As America marks its 250th anniversary, NBAF’s 2026 season, I, Too, Sing!, offers a resonant exploration of the role Black creativity has played in defining and redefining the American story. Rooted in Langston Hughes’s declaration, “I, too, sing America,” the suite asserts that Black art is not an addendum to the national narrative; it is one of its primary authors. Through live and digital programming over the course of the year, we remind the nation that America’s song is not complete without our verse.

June 1 - August 31, 2026
A Social Media Campaign

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, the National Black Arts Festival launches Meditations on Freedom, a digital campaign that creates space for artists and scholars to reflect on the meaning of freedom in this moment. 

At a time when questions of access, representation, and civic participation are once again at the center of national discourse, this initiative invites Black artists, writers, and thinkers to respond in real time through short-form video, written reflections, and creative expression shared across NBAF’s digital platforms. These meditations are not meant to be performances, but acts of witness as artists have always been the voice of our collective consciousness.

Each contribution offers a personal reflection on freedom, its promises, its limitations, and its ongoing negotiation in American life. Together, they form a living archive of voices engaging this moment with honesty, clarity, and imagination.

Rooted in NBAF’s commitment to elevating Black artistic and intellectual thought, Meditations on Freedom positions creativity as a vital tool for reflection, inquiry, and cultural record. The campaign documents not only what artists are making, but what they are thinking, feeling, and questioning as the nation marks this historic milestone.

NBAF closed out Black History Month in conversation with artists and thinkers to examine the contested authorship of the American narrative, consider the nation not as a static story, but as an unfinished song and explore how Black artists, thinkers, and everyday citizens have shaped the nation’s story through creativity, resilience, and truth-telling. The question of who belongs in America and who gets to define it has echoed through our music, poetry, and protest and continues today.

With everything going on in our current national discourse, we are reposting the conversation as it is timely and gives us insight into how artists and historians are responding to these moments. Featuring Carrie Mae Weems, Dr. Daniel Black and Marc Bamuthi Joseph. Moderated by Errin Haines.

This program was made possible with support from Georgia Humanities and Fulton County Arts and Culture.