Our Story
BASE Arizona (Black Alliance & Social Empowerment) was founded with a vision of positively empowering the black community. BASE was born in June 2020 in response to the rise of social injustice and the decline of economic advantages in Arizona's black community. In response to the feelings and to serve the need, we began to contemplate how we can provide a space to promote solidarity, empowerment, and economic development that might be imagined for this generation and the next, given the realities of the history of Arizona.
BASE respects the past by drawing from the wisdom of the Civil Rights Movement and acknowledging the organizational genius that resulted in equality for BLACK people nationally. It updates this legacy and honors the current collective of change makers and activists who strive for inclusion and equity that is real. BASE seeks to create a space that thrives in its Blackness, powered by the imagination of its people, leveraging technology, and bringing community to BLACK people throughout Arizona and beyond.
The organization serves to create a welcoming and supportive community where Black people in Arizona feel safe, respected, and comfortable being themselves when expressing any aspect of our many cultural ethnicities.