Black Love, White Flags: Healing the divide between Black men and women
Join us for an evening of raw, honest and transformative dialogue at "Black Love, White Flags", where Black men and women come together to explore themes of love, respect and healing. Through heartfelt conversations and themed activities, we’ll explore what it takes to rebuild trust and create emotional safety in our relationships. Guided by an exceptional lineup of speakers and activities, this event is a call to vulnerability, connection, and unity within the Black community.
Meet the Speakers:
Jonathan Kirkland is the visionary marketing leader driving the growth of BLK, the leading dating and lifestyle app for Black singles. A proud North Carolina A&T graduate (an HBCU) and member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, he is an expert community builder. With a career spanning Grindr, Chappy, and Viacom, Jonathan excels at brand strategy, and his accolades include BLK’s award-winning “Vax That Thang Up” campaign.
Maxine Simone Williams is the founder of We Met IRL, a relationship-building organization that hosts diverse, inclusive speed dating events and mixers, fostering meaningful offline connections. Maxine is passionate about community building and storytelling. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, hiking, and exploring ways to uplift underrepresented voices.
Nikki Adebiyi is a London-based activist, writer and social entrepreneur dedicated to empowering the Black community to thrive in wellbeing and at work. As the Founder of Bounce Black, she leads programmes, events, and campaigns focused on healing, resilience, and equity. Her life’s work is to create spaces for brave conversations, healing, and building generational wellbeing alongside generational wealth.
Event Highlights:
Panel Discussion: Nikki will moderate a heartfelt conversation with Jonathan and Maxine on vulnerability, respect, and love, sharing personal insights on what it takes to heal and rebuild trust in Black relationships.
Interactive Session: Engage in guided discussions with fellow attendees on themes like emotional safety, forgiveness, and mutual support, creating a collective vision for a stronger community.
Black Love Letters: Take part in a creative and uplifting exercise to express appreciation, encouragement, and hope between Black men and women.
Mixer: Network and celebrate Black love with a live DJ set plus drinks and light refreshments available for purchase (ticket price includes first drink).
This event is more than a gathering; it’s a moment of reflection and renewal. Be ready to embrace vulnerability and leave transformed, with a renewed commitment to fostering connection and unity within the Black community.
"Black Love, White Flags" is proudly brought to you through a collaboration between Bounce Black and the Tavern Coworking Community, in partnership with We Met IRL and BLK App.
Bounce Black (www.bounceblack.org) is a social enterprise empowering Black communities to thrive in wellbeing and at work.
Tavern Coworking Community (www.taverncommunity.com) is a membership-based social network with access to a network of hybrid restaurant-coworking spaces in New York City.
We Met IRL (www.wemetirl.com) curates transformative events that celebrate Black love and relationships, and BLK App (www.blk-app.com) is the world’s leading dating and lifestyle app for Black singles.