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BLAQUE

Help us to create space for Black people to thrive through fitness and wellness.

$59,431
pledged of$100,000 goal
165
0Days Left

Project Description


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 am the daughter of Jamaican business owners. I come from builders. I come from resourceful and resilient people.

 

 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 Symone

 

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 Kissi

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 Hockaday

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

 

Amanda Vazquez

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.

Updates

The Campaign FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions:

  • How do I get my payment to go through? Give your bank a call and let them know it's safe! Often times you won't get a message from your bank saying that the payment didn't go through, but typically this is what is wrong. So call them, tell them it's safe and don't let it get in the way of supporting a cause you care about it.
  • When will I get my reward? All rewards will begin going out once the campaign ends (unless otherwise noted). 

 

 

11/02/2021
Monetary Contribution
$1
09/26/2021
Nah, I'm Really About this Life (1 YR)
$1,000
04/30/2021
Virtual Dap
$10
Sara B
04/24/2021
BLAQUE Wellness Starter Pack
$100
Lucinda Zmarzly
03/25/2021
Monetary Contribution
$20
02/18/2021
Monetary Contribution
$250
Reggie
02/11/2021
Monetary Contribution
$110
02/02/2021
Virtual Dap
$10
Reggie
01/27/2021
Monetary Contribution
$110
Reggie
01/19/2021
Monetary Contribution
$110
Monetary Contribution

Just Because I Care (A Contribution of Any Amount)

65 Supporters
Select this reward
10.00 USD
Virtual Dap

Thanks for supporting BLAQUE!

26 Supporters
Select this reward
55.00 USD
BLAQUE Swag

Shout out to you for supporting! We are so excited to gift you with a BLAQUE fitted cap and look out for a special shout out on Instagram! Thank you!

23 Supporters
None available
100.00 USD
BLAQUE Wellness Starter Pack

Whether you are new to practicing wellness in general or just new to practicing wellness with BLAQUE, we want to thank you for helping us open our doors and welcome you to the family with our Wellness Starter Pack which includes a guide on how to meditate, developing your sleep routine, protecting your peace, fitness tips to live by and nutrition guidance to fuel it all.

21 Supporters
None available
175.00 USD
Who's all gonna be there?

This reward is for Fitness/Wellness Pro's who need a space to move too! 35 day passes to work out at BLAQUE whenever you want!

Think indoor air conditioned basketball court, workouts without clients or members interrupting you, and a VIBE you won't experience at any other fitness space. We know all about limited work out times for Fitness/Wellness employees, so these do not expire and this reward is specifically for you! ENJOY!

If you are an ally who wants to help create space for a Fitness/Wellness pro, this reward is for you! You can either choose someone in your life, or leave it up to us to gift this to someone in our community!

11 Supporters
None available
275.00 USD
It's LIT! (90 BLAQUE Day Passes)

90 day passes for Fitness/Wellness Pro's to work out at BLAQUE whenever you want!

Think indoor air conditioned basketball court, workouts without clients or members interrupting you, and a VIBE you won't experience at any other fitness space.) We know all about limited work out times for Fitness/Wellness employees, so these do not expire and this reward is specifically for you! ENJOY!

If you are an ally who wants to create space for a Fitness/Wellness pro, this reward is for you! You can either choose someone in your life, or leave it up to us to gift this!

9 Supporters
None available
1,000.00 USD
Nah, I'm Really About this Life (1 YR)

1 Yr Club Access + Photoshoot with Renowned Creative Director, Joshua Kissi + BLAQUE T-shirt

 

This reward is for the Fitness/Wellness Pro's who are ABOUT THIS LIFE! This reward offers 1 YEARS worth of access to BLAQUE whenever you want (for your own workouts and to TRAIN PRIVATE CLIENTS) & a Photoshoot (for you or a friend) with renowned Photographer and Creative Director, Joshua Kissi. We'll also throw in an exclusive IFUNDBLAQUE Fitted Cap!

*** If you are not a Fitness/Wellness Pro, but you're interested in this photoshoot experience, you can have it! And we will throw in the BLAQUE swag listed below! ***
 

3 Supporters
None available
500.00 USD
LAUNCH PARTY + SWAG + 4 POP UP EVENTS!

Tickets for you and a +1 to four BLAQUE Out Door Pop-Up Events & BLAQUE's Launch Party!!!!! And we are gifting you with the complete limited edition IFundBLAQUE swag bag (BLAQUE, tote bag, cap, t-shirt, mask and sticker) so we'll always know who our DAY 1's are!

2 Supporters
None available
2,500.00 USD
BLAQUE ALLY

6-month BLAQUE Membership, Private Campaign Backer Event + Monthly Insider Updates!

 

As a THANK YOU for being an ALLY of BLAQUE, we are inviting you to be a Founding member with: 

1/2 YEAR of access to the facility.

An invitation to a Private Event for our Campaign Backers!

Monthly Insider Updates about the progress of BLAQUE

*If you are an ally and would prefer to use this reward to help us close the wellness gap, we will gladly gift this membership to someone in our community.*

5 Left
0 Supporters
Select this reward
5,000.00 USD
BLAQUE ANGEL

1 YR BLAQUE Membership, Private Campaign Backer Event, Launch Party Dinner, access to Investor Materials

You’re our ANGEL! You have our ETERNAL GRATITUDE. And to make that more tangible, not only are we inviting you to

1. Be a Founding member with 1 YEAR of access to the club

&

2. Inviting you to our private event for campaign backers

But we are also

3. Inviting you to a private Dinner curated for our Allies, celebrating the opening of our first location

&

4. Sharing a presentation with you from our Founder on all things regarding the future of BLAQUE.

 

*If you are an ally and would prefer to use this reward to help us close the wellness gap, we will gladly gift this membership to someone in our community.*

5 Left
0 Supporters
Select this reward
15,000.00 USD
BLAQUE LIFE-LONG ALLY

Just throw it in the bag!

 

The G(reatest). O(f). A(ll). T(ime). Thank you for being BLAQUE’s special contributor! This contribution will play a massive role in opening both the physical and digital doors of BLAQUE to our community.  

We couldn’t be more grateful and to say THANK YOU, we are gifting you with LIFETIME ACCESS to BLAQUE's facilities. Basically, JUST THROW IT IN THE BAG! It’s yours from us!

***If you would like to use your reward to further aid the efforts to close the wellness gap, you can exchange your lifetime access to BLAQUE with 20 annual memberships for people in our community. (We can also work out something in between)***

We are also giving you inside access to our first location facility before opening day for a private walkthrough with our Founder and the ability to share some of the features you’d love to see at BLAQUE before we launch!

To take it a step further we are:

1. Inviting you to our private event for campaign backers

2. Inviting you to a private Dinner curated for our Angels and Investors, celebrating the opening of our first location

&

3. Sharing a presentation with you from our Founder on all things regarding the future of BLAQUE.

              We thank you for helping us to take up space!

2 Left
1 Supporter
Select this reward
210.00 USD
Wellness Starter Pack + The SWAG!!!

We want to thank you for helping us open our doors and welcome you to the family with some signature limited edition BLAQUE SWAG (cap, t-shirt & tote bag) and our Wellness Starter Pack which includes a guide on how to meditate, developing your sleep routine, protecting your peace, fitness tips to live by and nutrition guidance to fuel it all! 

Enjoy and welcome to the family!

20 Left
0 Supporters
Select this reward

About the Entrepreneur

Jamaica, NY
Created 1 Campaign
Social Good

Rewards

Monetary Contribution

Just Because I Care (A Contribution of Any Amount)

65 Supporters
Select this reward
10.00 USD
Virtual Dap

Thanks for supporting BLAQUE!

26 Supporters
Select this reward
55.00 USD
BLAQUE Swag

Shout out to you for supporting! We are so excited to gift you with a BLAQUE fitted cap and look out for a special shout out on Instagram! Thank you!

23 Supporters
None available
100.00 USD
BLAQUE Wellness Starter Pack

Whether you are new to practicing wellness in general or just new to practicing wellness with BLAQUE, we want to thank you for helping us open our doors and welcome you to the family with our Wellness Starter Pack which includes a guide on how to meditate, developing your sleep routine, protecting your peace, fitness tips to live by and nutrition guidance to fuel it all.

21 Supporters
None available
175.00 USD
Who's all gonna be there?

This reward is for Fitness/Wellness Pro's who need a space to move too! 35 day passes to work out at BLAQUE whenever you want!

Think indoor air conditioned basketball court, workouts without clients or members interrupting you, and a VIBE you won't experience at any other fitness space. We know all about limited work out times for Fitness/Wellness employees, so these do not expire and this reward is specifically for you! ENJOY!

If you are an ally who wants to help create space for a Fitness/Wellness pro, this reward is for you! You can either choose someone in your life, or leave it up to us to gift this to someone in our community!

11 Supporters
None available
275.00 USD
It's LIT! (90 BLAQUE Day Passes)

90 day passes for Fitness/Wellness Pro's to work out at BLAQUE whenever you want!

Think indoor air conditioned basketball court, workouts without clients or members interrupting you, and a VIBE you won't experience at any other fitness space.) We know all about limited work out times for Fitness/Wellness employees, so these do not expire and this reward is specifically for you! ENJOY!

If you are an ally who wants to create space for a Fitness/Wellness pro, this reward is for you! You can either choose someone in your life, or leave it up to us to gift this!

9 Supporters
None available
1,000.00 USD
Nah, I'm Really About this Life (1 YR)

1 Yr Club Access + Photoshoot with Renowned Creative Director, Joshua Kissi + BLAQUE T-shirt

 

This reward is for the Fitness/Wellness Pro's who are ABOUT THIS LIFE! This reward offers 1 YEARS worth of access to BLAQUE whenever you want (for your own workouts and to TRAIN PRIVATE CLIENTS) & a Photoshoot (for you or a friend) with renowned Photographer and Creative Director, Joshua Kissi. We'll also throw in an exclusive IFUNDBLAQUE Fitted Cap!

*** If you are not a Fitness/Wellness Pro, but you're interested in this photoshoot experience, you can have it! And we will throw in the BLAQUE swag listed below! ***
 

3 Supporters
None available
500.00 USD
LAUNCH PARTY + SWAG + 4 POP UP EVENTS!

Tickets for you and a +1 to four BLAQUE Out Door Pop-Up Events & BLAQUE's Launch Party!!!!! And we are gifting you with the complete limited edition IFundBLAQUE swag bag (BLAQUE, tote bag, cap, t-shirt, mask and sticker) so we'll always know who our DAY 1's are!

2 Supporters
None available
2,500.00 USD
BLAQUE ALLY

6-month BLAQUE Membership, Private Campaign Backer Event + Monthly Insider Updates!

 

As a THANK YOU for being an ALLY of BLAQUE, we are inviting you to be a Founding member with: 

1/2 YEAR of access to the facility.

An invitation to a Private Event for our Campaign Backers!

Monthly Insider Updates about the progress of BLAQUE

*If you are an ally and would prefer to use this reward to help us close the wellness gap, we will gladly gift this membership to someone in our community.*

5 Left
0 Supporters
Select this reward
5,000.00 USD
BLAQUE ANGEL

1 YR BLAQUE Membership, Private Campaign Backer Event, Launch Party Dinner, access to Investor Materials

You’re our ANGEL! You have our ETERNAL GRATITUDE. And to make that more tangible, not only are we inviting you to

1. Be a Founding member with 1 YEAR of access to the club

&

2. Inviting you to our private event for campaign backers

But we are also

3. Inviting you to a private Dinner curated for our Allies, celebrating the opening of our first location

&

4. Sharing a presentation with you from our Founder on all things regarding the future of BLAQUE.

 

*If you are an ally and would prefer to use this reward to help us close the wellness gap, we will gladly gift this membership to someone in our community.*

5 Left
0 Supporters
Select this reward
15,000.00 USD
BLAQUE LIFE-LONG ALLY

Just throw it in the bag!

 

The G(reatest). O(f). A(ll). T(ime). Thank you for being BLAQUE’s special contributor! This contribution will play a massive role in opening both the physical and digital doors of BLAQUE to our community.  

We couldn’t be more grateful and to say THANK YOU, we are gifting you with LIFETIME ACCESS to BLAQUE's facilities. Basically, JUST THROW IT IN THE BAG! It’s yours from us!

***If you would like to use your reward to further aid the efforts to close the wellness gap, you can exchange your lifetime access to BLAQUE with 20 annual memberships for people in our community. (We can also work out something in between)***

We are also giving you inside access to our first location facility before opening day for a private walkthrough with our Founder and the ability to share some of the features you’d love to see at BLAQUE before we launch!

To take it a step further we are:

1. Inviting you to our private event for campaign backers

2. Inviting you to a private Dinner curated for our Angels and Investors, celebrating the opening of our first location

&

3. Sharing a presentation with you from our Founder on all things regarding the future of BLAQUE.

              We thank you for helping us to take up space!

2 Left
1 Supporter
Select this reward
210.00 USD
Wellness Starter Pack + The SWAG!!!

We want to thank you for helping us open our doors and welcome you to the family with some signature limited edition BLAQUE SWAG (cap, t-shirt & tote bag) and our Wellness Starter Pack which includes a guide on how to meditate, developing your sleep routine, protecting your peace, fitness tips to live by and nutrition guidance to fuel it all! 

Enjoy and welcome to the family!

20 Left
0 Supporters
Select this reward