Events in Reflection: Industry Collective x Black History Month
Even though every month should be an opportunity to celebrate Black heritage and culture, we wanted to create accessible virtual events for the Industry Collective community to enjoy from the comfort of their COVID-friendly locations.
Monday Morning Coffee with Therapist Kamil Lewis
To kick off our event-filled week, we had the honor of chatting with Kamil Lewis (she/her), an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist with a master’s degree in clinical psychology. Kamil’s expertise includes empowerment, fulfilling your needs, and bringing joy and pleasure into your life.
We first talked with Kamil about mental health and how she got into her field, specifically focusing on pleasure, mental wellness, and sex therapy for Black women. These topics all relate to family dynamics, Kamil explained.
We can’t stop thinking about one of the many golden nuggets of insight Kamil shared with us: “You can redefine things in life over and over and over.” Our career, sexual identity, personal identity, or anything introspective never has to be confined to a box, especially at the cost of our mental health. It can be ever-changing, and that’s more than OK.
Interactive Southern Cooking Demo with A Hungry Leo
We had the absolute pleasure of sitting in with A Hungry Leo as founder Ashley Hendrix prepared the comfort meal of all comfort meals—garlic lemon shrimp and parmesan grits.
There isn’t much to say on this one other than this: Go. Watch it. Now.
This meal is an amazing complement for quarantine woes, or just any woes in general. For a look inside A Hungry Leo’s kitchen and cooking expertise, check out the IG Live on our feed.
For those who prefer recipes formatted as text, see the recipe below!
PARMESAN GRITS
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cups Southern Queen Foods yellow stone ground grits (to shoutout a Black-owned brand), though any grits will do the trick
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Pinch of cayenne
1/4 cup of half and half
1/4 cups freshly shredded parmesan from a block
Salt to taste
GARLIC LEMON SHRIMP
1lb peeled and deveined large or extra large shrimp
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp LEO GOODS Cajun seasoning (another Black-owned brand) or 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 shallots or 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp unsalted butter
Slice of lemon
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (dried is okay, too!)
PREP
Prepare a shrimp brine to give shrimp a pop rather than a chewy texture. Add the sugar and salt to shrimp and cover with ice cold water for 20 minutes. Then drain and rinse before cooking.
Begin with the grits. Bring chicken broth to a boil and half and half to a boil then whisk in grits. Turn heat to low.
Add onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes stirring frequently.
Remove from heat, add shredded parmesan.
For shrimp, add olive oil to a large pan. Heat on medium-high. Add shallots and cook for 1-2 minutes until translucent. Reduce heat to medium.
Add shrimp on a single layer. Cook for 1 minutes each side. Add garlic and butter. When butter is melted mix with shrimp. Cook for another minute or two.
Remove from heat. Add parsley and mix. Squeeze a slice of lemon juice.
Add the parmesan grits onto plate or bowl and spoon in shrimp and butter sauce on top. Enjoy!
A Much-Needed Kizomba Dance Class
On Wednesday, we had the pleasure of learning a little bit of Kizomba from Brooklyn Mack after the amazing time we had learning bachata in a dance class four months prior. For those unfamiliar, Kizomba is genre of music (much of it in Portuguese) originating in Angola circa 1984.
Learning this style of dance and music, we felt connected and joyful, as many different styles of dance create a space for us all to feel united and connected.
It’s safe to say the Kizomba class was a party. And if you don’t take our word for it, Kizomba translates to “party” in Kimbundu, a Bantu language spoken by Ambundu in Angola. So yes. We partied. And we danced.
Don’t worry if you missed out! You can party too and watch the Kizomba dance class on our IG Live.
A Compelling Conversation with Black Creatives
It wouldn’t be a well-rounded celebration of Black creatives without a facilitated conversation with creators themselves. We had the opportunity to host this discussion during our weekly Clubhouse Chat.
Our panel featured Shauna Davis and James Ramseur as everyone talked about experiences with being intersectional, dealing with microaggressions at work, and limiting beliefs imposed on us by others. We talked about the challenge to be productive during a pandemic and the impending pressure placed on us to be creative.
The Ultimate Pregame Playlist
In case any of us feel rusty and forgot, “pregaming” was the thing we’d do before going out. You know, “the fun before the fun?”
To top off a week of digital collaboration and community, we hosted a “Pregame Playlist.” We played lofi and upbeat music as creatives relaxed, worked out, wrapped work, and simply vibed to the music. It was reminiscent of the before times when we would gather with our friends on a Friday night prior to going out.
We had to put a COVID-compliant twist on the concept, hoping to emulate that feeling of excitement and undeniably good vibes despite social distancing and staying home. We asked you all to email us your favorite songs and tracks and shared them on Clubhouse at our pregame playlist party.
It was a cultural experience as creatives danced in their living rooms and remembered, if only for a moment, what it was to be young.
Join Us for Future Events
If you missed our virtual events last month, stay tuned for future digital events and fireside chats with us! We will continue to shed light on important issues, share tidbits of insight, and prompt helpful dialogue for issues relating to Black creatives. We want everyone who engages with our content to feel welcome to contribute to the discussion and ask questions if needed.
Though this time is difficult for all of us, both in and outside of pandemic times, we will make it through together. And we hope to aid during this process of growth and healing as much as we can.
About the Contributor
Cassandra Arrigo-Pastore is a writer and editor based in NYC, passionate about mental health advocacy, work/life integration, and neurodiversity. Born in Arizona and raised in Florida, she received a bachelor’s degree in advertising and public relations from the University of Central Florida, and post-grad remains actively involved in ethical branding and the global advertising space. Aside from her freelance and agency work, you can find Cass at your nearest aboveground train, with the New Yorker mag in one hand and an iced dirty chai in the other.
