The Brooklyn Packers, a Brooklyn-based food cooperative working to make fresh food accessible to Brooklyn residents year-round, hosted its first Solidarity Party this past Saturday.
Hosted at Bushwick’s Starr Bar, the party formed around a desire to foster community through music and dance, in a laid back environment. DJ’d by founder Steph Wiley and by local musician Asen James, the party was advertised on Instagram and Facebook, but promotion was mainly through word-of-mouth.
Wiley envisioned the party as a way to boost morale and drum up positive energy in the face of a turbulent political climate. In particular, Wiley hopes to bring together those invested in social justice causes, like the food justice movement, the fair housing movement and people working for LGBTQ rights. As Wiley said, “It’s hard work. We don’t get paid a lot of money for what we do. You know, mainly we’re all on like the social enterprise, and we think deeply about making change. And that spends a lot of energy.”
Cover image courtesy of The Brooklyn Packers.
