In History, a speakeasy is a hidden establishment where guests can have the experience of discretely engaging in a Prohibition Era experience.
The community’s SPEAKEZIE…Go Hard is a cultural entity providing conflict resolution to violence survivors through art therapy.
Founded in 2018 by El Jay’Em, Speakezie Go Hard (Speakezie) has become a cultural movement in Washington, DC, Harlem, NY, and Cleveland, OH, combating racial injustice and gun violence by providing a platform for community members to use music, poetry, and artistic expression to entertain and heal. Since its conception on September 28th, 2018, Speakezie has had the privilege to serve the community as a violence interrupter and offer gun violence prevention. Speakezie has provided conflict resolution through art therapy to over 30k survivors of violence throughout the nation. Secondarily, brought awareness and raised funds for over 30 social justice issues and provided a platform to over 700 artists and counting. Speakezie utilizes live art, live music, bands, poets, emcees, hip hop artists, actors, independent films, and other expressive art forms to provide high-impact conflict resolution and trauma relief through restorative justice practices. Speakezie expanded into public and charter schools in 2020 with the L.O.V.E curriculum and has provided schools with eight semesters of high-impact emotional intelligence programming.
Through art therapy, our program centers on restorative justice, trauma relief, and conflict resolution for violence survivors. It seeks to bring awareness, pride, and inspiration to each viewer, participant, and audience member. Art Therapy allows survivors to directly target their trauma and promote healing by combining the mind and body through the art channel. Each month, Speakezie…Go Hard hosts a show at We Act Radio in Washington, DC, and fills the space with individuals from around, creating a diverse demographic reach from ages of 8-70.
Speakezie has existed since September 2018 and seeks to bring awareness and fill the gap in the lack of support and resources for the aftermath of violence. The result of this blooms trauma and destabilizes communities of color economically, socially, and culturally
n 2021, Speakezie expanded from S.E. Washington D.C. to the local hoods of Cleveland, Ohio. Since February 2021, Speakezie Go Hard has provided a platform and space for an estimated 3,000 residents.
This year 2022, Speakezie has expanded its franchise and has launched in New York City, breaking into a new city and market for community healing. Speakezie also entered the classroom with its curriculum, L.O.V.E, which teaches students neru-jiu-jitsu, how to turn negative situations into positive ones, and other emotional intelligence (hereafter referred to as EI) grounded strategies.
Speakezie’s vision is a multiracial world, a democratic society, free from trauma, oppression of all forms, and exploitation, in which people and communities of color thrive with power and purpose.
To the untrained eye, Speakezie…Go Hard may appear to be your everyday, popping up every month, run-of-the-mill open mic. However, you see and feel the difference upon your first vibrational encounter. Speakezies’ activation of healing spaces strategy builds relationships with talented local artists to reestablish and strengthen internal community relations and ties to encourage healthier residential environments.
Speakezies’ organizational structure comprises an executive team, supportive staff, board members, and sponsors. Speakezie produces power at the grassroots level by utilizing strategic communication to influence public opinion on race, democracy, and social justice issues. Speakezie…Go Hard is a 501c(3) with an annual fundraising budget of $247k.
Speakezie is not an entity meant for capitalistic gains. Speakezie functions for the people! To take action to answer a question asked by Fred Hampton (who is a victim of violence) “Why don’t you live for the people? Speakezie lives for the people. Therefore we take pride in our transparency of what donations fund. Speakezie is the crown jewel of the community. We hope we have earned the pleasure of your time; remember to always Speakezie…Go Hard!!
Thank You,
Speakezie Go Hard
Executive Team
Follow Us on IG @Speakezie