The Living Room Experience During AfroTech 2025 Sparks Radical Reflection, Joy, and Collective Power in Houston, TX
Press contact:
Dorcey Kuti | Gazelle Media Group
dorcey@gazellemediagroup.agency or pr@bldpwr.com
832-287-1664
Houston, TX — November 4, 2025 — Amidst the tech-fueled energy of AfroTech 2025, The Living Room Experience (TLRE) created a sanctuary of soul, strategy, and storytelling. Hosted at The Blank Canvas in Houston’s East End, the experience welcomed over 400+ attendees into an immersive, living room-inspired activation rooted in the theme “Blackness Is Technology: Story, Power & Migration.”
Anchored by BLD PWR and The Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI), under the visionary leadership of Executive Director Nana Gyamfi, the evening pulsed with powerful dialogue, music, and healing-centered practice. A constellation of cultural disruptors, including Jidenna, Vic Mensa, Dr. Raquel Martin, Kenya Parham, Alex R. Posey, Sasha Legette, Krystle Edwards, Lakisha Jackson, RoShawn Evans, Stacy Ike, Juan Valentine (Yogi Barber Juan), and BLD PWR founder Kendrick Sampson, gathered in-the-round to reflect on Black innovation, movement-building, and redefining power in a digital world.
“When the masked men come, it’s going to be the people you know, those you’ve been intimate with, who will protect you,” said Nana Gyamfi, Executive Director of BAJI. “That’s what power is: the intimacy that allows me to be vulnerable, that allows me to be open, and most importantly, that allows me to be safe.”
“You can be one of the 98 people who move quietly, who don’t post, but support the work — and your impact will still be felt,” shared Jidenna, referencing a parable his father told him about the 100 people between a river and a fire. While attention often goes to the one fetching water or the one dousing flames, it's the 98 hands that carry the bucket who truly sustain the effort.
Psychologist Dr. Raquel Martin brought the room to pause when she urged the audience to do a values audit:
“We talk about breaking generational curses, but the next step is building generational bonds. That starts with living by values you’ve defined, not inherited.”
Kenya Parham, Chief Growth Officer at Spill App, emphasized the need for information sovereignty and digital discipline, adding:
“Building power means resisting the dopamine pull of likes and views. It’s about choosing to communicate in spaces that are built to keep us safe.”
Vic Mensa delivered a powerful global call-in, highlighting the interconnectedness of struggles:
“We need to care about what’s happening in Sudan or Nigeria, just like we care about Mississippi or Chicago. Our being disconnected is exactly how we stay exploited.”
The event’s format was intentionally intimate and radically inclusive: couches arranged in circles, not rows. Conversations flowed like family reunions, with DJ Bola Maintain’s soundtrack weaving between segments, and a Confessional Booth inviting guests to define what “Blackness” and “building power” means to them on camera.
“Culture isn’t just parades and food,” said Kendrick Sampson. “It’s survival. It’s how we’ve turned scraps into soul food. Now it’s about filtering through the noise and returning to what makes us whole.”
After the main event, guests flowed to The Session R&B Jam at Tribeca HTX, where a surprise performance by Grammy-nominated artist Samoht turned the afterglow into a spiritual encore—closing the night with music, intimacy, and Black sonic joy.
The Living Room Experience was more than a moment; it was an ecosystem for healing, imagination, and connection. In a week dominated by digital innovation, TLRE was a necessary counterbalance—a sacred space reminding us that Blackness has always been the blueprint.
Partners & Collaborators
BLD PWR | BAJI | The Session R&B Jam | SEIU | Black Girl Caucus | Pure Justice | Firstline Brands | E.N.D. | DJ Bola Maintain
Select Guests & Speakers
Vic Mensa | Jidenna | Kendrick Sampson | Dr. Raquel Martin | Kenya Parham (Spill App) | Nana Gyamfi | Stacy Ike | Alexis Posey | Krystle Edwards | Juan Valentine | Sasha Legette | Lakisha Jackson | Roshawn Evans | Stacy Ike
Media & Photography
BLD PWR The Living Room Experience X AfroTech @LuvByDre by Luv By Dre Photography
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To Learn More
Visit: www.bldpwr.com | www.baji.org
