You don’t need alcohol to have fun, just better djs
On Friday, June 20th was the Fourth Annual “United We Heal” Film Festival in Philadelphia, PA. Located at Underground Arts, the festival showcased 11 storytellers whose work is centered around social justice, community issues, and often the ins and outs of Black livelihood. The films were all moving as they brought the audience to tears, laughter, and even the edge of their seat in featured films such as “Flesh & Spirit” by Tiffany Lupien, “Laundry” by Alterik Miller, and “The Love Machine” by Jasmine Lynea1.
This year’s host was Deante’ Kyle of the “Grits and Eggs” Podcast who often infuses humor into his often-candid takes about Black current events, politics, other topics deemed relevant. He was impeccable as a host, who was able to bring the audience to life and conversate easily with the panelists. What was so enticing about the festival was the community that had been built while being there. Creatives of all backgrounds were present— whether it was their first time attending or their fourth— the event was extremely intimate for the sole purpose of coming together, healing, and sharing stories for a better tomorrow.
As any Black celebration, the event was concluded with an after party with special guest DJ Zack Fox. The forerunners however, DJ Jay Jetsin, Brotha Taaj, DJ Jamz, and DJ Reezey all provided sets that got the crowd moving. The infusion of house music, pop, rap, and r&b was emboldening. I mean I had to toss my heels aside as one point and really allow myself to let loose. The power of the DJ is the strength of any party, and as someone who was not drunk, it has been a long time since I was able to just move my feet and body freely.
Which brings me to my point— in times of high political, high financial, and high racial tensions, festivals such as United We Heal reinstates such a revolutionary tactic; that being creativity and movement.
Black creativity and movement have always been about connection: connection to self, connection to others, and connections to Spirit. As previously stated, the eleven films were an effort to connect with the audience to discuss some heavy ish that the average BIPOC experiences as a person in the United States. However, because the topics were so heavy, including an after party was an excellent move as a ritual of release for every member that attended.
Prior to the Middle Passage, dance was utilized as a form of celebration and of making magic2. Dancing was used when a baby was born, to commemorate a marriage, or to call on ancestral support in dire need. After colonization and enslavement, dance has become a form of protest and activism to promote social change. Since dance can evoke and release strong emotions, dance activism is something we all partake in knowingly or unknowingly. United We Heal was able to bring together a community of people, showcase work that highlighted topics of trauma without being traumatic, and selected an insane lineup of DJs to dance our worries away. Below is a video of both Deante’ Kyle and Zack Fox jamming during Zack’s set.
I felt God in that Chili’s that night3 and left feeling inspired and needing to push forward in my creative activism. In a time where the United States is at war not only internationally but within itself, festivals such as United We Heal encourage people to enact change in the small ways that they can. I implore all to attend United We Heal for their 5th annual festival, or support local creatives near you wherever that may be. Whether it is as a film maker, a community participant, or simply as a dj, it is important that we take time to schedule joy and creativity into our everyday lives to produce radical change.
You can find the complete list of filmmakers here.
“Black History and Dance in America, A Story.” African American Registry, 13 Mar. 2025, aaregistry.org/story/african-american-dance-a-brief-history/.
Thank you, Pam Beasly.
