"Insecure" aired on HBO in 2016, following Issa Dee, a young Black woman working at a nonprofit trying to make change for her community.
But she's stuck. The nonprofit isn't creating the change that she had hoped for. By the second season of the show, she decides to throw a block party of her own to create a space for people of color.
That fictional block party is what inspired local artists Hailey Dukart and Sharly Scannell to create something similar — but this time it would happen in Tucson.
Come noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 26, the friends will host the Blk House Mrkt, a day party supporting the Black community at Z Street International Marketplace, 2731 E. Broadway. Expect music and games, plus food and drinks from the onsite Zerai's and Zemam's. More than a dozen Black-owned businesses will also set up shop.
The Blk House Mrkt is meant to be a space for Black businesses and community members to connect.
Ultimately, the women hope Blk House Mrkt will be a safe space for Tucson's Black community to gather, connect and network.
"I grew up here and I did not get to see that representation and it became really apparent when I moved away to Atlanta and came back," Dukart says. "I was like, I don't really feel seen and I don't really have a safe space for us to really exist."
"It's important for my kids to see other Black kids and creatives and entrepreneurs interacting," Scannell says. "It's important for my kids and the community as a whole. I was always saying I'm going to move back to South Carolina and raise my kids. Now I'm realizing my roots are getting deeper in Tucson, so am I going to complain about the lack of community (or am I going to do something about it)? This is a way for us to say we're here."
Hailey Dukart is one of the creators behind the Blk House Mrkt.
Both women applaud organizations like the African American Student Affairs (AASA) and the Black Student Union on the University of Arizona campus, plus the work of Blax Friday and their monthly Soul Food Wednesday events that serve as a gathering point for Black community members and businesses. Blk House Mrkt gives Tucsonans one more opportunity to feel included.
"It's good that AASA has created that community on campus, but we need those Black doctors, lawyers, engineers and teachers to stay in Tucson and make family in Tucson," Scannell says. "The only way they know community is here is through events like this."
Blk House Mrkt will promote a lineup of Black-owned businesses, from dessert-scented candles to handmade jewelry to safety-centric keychains.
"We're offering another platform, another opportunity, for Black-owned businesses to gain clients and show off what their services or products are. It's an extra opportunity for them to network and take advantage of the space," Scannell says. "When I go to other markets, sometimes it's harder for these Black-owned businesses to get into the markets because they don't have a website or their Instagram isn't popping off of they don't have the money to pay for markets like that. We make it easier and more accessible to help build their brand when they're starting off."
Sharly Scannell, also known as Clever Stitches, is one of the creators behind the Blk House Mrkt.
While vendors are an important addition to the event, Blk House Mrkt is more than a market. It's meant to be a third space — a community built outside your home and workplace, one where you're able to connect and gather in a welcoming atmosphere to reduce any feelings of isolation. A third space is something both Scannell and Dukart have had trouble finding for themselves.
But this isn't their first rodeo. Their initiative started as the Making Black History Market in 2023, then with the help of local artist Cyn McManus, and blossomed into three individual markets since then.
But this year, a rebrand came into the picture for Scannell and Dukart. The new name includes the word "house" because they both want the event to feel like a place you can call home.
"We wanted to be more intentional and really elevate and go bigger with our events. We didn't just want to be another market. We really wanted to lean into that third space," Dukart says.
Among the festivities are two DJs, Mother Tierra and Menopause the DJ, slated to play Afrobeats and Afro house music. There will be ping pong, corn hole and giant Jenga, plus a raffle for gift cards to The Coronet. Fraqtals Print Pods will do live screen-printing, and Blk House Mrkt will give away 100 shirts.
"I want to decentralize the idea that you have to spend money to be part of community," Dukart says. "We want to create something that's not centered around spending money. You can just come and there will be things you can do."
Blk House Mrkt is a “third space” — a community built outside of home and workplace — where the community can connect, all while enjoying food, music and games.
Just as Blk House Mrkt is about supporting the community, Scannell and Dukart also sought help from local businesses and organizations to become sponsors to make the party possible.
"We are honored to be the home of the Blk House Mrkt," Z Street International Marketplace said in a statement. "Z Street was born from a vision where family meets community and this event is exactly that. Tucson is full of beautiful and creative people and we can't wait to see you at the magic that is Blk House Mrkt."
Like past events that Dukart and Scannell have hosted, they've selected a nonprofit to support. This time around it's Hattie B. Black Women In Progress, whose mission is to add value to the Black community through workshops, services and summer camps.
In the future, the duo hopes to curate more immersive experiences, including an actual block party planned for the holidays this year.
"I don't want to go to Phoenix to go to these amazing events; I want them to be here," Scannell says.
