The Cookout Online is an invitation-only community exclusively for members of the African Diaspora. The Cookout Online was created by LBGT+ Black women who noticed that there was a disproportionate skew in the ways that Black people, women, and LBGT+ people were affected by speech policing practices on existing platforms.

According to research:

About 79% of Black users reported having been banned for hate speech by Facebook as opposed to 33% of white users.
Of those that had been banned, the average number of times for white users was 6 and for Black users- 9
83% of white users had reported someone for harassment compared to 80% of Black users
71% of white users had reported hateful comments compared to about 75% of Black users
About 73% of white users had reported a fake profile that was harassing them compared to 50% of Black users

When it came to Black users who identified as LBGT+, the differences were more stark and disproportionate compared to white users and Black users that did not identify as LBGT+. 87.9% of users reported having experienced a ban and only 13.5% of their reports resulted in action against the account for hate speech or being fake. The bias, whether intentional or unintentional, is clear.

As LBGT+ Black women, these results mirrored our own experiences, so we decided to do something about it. Thus, The Cookout was born.

Named for a Black community tradition of communion, breaking bread, and celebration, The Cookout seeks to bring the spirit of its namesake to a digital space. Cookout users reported unprecedented feelings of safety and community that they've never felt in any other social media space.

Creating a space where Black users, and in particular Black women and Black LBGT+ people feel safe is something that we are incredibly proud to have done. Our MVP app amassed hundreds of 5-star reviews and served as a safe space and sounding board for our base community. We get constant messages asking us to relaunch... so let's try this again and apply all that we learned.

What makes The Cookout different?

The Cookout is invitation only and every user is vetted. Users apply to be a part of the platform and are expected to follow the community standards of Afrocentricity, Accountability, and Authenticity. We're a community for real people and uplifting the voices of the everyday, average Black person. We aren't just an app, we're a community and a culture.

Why is The Cookout only open to Black people?

Because it's necessary. Many of the other platforms are not built by us, do not understand AAVE, and sometimes do not understand the ways that social issues and commentary affect the ways that Black users post, this community needs special consideration when it comes to making space for dialogue. Humanity can't be coded into artificial intelligence. The fact that Black users felt safe on The Cookout and nowhere else makes validates this fact.

Perhaps, one day, there will no longer be a need for this kind of space to exist. We are not there yet and are honored to provide this space until the world around us catches up. In the meantime, The Cookout will be the one oasis on the internet that is for us and by us and do the work to promote personal and professional growth among our membership.

The company does plan to create other apps for more communities to benefit from our mission and vision of creating digital safe spaces in the future.

Why should I support this venture?

You should support this venture if:

You're passionate about improving representation in tech, not just among employees of businesses, but also among OWNERSHIP of businesses.
You believe that Black people deserve safe space.
You want to support a project that already has proven and measurable social and cultural impact.

You should not support this venture if:

You've forgotten that current tech giants were not built in a day.
You do not understand or agree with the need for this venture
You prioritize profit over people and clout over culture.

Thank you for reading!

The Cookout

By Uppity Negress

The Cookout

Want That Old Thang Back? 👀

Team Members