Last month, Play Cousins Collective hosted a back-to-school carnival at its headquarters on West Broadway. Children made crafts, played games and won prizes.
“I feel so good!” declared five-year-old Zoey Williams as she glued a cut-out purple balloon to red construction paper.
“You’re doing great,” agreed Play Cousins employee Raven Worrall.
Time to decorate. As Zoey sketched her mother, Worrall told her that they had the same beautiful hair.
“Yes, brown. Just like… my skin,” said Zoey.
“Nice brown,” Worrall added.
Through hands-on activities like these, the Play Cousins Collective helps black children celebrate their identity and build self-confidence.
Zoey’s mother, Tylar Johnson, first brought her daughter to Play Cousins when she was a toddler.
“Play Cousins is like my community,” Johnson said. “And that’s what I want her to have, too, to have a community – you know, a consistent community – that she can always count on.”
The Play Cousins Collective works to build a community of black families in Louisville, with the elders caring for the next generation. They offer free educational programs, parent support groups, and other resources. The group’s name means extended kinship.
“So if you go to West Africa now, you’ll see people calling aunt and uncle. That’s not their real aunt or uncle, right? That’s extended family,” explained Kristen Williams, founder of Play Cousins. “That’s a method of healing and resilience that has crossed the ocean and still exists today.”
Helping children celebrate their identity and build self-confidence
Play Cousins encourages black children to see themselves as the main characters in their own lives. That’s important, Williams says, because society teaches black children to see themselves as “other.”
“If you don’t actively challenge that, they’ll realize that you’re the buddy or the comedian. Or that you’re the source of entertainment, you’re the athlete,” she said.
Zion Smith sits on the Louisville Metro Youth Cabinet. He said that as a black boy growing up here, he often felt like he was being pigeonholed, like people were trying to pigeonhole him.
“Everyone is different and everyone has the right to decide what they want to do and how they want to think,” he said. “I don’t want stereotypes to dictate what I will be when I get older and I’m really pursuing my dreams.”
According to Williams, black children are constantly told to be smaller and quieter – to keep still. Play Cousins’ program goes against that.
“And then when they step into a place where they can make a big impact or have their voice heard, sometimes they don’t know what to do,” she said. “Someone asks them, ‘What do you think about this?’ It’s so powerful. And it’s something that stays with them.”
Seven-year-old Eliana Davis and her siblings attend Play Cousins’ Mizizi after-school program. She and her brother Micaiah said they have fun there and learn about their black ancestors.
Eliana recently gave a speech at the opening ceremony of Sankofa Sanctuary, a Community playground The game “Cousins” was developed in Chickasaw Park.
“Mizizi has given me the opportunity to dream about the world I want to live in,” she said. “A place where I can be a kid. A place where I can get dirty and be loud and have fun with my friends.”
Eliana’s mother, Danika Davis, is also involved with Play Cousins.
“I saw how rewarding it was for my kids and I just wanted to be a part of it,” Davis said. “It’s something that appeals to me. I see it doing a lot of good in our community and for our people.”
Many families first come into contact with Play Cousins when the group hosts Play and Learn Labs at community events. According to the annual report, over 1,700 people participated last year.
Children work with Black educators and may read books with diverse characters or listen to music with affirmations like “I love my hair, I love my skin, I love my life.”
Albert Shumake appreciates how Play Cousins’ programs teach his daughter Ella about her cultural heritage.
“The Play Cousins give her the courage and strength to be really confident,” he said. “And just understanding her size helps her create a place for herself wherever she goes.”
Breaking down barriers through free therapy
The goal of Play Cousins is to provide paths to healing for black families.
Louisville City Council Investigations shows that blacks generally have a lower life expectancy than other residents of Jefferson County.
“We’re really thinking about the culture of white supremacy and trying to respond to it with traditional methods of healing and resilience,” Williams said.
She said they measure their success by counting the number of participants in their programs and collecting feedback through surveys and testimonials, among other things. They develop new programs based on what families tell them are their needs.
Play Cousins also aims to reduce the stigma within the black community related to seeking mental health support. A program called Keep space offers free therapy for children and adults – up to 12 sessions per person. Black therapists meet clients at Play Cousins headquarters.
Williams said it took some time to get this initiative off the ground.
“It was a difficult start because you have to build trust within the community,” she said. “But the more word gets out, the more people – whole families and children – are being supported through Holding Space.”
Mahogany Livers is the impact and operations manager at Play Cousins. She said they realized that simply sharing information about mental health providers wasn’t enough because so many families face barriers.
“They get in trouble because they don’t accept clients, they don’t accept their insurance, or they don’t get a call back when they call and ask,” she explained. “And that reinforces the stigma that hinders access to quality mental health services.”
According to Play Cousins’ latest annual report, 114 people participated in Holding Space therapy sessions last year.
Sharing knowledge and resources
As they continue to grow, funding is the biggest challenge, Williams said. To expand their resources, Play Cousins is partnering with other groups. But Williams said they are prudent in choosing their partners and turn down offers from organizations that harm black families. They want all of their partnerships to be based on respect.
“And even challenge the concept of philanthropy that you have to come and save me. But what does it look like if we have a real partnership?” Williams said. “What can I teach you? What can you teach me? How can we share information with each other in a way that feels equitable and like family?”
Sharing knowledge is an essential part of the Play Cousins ethos. So is sharing resources. This summer, Play Cousins has joined forces with the group Black Soil, Kentucky to provide free groceries to families in four zip code areas in west Louisville: 40203, 40210, 40211 and 40212.
Elgina Bullock-Smith, Play Cousins’ director of community medicine, said the products all come fresh from a black-owned farm in Kentucky.
“We actually see these families come and pick up these products, and that makes a difference in what ends up on their tables for dinner tonight,” she said.
Play Cousins’ relationship with a family could start with a bag of vegetables and develop from there.
“This is the village. And for those who need us, we play aunts, elders, cousins and uncles,” she said. “Everyone has their role.”
This report was supported by a grant from Solutions Journalism Network.
