The Awakened Lounge

03/19/2026

https://www.awakenedlounge.org/resources/black-women-and-sisterhood-why-we-keep-choosing-each-other-even-when-the-world-tells-us-not-to

They need us to compete. That's why they keep building the competition. It's not an accident that Black women are constantly placed in rooms with limited seats, told the resources are scarce, and left to figure out who deserves to stay. Scarcity isn't a condition — it's a strategy. And when women

03/17/2026

Sometimes you don't need a therapist, you just need to get out and explore the world! 🌍 Now that is natural healing!

03/16/2026

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✨ A man who once lived behind prison walls is now working to transform one into a place of second chances. His journey is turning pain from the past into hope for the future.

Kerwin Pittman spent much of his twenties incarcerated. Years later he has returned to a prison in North Carolina with a completely different mission. Pittman purchased a decommissioned prison. He plans to turn the property into a center that helps formerly incarcerated people rebuild their lives. The project will focus on providing jobs, housing, and educational opportunities for people coming home from prison.

Pittman is the founder and executive director of Recidivism Reduction Educational Program Services. The program focuses on helping people avoid returning to prison by giving them real support and opportunity. Pittman says the goal is to create a place where people can find stability and purpose after incarceration. His vision is to turn a place once associated with confinement into a space built around restoration and second chances.

(Photo: Courtesy of Kerwin Pittman)

03/13/2026

https://www.awakenedlounge.org/events/tyshawn-sorey-trio

Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and multi-instrumentalist Tyshawn Sorey  leads a powerhouse trio featuring Grammy-nominated pianist Aaron Diehl  and acclaimed bassist Harish Raghavan — a collaboration The New York Times hails as “stunning.” Formed in 2021, the Tyshawn Sorey

03/13/2026

https://www.awakenedlounge.org/events/fashion-forward-student-design-competition

NBAF is NOW accepting applications for the 2026 Fashion Forward Student Design Mentorship and Competition! Applications are due on Sunday, March 15, 2026 by 11:59 PM (EST). Read below to see program requirements. Please direct all queries to Judy Hanenkrat, jhanenkrat@nbaf.org . The Fashion

03/13/2026

https://www.awakenedlounge.org/events/thriving-together-atlanta-mobile-art-experience-blvd-next

The Thriving Together Mobile Art Experience wraps up with our final stop in Old 4th Ward. The Mobile Art Experience, a roving, immersive platform for public art, healing, and education, was designed to meet people where they are, serving as both a literal and symbolic vehicle for wellness, storytell

03/13/2026

https://www.awakenedlounge.org/events/echoes-of-the-storm-20-years-after-katrina-1

Echoes of the Storm situates one of the nation’s most defining recent events within the continuum of remembrance and resilience. Developed by Junebug Productions and The Apollo Theater, this theatrical commemoration marks the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, a catastrophe that exposed the de...

03/13/2026

https://www.awakenedlounge.org/events/creatively-speaking-black-theatre-then-now-next

Join the National Black Arts Festival for an evening of bold ideas, honest assessment, and forward vision as we chart the trajectory of Black theatre across regions, institutions, and generations. This edition of Creatively Speaking brings together two visionary leaders shaping the field today:

03/11/2026

https://www.awakenedlounge.org/resources/why-plus-size-black-women-are-still-fighting-for-the-right-to-be-seen-as-desirable

Nobody taught us to want ourselves. That's the quiet truth that sits underneath conversations about plus-size Black women and desirability. We were handed mirrors that didn't reflect us — and then told the problem was our reflection. Mainstream media has spent decades telling a very specific story

03/10/2026

Life is too short to have it all figured out, so travel while you can because you can't get time back once it's passed...