Black Butterfly + Joyful Roots*

Black Butterfly is an Afrocentric mutual aid nonprofit, based in Hastings working to reimagine and co-develop more holistic, resilient and fairer localised systems. We use our lived experience to address systemic inequities and barriers to access and participation, primarily for Afrodescendant communities (as well as other racialised, displaced and/or disenfranchised peoples) with a focus on solidarity rather than charity.

Our work is trauma-informed - working at a hyper-local level, we employ placemaking (inter-generational) + arts and culture based strategies to improve wellbeing, cultivate community, increase agency and support local economies.  The positive impact of our work helps to provide immense social value (cost savings, reduced drain on public health, greening, beautification, safety, etc) and reduce anti-social behaviours, isolation and marginalisation.

Our key areas of interest :

Climate resilience / Environmental & Land Justice

Community-led (e.g. Housing) / Participatory processes

Cultural / Supplementary Education

Food Justice / Security / Sovereignty

High Street / Urban Regeneration

Racial / Social  justice

Solidarity Economy frameworks

[*Joyful Roots is our environment, food and farming programme]