Black History Month is about to kick off and, with it, a procession of cultural happenings. Of them all, however, there’s something especially promising and organic about this weekend’s Orlando debut of aspiring arts organizer Black Box Blackout.
While events like the City of Orlando’s annual MLK Concert (
7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2, Steinmetz Hall, free)
are valuable and necessary, their pulse usually has an official tenor. Black Box Blackout’s event, on the other hand, will have a decidedly next-gen heartbeat.
Founded by distinguished jazz singer Kristen Warren, Black Box Blackout is a young, community-minded organization dedicated to championing Black artists. Since its 2022 inception, the Melbourne-based movement has been showcasing and celebrating Black excellence through a series of events featuring a spectrum of arts including music, spoken word, theater and visual art, among others. Now, Warren is bringing the BBB energy to Orlando.
While BBB and its founder are headquartered in Brevard County, Warren has been a known figure in the Orlando scene for years, often performing alongside some of the city’s smartest hip-hop voices and jazz players. As such, she says Orlando was the most natural next step for BBB’s outreach.