OUR VISION

Our mission is to help Black people live abundantly through optimal fitness + wellness. We are long overdue for thoughtful and engaging spaces & platforms in fitness that feel like home for the Black community. So, our mission is to create this in both the physical and digital space. We aim to prioritize Cultural Resonance, Accessiblity, Representation and to Dismantle Health Disparities in the Black community through our offerings. We call this "playing The BLAQUE C.A.R.D.".

We are THRILLED to begin building an ecosystem for Black fitness and wellness through The BLAQUE Movement App - the first holistic fitness and wellness app designed for the Black community. The BLAQUE Movement App offers an in-depth coaching experience designed to provide members with a comprehensive plan to accomplish their goals in a sustainable way. We believe that when we impact the wellness of one person we can impact the wellness of the entire community.

We are building BLAQUE because it's what our community needs and deserves. Don't just take it from us. Here's what they have to say about it! 

• "I crave spaces where Black people are able to live the way we want to, supporting each other and feeling comfortable / confident in safe spaces. To marry fitness and our Blackness together is a dream." -Katrina 
• "I'm tired of being in spaces where I do not feel like I belong . . .  We need this." - Diana 
• "A culturally-specific space for improvement would make me feel more at home, more confident, more empowered to create change and less judged and/or objectified. What a brilliant and much needed space." -Rob
• "I have a growing interest in wellness and meditation, however I don't know where to start and most of my searches have led me to places where I am not represented. I want to feel comfortable in my growth." - Arianna 
• "I take care of people sometimes more than I take care of myself. I want to be inspired about fitness again. This could be just what I need to become excited about my mental and physical fitness goals." - Tisha

OUR STORY

I created BLAQUE out of a personal disconnect that I felt between my work in the Fitness Industry and my culture and community. 

I’ve worked in the Fitness Industry for 10 years and even the geographical separation between where I lived and where I worked was a daily reminder of the prerequisite to distance myself from my roots to make a living in the Fitness Industry. In order to access opportunity in the Industry, I was relegated to serving a primarily white member base instead of my own community which is where the real need is. There is a wild juxtaposition between waking up at 4am to go to work in Midtown, Manhattan and improve the lives of people whose experiences don’t reflect yours, while watching your own community’s health suffer from the weight of systemic oppression. For so long, I’ve wanted to use my skill sets to create impact in my community. Now I’m creating a space to do this alongside Fitness and Wellness professionals who feel the same.

 I’ve developed invaluable tools that change lives, and I’ve decided to use those tools to benefit my community. I’ve gathered an incredible team of people who have a genuine desire to see the Black community thrive and are great at what they do. We’re here to change the landscape of the fitness industry forever and T A K E   U P   S P A C E  for the well-being of Black lives!

THE PROBLEM

The Black community should have access to an inclusive and culturally resonant  space that is dedicated to it’s mental, emotional and physical well-being. Right now, Black people are disproportionately dying in the U.S from preventable health related diseases that put us at risk. We see this playing out in the midst of Covid-19 where Black communities account for nearly 60% of deaths. Simultaneously, our communities are grappling with heightened traumas that stem from the deep roots of systemic oppression on the Black community. These traumas have been shown to compromise the immune system. We are in a pivotal time that has magnified the importance and urgency of both a platform and space designed to combat the negative impact that these issues are having on the well-being of Black people. 

OUR MISSION

BLAQUE's mission is to help Black people live abundantly through optimal fitness and wellness.

We are positioning Cultural Resonance across the diaspora, the diversity of Black Representation, Accessiblity and Dismantling Health Disparities in the Black community at the forefront of how we coach members through fitness, nutrition and stress management.

WHY DO WE NEED FUNDING?

As a Black woman-owned business, BLAQUE faces the unique obstacle of gaining equal access to capital. In the past decade Black woman-owned businesses only received .0006% of venture funding (if you round, that’s ZERO). 

But the importance of BLAQUE’s mission and the importance of amplifying the voices and ideas of Black women is so paramount that despite these discouraging figures, we are persevering. BLAQUE is turning to the power of community to bring this vision to life.

We are raising $100,000, and are seeking the support of the community at large to create this space for Black wellness.

The funds will be used to produce culturally resonant fitness & wellness content on The BLAQUE Movement App!

Funds will go toward:

-Producing on-Demand BLAQUE Fitness Classes

-Producing on Demand BLAQUE Nutrition Tutorials

-Producing on-Demand BLAQUE Meditations

-On-going Development of The BLAQUE Movement App

Meet the Founding Team!

T’Nisha is a native New Yorker and first generation Jamaican-American. She is a Coach and Fitness Professional with a decade’s worth of experience in the industry. She is an ambassador for wellness and seeks to create inclusive fitness spaces for the Black community. 

Joshua is a Ghanaian-American photographer & creative entrepreneur based in New York City. His work contains a strong trait for storytelling, branding, and marketing through visuals on the web. Kissi continues to advocate  for representation in the digital landscape.

Nia is a designer & illustrator based in Brooklyn, NY,  with experience that varies widely from interior design to graphic design & marketing. 

Amanda Vazquez, is a results-driven marketing & partner director with experience managing project teams, developing strategic marketing campaigns, and growing sales in the CPG world. 

Thank you so much for contributing and sharing this campaign. Your support will help us to open the physical and digital doors of BLAQUE to the world.

When Black people thrive, we all will.