Sometimes, social media feels like a horror show. Can we defeat the monster and save the day?

Escaping our Social Media Spirals

Regular

Picking up the pieces and finding our voice.

We are all we've got.

Sometimes sharing our deepest thoughts is enough to give someone else the courage to move ahead.

Robert Bullard 2020 Champion of the Earth - Lifetime Achievement

How to support environmental justice for Black neighborhoods.

The Segregation of Pollution

Black motherhood is targeted by racist systems. Midwives can make all the difference.

Honoring The Black Midwife

Soul Fire Farm: Uprooting racism in the U.S. food system with agriculture | More in Common

Haus of Hoodoo: Jessyka Winston Wants To Teach The Truth About Vodou

WGTA PODCAST- EP. 9 PART 2: OUR LITTLE RED ONE SHOP

The Healing Power of Plant Based Living with Afya Ibomu | Koya Webb

How Black herbalism became a hashtag, and the true history behind it.

The Cultural Theft of Medicine

How Black herbalism became a hashtag and the true history behind it.

Balancing mourning with collective ritual and celebration

Acknowledging the violent history behind the Thanksgiving celebration we've come to know and expect is critical, and in an age where preserving tiem for family and friends is increasingly important, it might be time to incorporate new traditions to your Thanksgiving repertoire. Here are a few things you can explore this year to embrace the preservation and memory of the indigenous people affected by imperialism in the history of the United States.

Now is a great time to incorporate new traditions to your Thanksgiving celebration.

What the heck does it mean to be a ‘B Corp’?

People over profits: the B Corp Series

Or, “What the heck does it mean to be a ‘B Corp’?”

Care loudly and often, especially when others don’t want you to. Dissecting the extremes of American activists, and why you don't need to fit an exaggerated role to make a difference.

Activism is for Everyone

Care loudly and often, especially when others don’t want you to.

Help Out With Hurricane Ida Recovery Efforts

We are actively collecting resources for rebuilding in the Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane Ida.

Help Out in Hurricane Ida Recovery Efforts

Resources for rebuilding in the Gulf Coast

Here’s to Book Lovers and their Libraries

Libraries have long given us a feeling of wonder and excitement, and they're so important to us still today. Join us in celebrating the magic that libraries provide our young, adult and aging minds. Protect your public libraries!

Join our celebration of books and the public spaces that support them 

Hear from the Emancipation Park Conservancy, in coversation with The Black Sheep Agency, about the historical significance of Juneteenth and how this celebration continues into present day.

A Juneteenth Story and Celebration

How Emancipation Park Conservancy is making its mark on the community

Allyship comes with an ongoing commitment to addressing communities authentically.

Here's to All Women

Women’s History Month might be coming to a close, but we’ll be celebrating women all year long.

Lifting as we climb: Shining a light on a woman who helped shaped the Houston we all love

Christia Adair's lifelong commitment to expanding equity and access for her community is an inspiration. Adair championed women's rights and equality for African Americans.

Christia Adair had an immeasurable impact on Houston.

For the Love of Third Ward: An Interview with Marc Furi

Hear from artist Marc Furi on how branding and art have helped bring attention to Houston's Third Ward.

How Marc Furi turned his love of art and his city into a local movement

BLACK HISTORY MONTH: WHERE OUR PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE COLLIDE

American history is Black history. This February, we're celebrating how our nation's past—and future—is tied to the Black experience.

Welcome to the first day of February and the first day of Black History Month in 2021. 

Last week (read: for the last two months), all eyes were on Georgia as they decided who controlled the senate for the first two years of President Elect Joe Biden’s administration. Georgia has been a red state since 1992, so its sudden flip to blue came as a shock to many. 

An Ode to Grassroots Organizers

The key to a free and fair democratic system is making sure that everyone can vote.

Giving Tuesday has raised a lot of eyebrows at Black Sheep over the years. But nonprofits are in dire straits across the country—and it's time to think through how we can give back when we're tapped out from 2020.

#GivingTuesday2020

We were over it. Now it's all we can think about.

Condensed

A government official outreach guide for student activsts

How do I contact elected officials?

A student activist’s guide to making connections that create social change.

If you are feeling overwhelmed right now, you are not alone. Let this year's World Mental Health Day be both a celebration of those invisible milestones and a reminder that help is out there and there is no shame in seeking it out.

Have You Considered Therapy?

There’s a meme circulating that says something along the lines of: When I tell you to go to therapy, I don’t mean that I think you’re crazy. I mean that I think you deserve someone to listen to you, without judgment, and help you process your feelings.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg paved the way for women across the country to become architects of their own success—and encouraged us all to never give up on a good fight.

Here's to a Heroic Fight

Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a hero of ours at Black Sheep, for obvious reasons. Without her work, quite frankly, who knows if Black Sheep would exist. 

Community activists of all types have used the symbol of the raised fist in many ways, but what does it mean

A Brief History of the Raised Fist

The clenched, raised fist. You’ve seen it before—on television and in movies, on posters, in textbooks, maybe even in-person at a rally. As a gesture itself, it holds no meaning. But, throughout history, a variety of communities have used it as a symbol of resistance and unity: a simple yet demonstrative act of rebellion against institutional oppression.

An invitation in these strange times.

There are times when you just have to get something—anything—down on paper to figure it out. When you need to have a moment to just take all of the chaos and think through it as clearly as possible, line by line.

We’re thrilled to introduce you to Houston Landing, a local nonprofit newsroom with no paywalls—ever—providing essential journalism that empowers our communities. 

In a world where misinformation runs rampant and affects our mental health, even the most credible news organizations struggle with transparency. That’s why the work Houston Landing does is not only powerful, it’s necessary. Their passion for verifiable, impactful and essential journalism is clear in everything they do. 

The Black Sheep team partnered with their team to develop a brand identity that would generate a stellar first impression and begin the path of building trust with Houstonians. Here's a look at how we made that happen:

Thoughtful. Reliable. Authentically Houston.

We began with a discovery and research process to understand the local news landscape and larger cultural trends for both news media and Houston. We learned their brand identity would need to be authentically Houston while carefully differentiating from other outlets—walking a tightrope between signaling something new and matching the energy of the city.

The new logo is dynamic with blocks of color that are always shifting, reflecting the dynamic energy of Houston itself. The logo also resembles the lines and columns of a newspaper story. The colors are meant to feel creative, energetic and fresh, stepping away from the usual reds and blues you commonly find in other outlets.

Essential Journalism. Empowered Communities.

The tagline reinforces the news team's two key goals. The first: do the necessary work to shine a light on injustice and hold the powerful accountable. The second: reach historically underserved communities in ways that reflect and represent the diversity of Houston, providing the information needed to drive change.

We designed a series of collateral to introduce the new media outlet and partnered with Digital Citizen to engage the City and give the community somewhere to go to learn more upon launch. We also developed messaging that would make it easy to introduce the organization, capturing their values in hopes of building trust with their audiences and answering initial questions or doubts.

The work that Houston Landing does is not only powerful, it’s needed. Their passion for verifiable, impactful and essential journalism is clear in everything they do. It’s rare to encounter a team of people so committed to their values and their city. 

In the fourth largest and most diverse city in the nation, it was time for Houston to have a resource like this. Backed by the Houston Endowment, the Kinder Foundation and Arnold Ventures, the American Journalism Project and the Knight Foundation, we are proud to have built this work for Houston, for all of us, and look forward to watching it come alive!

If you’re eager to support this important work, head over to the Houston Landing website and subscribe so you don’t miss out. And if you're working on something special that will impact our community in a powerful way and you need a partner, we are ready to connect.

Houston Landing is a local nonprofit newsroom with no paywalls to provide essential journalism that empowers our communities.

Meet Houston Landing: designing the next frontier of local news

A new, nonprofit and nonpartisan news outlet for local voices.

In a world where misinformation runs rampant, we are thrilled to be a part of the Houston Landing launch as we passionately support verifiable, impactful and essential journalism.

The Black Sheep blog is turning up the volume on community engagement, social media strategy, Houston happenings and what it means to lead a purpose-driven life.

The Black Sheep Agency | Social impact and nonprofit blog

We like to type as much as we like to listen.

We're not shy.