720. Stories to Fill The Hope Gap: Why Celebration Is the Story That Changes Everything - Colby King, Kiki Arts Collaborative

Welcome to Stories that Fill the Hope Gap, a 10 part limited series created in partnership with Good Is the New Cool. And we are for good. Hey, I'm John. And I'm Becky. Together we're unpacking how story is becoming the most essential tool change makers have not just to raise money, but to restore hope in a world that's running low on it. We're breaking down what it actually looks like to tell stories that fill that 27% gap between hope and despair and why the world desperately needs you to start. Let's get started. Hey, Becky. Hey, John. We are so thrilled today to be joined by Colby King, who is the founder of Kiki Arts Collaborative. And this is an economic development platform for LGBTQ youth of color. This is like 18 to 30 in New York's ballroom scene. Can we put all those things together? There are so many words there that I. And so KAC is combining creative mentorship, job training, and internship placement to turn ballroom artistry into sustainable careers. So Colby is also a 2025 David Prize winner. Are you aware of the David Prize? Like, there are five nonprofits in the New York scene who all receive $200,000 because their work is so luminary. He's making a 20 year old youth movement to mainstream philanthropy and turning culture into economic infrastructure. Does this seem like a good human we need to interview? Can you say we're a little excited you're here, Colby? Colby, we are so thrilled you're here. Welcome. I hope I can rise to the occasion. Oh, my gosh, you're gonna rise. You're gonna pirouette. You're gonna, like, do all the things. So before we ever get into a conversation, Colby, we, like, wanna get to know the human behind the work. So take us back. Take us back to little Colby growing up and tell us what kind of led you into this work. Yes. So, grew up in Texas. I was born in Houston and I was raised in Dallas, Texas. I'm in New York now. I won a prize for New Yorkers, so that's kind of weird, but I will always be a Texan at heart. So proud of you. I grew up in the church, and so a lot of this work really comes from there. I say my mom is who inspires me the most. If I start tearing up, it's because I love doing that. What's your mama's name? Lacheka. She was a minister. So I spent a lot of my early days in church. And really the church was where I first got exposed to arts, but then also through Service and community service and supporting your community and individuals through it. And my mom was always very adamant about that being important to her. And so growing up, throughout my life, she would let people stay in her home whenever they needed to. I would always see her, like, doing people's resumes and their cover letters. Not realizing that was workforce development. And then now here we are. Clearly, that had an impact on me, and it just kind of over time, a lot of the same things that she taught me about, always knowing that the opportunity that I was receiving were blessings. And a lot of people didn't have access to some of the things I had access to. And so just kind of throughout my life, that's something that I've always tried to remember. And so then just growing up in Texas, you know, I always talk about education as something really important to me, and it was something really important to my family. My mom always did her best to put me in the best school she could. Obviously, we didn't grow up with a lot of money, but she put me head start for pre K charter schools that she found throughout Houston and Dallas. And then through being in, like, gifted and talented program and various access programs, I was able to get exposed to just like a lot of things that a lot of people in my community didn't and a lot of people in my family didn't. I was the first in my family to go to college, first in my family to work a corporate job. A lot of firsts for me. And then eventually I ended up senior year. I always. Fun fact. I got to seven out of eight of the Ivies. I didn't get in front of the high school casual first to go to college, but to go to Columbia, seven to eight of the Ivys to get in. I'm so proud of you. And then we chose Columbia and then moved to New York and then just kind of went from there. So I was a chemical engineering major because I love chemistry, and chemical engineering is not. Well, other fun fact, when I was in seventh grade, I was ranked eighth in the state of Texas for chemistry. What? So love chemistry. Chemical engineering is not chemistry. It's a lot of physics. And yeah, so we quickly switched over to African American studies and psychology. I focused in religion and morality specifically. Um, I was really interested in understanding how race, gender, sexuality, culture, religion all intersect. Um, and I think, you know, all those things can be complicated, particularly when you are a person of color, an LGBT person who also grew up in church. Those things can feel conflicting. And then, you know, just kind of through that Ended up interested in criminal justice. So I was doing, like, internships at the ACLU and stuff like that, and then got an internship at amex American Express, and then started doing marketing. So I did that for a couple years and then found ballroom. After I graduated, one of my friends was like, come to a practice, went. And that was four years ago now. And just all those things together lead to this thing called the Kiki Arts Collaborative, where I'm thinking about arts and culture and representation and who gets to be seen and who doesn't get to be seen and who gets access and who doesn't get access. And how do you bring all these things that have happened in my life together to provide opportunities for people who I call my chosen family? What a beautiful story. Thank you for bringing us back. And I think because we're talking about storytelling on this series, I think it's really beautiful the way that all of this connects, understanding some of the pieces that poured into your lived experience and some of the influences and values that have been part of your life from the very beginning. So I'm curious how that plays into Kiki Arts Collaborative. Like, tell us about what's the mission? What's the impact look like? And thread in some of those connected pieces, like, what are the values? You know, I'm still getting used to saying this. Y' all said it so much better than I did. But I like to say that the goal is to reduce the barrier to entry for arts and culture and media careers. Something that I've just, like, learned personally through going to Columbia was there's so many things that, had I not went to Columbia and had access to the college career center, had them doing my resume for me and redoing it and having the interview prep and having those different opportunities that just would have not prepared me to be able to go into corporate jobs. And that's even harder for arts, culture, media. Like, that's very much an industry of you have to know the right people. They expect you to have very specific skills that you can only get by working the job. What I found in being in the Kiki scene specifically, and we'll go into that in a second, but so many of those skills people are doing every day in the Kiki scene, it's, you know, there's. It's already art, right? People are dancing, they're performing, they're making their own costumes. They're doing all of this, and they've been doing it for. Well, the ballroom scene's been around since, like, the 60s, 70s, but the kiki scene specifically since, like, the early 2000, late 90s, or 2000s. So people have been doing this for 20, 30 years underground, just as a community together. And so it's like, they have all these skills, and so how do you make it visible to everyone else so that it makes sense for them to be able to have careers that are actually sustainable? Right. Obviously, we know that, you know, LGBT youth in New York City have the highest rates of homelessness. Black and brown LGBT youth, in particular, have the highest rates of HIV transmission. And a lot of these are the issues that the Kiki scene was really created to try to counter those things. And so that's kind of at the root of it. And so the Kiki Arts Collaborative is taking that and still those roots of what the scene is about and trying to amplify it and provide more pipelines and opportunities for black and brown youth of color. Take us to a story that would really sort of embody what Kiki is about and really shows the impact that you're having on this world. Most recently, we had our first ever, like, annual visual art exhibit. So it was at Inspiration Point in the Bronx. Inspiration Point is this really cool multimedia. They have, like, a dance studio, art studio, used to be a youth correctional facility. You literally have to see it. It's like an art gallery, then a theater. And I'm just like, let's go. I know. We're just like, let's go. It's amazing. So we had a visual art exhibit there for seven weeks that just recently closed, and we got to feature five artists on the kiki scene, their work. And one of those people is, like, one of my closest friends. So it was a multimedia, but one of the mediums we used was fashion. And so at Kicky Balls, you know, we were wearing custom costumes, and, like I was saying, people are creating them themselves. And so one of the people that we got to feature is one of my best friends, but he makes all of my costumes. And so I've always told him that he has, like, a level of talent that for someone who was never taught how to sew, like, just got a sewing machine from his grandma and then just started learning from, you know, scratch. I was like, this deserves to be seen, right? And I remember when we were putting the his, like, pieces on the mannequins, and he saw it in the gallery for the first time. When it was done, he was about to cry, and then I was about to cry, and we both just cry. He just was like, thank you so much for allowing Me to see my art as art. That's the goal. Because sometimes you don't even process what you're producing is that until you see it in a very specific space. And I think that's also what KAC is about. It's like people don't see what they're doing as art, or the world doesn't see it as valid until it's positioned in an art exhibit or until it's on a particular set of stage. And I don't think that that should be the case, but I also understand the power of doing so and what that can make an individual feel. So, yeah, that's just one story. I. I come back to, like, one of our values at We Are For Good is that it's about belief. And I feel like that's what you're doing with. With those that are part of this organization, that you're instilling that within them. Because when someone believes in you, like, what that does to unlock. And you're doing that by giving people the space and feel like you do belong here. So I'm curious. We're talking about storytelling, and, you know, the. The nonprofit sector we love, but there's some things that we want to shift about it, and one of them is, like, a lot of the framing of storytelling leans on charity, you know, and kind of coming at it from that angle of what's broken, and here's what we're fixing. But you tell a story of celebration. You tell this story of, you know, this community coming together. How has that helped you, I guess, reframe stories in a way that not only, like, connect, but, like, get to the core of what we're trying to do, you know, in so many ways, the Kiki scene, the ballroom scene in general, celebrates so many things that the world says we're not supposed to. And this is why it's so. It's been so impactful for me as a person, too, is because there's nowhere else in the world where black and brown people, femininity, art, color, beauty is, like, celebrated en masse. You know, white citizen patriarchy says it's supposed to be one thing. In ballroom, it's like the exact opposite of that. Exactly. That's what I love about it. And so it allows you to rethink just, like, what the world can look like, you know? And so, in so many ways, when it comes to storytelling, that has to be at the center, because we're already trying to tell a story that the world says shouldn't be the story anyway. It Changes what you think the limits are of what you can create and what culture can and should be. And, yeah, it's just a beautiful thing. And I think we keep that at the root of. At least I try to keep that the root of everything we do. I just think about color and energy and vibrancy and movement. And to your friend who's had this beautiful exhibit, who wouldn't have even possibly qualified his fashion as art, all of a sudden, not only do you have the affirmation, you have community wrapped in it, celebrating it, and there isn't. There is an affect of joy, of generosity, of abundance. And then we start shifting out of this scarcity mindset that we have been programmed to talk about. We want no more Sarah McLachlan music with these sad puppies. You know, we want feathers. We want bright colors. We want to reimagine everything. And I think when you give power to the front lines like that and let go, then what comes back to you is so much bigger than anything that any of us could have imagined. And so we love to celebrate generosity, and we are for good is always powering to the impact uprising, which is what we believe is the ability for every person to join into generosity. And so I'm wondering if there was a moment of philanthropy, generosity in your life that stayed with you, that you might bring up and share that story with us today. That is such an interesting question, and there's so many that come to mind. I always talk about my mom. Something that as a child would always happen is my mom would always, like, tell me to give up my bed. Like, we would have guests come over, and I don't know, like, that has been something that has stuck with me to this day, is always being willing to open up my home. And a bunch of my, like, chosen family was over recently. And I woke up the next morning, and I was on the floor, and I was like, and they're all in my bed. They're all in my bed, and they're all on the couch. And I'm just like, okay. And I realized how much that stuck with me. And people ask me why I do that, and I'm like, well, my mom always told me to do that. You know, if you're gonna open up your home to people. She was like, genuinely do so and do so expansively. And I guess that stuck with me more than I've realized it has. But there's a very beautiful metaphor in there, isn't there, Truly? Yeah. I think, you know, opening up a sacred space to Anybody like, I mean, I think same thing. What a beautiful full circle. Raising my cold brew, wherever it is to your mom, you know, in this episode. So, my friend, we end every episode asking for a one good thing. This could be a piece of advice. It's something that feels resonant with you. Maybe a mantra. What's lifting for you? I love poetry. One of my favorite. I write poetry secretly. Not anymore. Heard it here. Breaking news. One of my favorite poets is Essex Henry Hemphill, black queer poet. If you don't know his work, you should read it. But he would always end his like, essays and his letters with the phrase, take care of your blessings. And that's been a guiding mantra for me for the last couple years. I just think it's really important to understand that so many things in life are blessings and are gifts. And I think a lot of times we take things for granted. And I'm trying to remember every day that the people in my life, the opportunities I have be here. Right. Like those are all blessings. And it's important to make sure that you nurture them, take care of them, and are always grateful for them. So you speak so calmly. You have such presence. There is a humility and a quiet joy in you. And I just think, I mean, Kiki is how old now the organization? Yes. Technically, we officially became the Kiki Arts Collaborative last year. Oh my. I mean, this is year one. The people that you are going to bring, not necessarily just to arts, but to community, to open expression, to allowing people to come as they are. And so people listening are going to want to connect with you. Please tell us where you hang out online, where they can connect with you. And then also tell us what Kiki needs right now. What do you need from a large movement of people to help you? Volunteers, likes. Like, what do you need? So thank you. First, you can follow us on Instagram ikeaartscollab. Not full collaborative, just cause it was too long. Smart. Better SEO. Yeah. And then you go to our website, which is www.kikiartscollaborative.org. you can follow me on Instagram obiexavier.x z a V I E R. My mom put a Z in there. Thank you for that. Way to go, mom. She's just killing it on all the levels. And in terms of what we need, I think all nonprofits need money. But beyond that, the goal is really to provide people from the community access to opportunities. And so if you are in arts, culture, media, and you want to connect and want to connect with these individuals, like that's really what I care about more is making sure that people from the community are seen. So if you want to see some cool things, I got some cool things to show you. And media skills impact. We know this. We have talked about this many times on the podcast. You are living and breathing it. You are in year one, my friend. There is no stopping you. We are so thrilled that you are in the world doing this incredible work. I hope to come to one of your shows and be a rabid fan of it. Keep going. What a treasure you are. Thank you so much. Thank you for having me. Grateful for you. Yeah, thank you. Hey friend, thank you so much for joining us today. If you find yourself looking for a place to stay connected and keep learning between episodes, I hope you'll come and join us inside the we are for Good community. Yeah, it is free. It's full of incredible nonprofit leaders like yourself. And it's now an app in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. So you can take this community with you wherever you go. Head over to weareforgoodcommunity.com to find us. We cannot wait to see you inside.