Urban Triage held its fourth annual Summer Kickback event on Saturday, July 20. Nearly 1,000 attendees gathered at Penn Park on Madison’s south side to enjoy free food, music, games, and check out select Black-owned businesses that set up shop. The annual event is completely free, as Urban Triage aims to create a safe and accessible space for families to enjoy without worrying about cost.
“Kids are free to run around, celebrate and have fun without restrictions. They can run and go wherever they want,” said Brandi Grayson, founder and CEO of Urban Triage. “To be able to attend a community event where you can eat as much ice cream as you want, eat delicious food, drink unlimited water and beverages, and enjoy all kinds of rides and activities without having to worry about the budget is fundamental to what community is to me.”
Urban Triage serves community members throughout Dane County, providing a variety of resources including housing assistance, resource linkages, advocacy, youth housing and support services, community engagement events and outreach, and environmental justice education.
Grayson emphasizes the importance of the annual Summer Kickback event being free. She points out the disparity in which Black communities are overworked while earning less to make ends meet. Grayson likens the Urban Triage framework to the Black Panther movement, which pushed to provide free resources to communities, such as the Free Breakfast for School Children program and the People’s Free Food program, the precursors to WIC.
Kids have fun chasing bubbles at Urban Triage’s 4th Annual Summer Kickback at Penn Park.
(Photo by Omar Waheed.)
Summer Kickback featured plenty of activities for kids, including a rock climbing wall, mobile arcade, bubble play, bounce houses, dancing, and more. There were options for adults too, including bingo games with cash prizes, dancing, and concerts. Free food and unlimited water were provided for all attendees.
The annual Summer Kickback also featured vendors selling a variety of products, from body care and hair care to food, clothing and beauty products. All were Black-owned businesses, excited for the opportunity to be part of a space that centers the Black community and have fun for free.
“You look around and you see everybody here. Different races walking around, everybody’s having fun, everybody’s walking around, everybody’s talking, everybody’s having a good time, and it’s really just about bringing the community together,” said Ancestral Tribe founder Ronell Richardson. “That’s what Ancestral Tribe is about, so we feel at home here.”
Ancestral Tribe is an all-natural hair and body care company, and while Richardson shared a booth with Lakisha Johnson, owner of Unique Hair Accessories, selling their products, Summer Kickback sees his own company as embodying fostering community, or “tribe,” as they call it.
Another vendor, Natural One Beauty, a Madison-based vegan skincare brand, was happy to see business boom with the kickbacks.
“It’s something to be proud of,” said Curtis Price, owner of Natural One Beauty. “People from the community actually come up to my table and buy from me, so I’m really grateful. It’s great to see the community come together.”
