DETROIT – If you haven’t heard of the Black Girl Picnic, here’s everything you need to know about the celebration that’s entering it’s 5th year over on Belle Isle.
Plus, this year the non-profit BLK GRL Conglomerate is also launching a literacy campaign to put 1,000 books in the hands of black girls. Thanks to generous donations from The Skillman Foundation, First Book, General Motors and Making Spirits Bright, the group has more than 600 books to give away.
If you’d like to help, there are links at the bottom of this article.
The first Black Girl Picnic in Detroit happened back in the summer of 2021. Founder Torie Anderson-Lloyd was looking for more connection and community after the isolation of the Covid-19 pandemic. She invited friends to a picnic on Belle Isle, but everyone declined.
Instead, she turned to Facebook to create an event that is a celebration of black womanhood and sisterhood. On that first day, 60 strangers showed up and the picnic has kept growing ever since.
Picnic adds literacy campaign to the mix
As a DPSCD educator and community advocate, Anderson-Lloyd tried to promote wellness, cultural affirmation, and now literacy. For the 2025 Picnic, she’s trying to get 1,000 Books For Black Girls. It’s a literacy campaign designed to center, celebrate, and affirm Black girls and women through culturally responsive books.
Anderson-Lloyd says each book we give represents a moment of joy, identity, and empowerment. These are not just any book, they are stories where Black girls are the heroes, the thinkers, the creatives, and the leaders.
The 2025 Picnic is taking place on Belle Isle on Saturday, August 9th at 99 Pleasure Drive, Detroit, MI 48207. It runs from 2:30- 6:30 p.m.
Tickets are required to enter. To get more info and purchase tickets, you can go to www.blackgirlpicnic.com
If you want to donate for the 1,000 Books for Black Girls you can use either the Amazon Wish List or Donation link.