Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to De’Viar Woodson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

De’Viar, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

BLACCENT got its start in the world of politics. Raising awareness and using our collective voices, to join millions in outrage – over the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. The back to back protest/rally were undeniable successes – and everyone, including us, were asking “where do we go from here?” We now opened a Pandora’s box of responsibility, and honestly, at the time, we didn’t know what we were gonna do next – we just knew we needed to do something.

Fast forward two years, and skipping passed two to three smaller, less successful, voter registration events – BLACCENT had been given the opportunity of a lifetime. But it was also our biggest risk at the time. A representative from the Ella Baker Center reached out to BLACCENT, with the opportunity to host our own: Night Out for Safety & Liberation Event. We decided to host a Block Party, and after not having a large turn out for our past couple of smaller events – we didn’t know how this one would turn out. We rented games. Booked a food truck, performers, rented a generator, borrowed and built a stage – I can’t put into words how stressful the formation of this event was. The event happened in August 2022, we got word of the opportunity in May 2022 – meaning we had essentially 3 months to throw our biggest event (yet). And despite the novice event planning skills, and the crunch time period – we managed to pull it off. The Block Party was a huge success, and despite the fact that everything leading up to it wasn’t ideal – we persevered and made it work.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Born in Temple, TX – I was raised in Marlin, TX, before moving to Hewitt, TX, in the 5th grade with my family. I’ve always had an active & creative imagination. I just turned 25 in July, and the older I get, the more I reflect on who I am & how I’ve ended up, where I currently am. My love for film, and my love for my people, is why I do – what I do.

“Life is short”. It’s not only a true statement, but the hardest lesson I’ve ever had to learn. And it was after the murder of Trayvon Martin, and the tragic, unexpected death of my older cousin, LaCharles, that I finally – “woke up”. Racism isn’t dead. There are people everywhere, who hate me and people who look like me, just because we’re different. And that isn’t fair. But you know what also isn’t fair? Graduating high school, with your entire life ahead of you, and then dying in a flash flood one night, after leaving your job. That’s what happened to my older cousin. I learned with Trayvon that my life could be shortened by hate. And I learned with LaCharles that my life could be shortened by fate. And because of those two tragedies, I began to look at life in a new light. I don’t want to waste time. I want to build as many connections and grow and learn as person, as much as possible. I want to chase what I’m interested in, and see where it and God will take me. That’s where BLACCENT, Stories of the Streets and my dream to become a filmmaker come in.

BLACCENT is not only my outlet for activism, but my chance to experience things I might not have experienced – without the group. BLACCENT is a nonprofit organization originally founded with 5 members. Between its original founding in 2020, and current day, we dropped to 3 members and then grew to 4, and now currently, 7. Based in Waco, TX, the majority of our work focuses around being an outlet for; local artists, businesses and organizations – as well as the status of the political world in our community. For example, leading up to 2022’s local Texas election, we had an event titled the “Poll Party”, where we had numerous candidates come out and talk directly to voters. And in true BLACCENT fashion, the night highlighted not only local musicians – but local artwork. We always make an effort to raise awareness to something important, but having a fun time in the process.

“Stories of the Streets” is a podcast I host with the President of The New Black Collective, Jasmine Bledsoe. We’re 4 seasons in now, the show started in 2020, just like BLACCENT – and “SoTS” (Stories of the Streets) is almost like therapy. We allow guests to come on and talk about their lives, their goals., their inspirations and aspirations – we let people tell their story. We specifically love it when someone comes on to speak about a situation that needs attention. In our first season, we had a former CPS worker come on and speak to how terrible the system actually was. She spoke to how many foster parents, and CPS staff members, didn’t care. It’s an episode that’ll stick with me, because I appreciated the guest for being so vulnerable and open. She wanted people to know about this, and she entrusted us to help tell it. Means a lot.

Both BLACCENT and SOTS have allowed me to work creatively, on top of everything else. I’ve been able to edit videos for some of our events, for BLACCENT. And I’ve edited the majority of our promo videos for SoTS. During middle school, I developed a love for film – thanks to my Dad. And as I’ve gotten older, I’ve always enjoyed telling stories. I used to write little books in middle school. I used to shoot stop motion LEGO videos, I even used to follow my friends around with my school iPad – shooting a “reality show”. I’ve always enjoyed capturing the human experience – the black human experience. But at the same time, my imagination runs so wild that I know I’d tell some fantastical adventures, as well. Art has a real powerful effect on people, and I hope one day I can create something that inspires someone to take a chance in life. To take a chance with true happiness.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

This is easy, especially with the current strike situations. Pay. Them. It takes true talent to capture a human experience – to capture human emotion, in any form of art. Record labels need to stop finessing musicians. Big studios need to pay their writers, actors, visual artists and whoever else. People won’t understand, respect and realize true artistry, until it isn’t around anymore.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I feel like in life I’ve come across three types of “art fans”. In terms of music, you have people who only like “hits”. The music isn’t necessarily bad, and liking just hit music isn’t bad – but some hits don’t last. Some hits are hits today, and gone tomorrow. Then there are the high & mighty folk. They only listen to “true artistry”, and diverse, usually not mainstream music, and again – there’s nothing wrong with that. But both sides usually put down the other, and that’s not necessary. “Wayne, or Drake?” Isn’t necessary. “Beyoncé vs, Rihanna” isn’t necessary. “Tupac or Biggie?” isn’t necessary. Not to people like the third type. People like me. People who enjoy what’s good, and ignores what’s bad – but at the same time, is open to it all. We’re all human. They’ll be some creative crossover, they’ll even be down right copycats. But I always tell people there’s a difference between something that’s bad, and something you just don’t like. Only real ones understand the difference. Art will always be subjective, and just because something doesn’t work for you – doesn’t mean it won’t work for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: blaccent.org
• Instagram: @blaccent.inc (https://tr.ee/gSmpLNaQ4-)
• Facebook: BLACCENT (https://www.facebook.com/BLACCENT)
• Twitter: @BLACCENTInc (https://twitter.com/blaccentinc?s=21&t=UCYwAUDC7PJsfXxvBXnTtA)
• Youtube: @BLACCENTInc (https://youtube.com/@blaccentinc)
• Other: SoTS – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stories-of-the-streets/id1530423304
• My Insta: https://instagram.com/iamdeviarwoodson?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
• My YouTube: https://youtube.com/@deviarwoodson

Image Credits
“Night Out Block Party” and “Poll Party” pictures provided by Vincent Thomas and Deoryn Thornton, respectively.