibility and intentional outreach, making space for us across all creative spaces, because Black people are not a monolith. 

I’ve always been a collaboration-over-competition kind of girl, and keeping that energy at the forefront will help us thrive and honestly have fun doing it.”   

Charlie Billingsly, Founder of Museum for Black Girls 

Meaningful community support looks like consistent investment, visibility and trust in creatives of color, not just during moments of celebration, but as an ongoing commitment. It means creating spaces where our work is valued, our voices are heard, and our leadership is supported through funding, partnerships and access to opportunity. 

Denver can continue to help Black creatives and professionals thrive by building long-term relationships with our communities, investing in Black and Brown-owned institutions, and ensuring that we are included in the cultural and economic growth of the city in real and tangible ways.”

Keva Morris, Owner and Operator at VonRose Hair Design

“Denver has, at times, made real strides in reducing the systemic barriers Black creatives must navigate, but connectivity remains the throughline. When the community shows up, our work becomes more visible, more validated, and more impactful. 

For Denver to continue creating opportunity, that support has to be consistent, intentional, and rooted in authentic connection driven by sustainable change and lasting mindset shifts, not fair-weather moments, but commitments that can carry forward for generations.

I’ve learned that connection is everything. We all want to be seen, heard, understood, and felt not in ways that are conditional or performative, but in ways that are sustainable, shift mindsets and carry forward for generations.”

Blake Jackson, Filmmaker & Creative Director

“Community support needs to be centered around whatever the individual needs the most. Whether that be financial or other resources, community support is different for everybody because everybody is different. 

This also means that support should be both reactionary and proactive. Showing up when there’s a crisis while also maintaining a level of connection when times are normal.”

Rob Gray, Art Dealer, Curator, Creative

“Meaningful community support to me means people within and outside supporting each other. Support is support, and what is meaningful to some is not meaningful to all. As long as everyone is trying their best and leading with good intentions, I believe that is what matters most. 

Denver can create more opportunities for Black creatives and professionals to thrive by giving someone an opportunity to succeed regardless of their educational background. I have no college degree, but I have a ton of experience, so much so that no one asks me about a degree, and I’ve worked with museums, art districts and universities.” 

Rachel Marie Hurst, Fashion Designer and Owner of The House of Bolden 

“Meaningful community support, to me, looks like consistency—not just celebration.

It’s showing up when there isn’t a headline, a campaign or a moment attached. It’s people choosing to invest time, resources, mentorship and actual dollars into Black creatives—not as a favor, but because our work has value and deserves to be sustained.

As a Black woman building a fashion house in Denver, I’ve learned that support isn’t just about visibility. Visibility without access doesn’t change much. What truly moves the needle is access to space, fair opportunities, shared platforms and long-term relationships. It’s collaborations that don’t feel extractive. It’s institutions and businesses asking, “how can we build with you?” instead of “how can we feature you?”

For Denver to continue creating more opportunities for Black creatives and professionals to thrive, I think it starts with intention and infrastructure. That means affordable creative spaces, funding pathways that are actually accessible, paid opportunities—not “exposure”—and decision-makers who include Black voices early, not as an afterthought. It also means supporting Black-owned businesses consistently, not just during designated months.

Community thrives when people feel seen, trusted and invested in. My goal with The House of Bolden has always been to create that kind of ecosystem—where creativity, commerce, and care coexist. If Denver continues to lean into collaboration, accountability, and real investment, we don’t just survive here—we build something lasting.”

Leonard Johnson, Creator and Graffiti Artist

“Meaningful community support to me looks like active and intentional engagement. Honest yet open-minded communication, and connecting in REAL LIFE with fellow creative minds with the intent to build and empower the local Black community and push the culture forward, globally. 

Denver can continue to create more opportunities for Black Creatives and professionals by establishing and offering more accessible city-funded grants and programs to help creatives afford the proper tools to continue to make the city beautiful. But most importantly, be able survive and put food on their own tables in the process.” 

Nayada Moore, Founder of Hashtag Co. and Producer of Aurora Fashion Week

“Meaningful community support means consistent access to resources, visibility, and decision-making power, not just temporary recognition. For Denver specifically, that looks like ongoing investment, affordable and protected creative spaces, support for Black-led organizations and ownership and clear pathways through mentorship and paid opportunities. When Black creatives are trusted, funded, and included at every level, the entire city thrives!” 

Alexis Watts, Owner of A.Watts Collective

“Meaningful community support is about more than representation. It is about access, investment, and real opportunity. When Black creatives and professionals are given the resources, visibility and decision-making power to lead, they do not succeed individually; they strengthen the entire community. Denver has the talent. The continued focus must be on moving barriers, investing intentionally, and creating spaces where Black excellence is not the exception but the expectation.”

Stevie “Grüv” Lawrence, Multi-Media Artist

“Community support looks like going to a venue you’ve never been to, dancing to music you’ve never heard before, and talk to people you’ve never talked to. Building new community supports old community. A super easy way for Denver and anyone to make more opportunities for Black creatives would be to highlight and collaborate with them outside of the month of February.”