Featuring sounds by DJ Kream and with Tayleur Crenshaw of Gold Beams as co-MC for the People’s Mic, The Freedom Function draws inspiration from historic rent parties and the enduring power of gathering.

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Come ready to jump into spades, UNO, and dominoes, test your knowledge with Black trivia, and move through a night shaped by music, conversation, and collective energy. Centered around the prompt, “What does it take to get free?”, participants can jump on the People’s Mic to share poems, passages, thoughts, stories, songs, or special messages with the community.

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Guests can also enjoy soul food, wine, and a signature cocktail served in keeping with the Juneteenth tradition of the “red drink.” In the spirit of collective support, suggested donations of $5 at the door are welcomed and will go directly toward cash prizes for the winners of each game.

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Whether you’re here to play (compete), vibe, or simply be in community, The Freedom Function centers joy as a practice and freedom as something we create together.

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Guests are encouraged (but not required) to wear red in honor of Juneteenth—a visual tribute to resilience, remembrance, and celebration.

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Come through, bring your people, and take part in an evening of culture, connection, and play.

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About Gold Beams

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Well-known for its Apollo-style Second Mondays Open Mic, Gold Beams produces events for Black people, culture, and creatives. Our mission is to support black creatives making art and to produce experiences that you'll talk about for the rest of your life. Learn more on their website.

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Tayleur Crenshaw

Hailing from Westchester, New York, Tayleur is an event producer, Howard University alumna, poet, and founder of Gold Beams.

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She began her career working in marketing at AARP, Gap, and Banana Republic. Tayleur taught spoken word at the Oakland School for the Arts, worked on the event production teams at the Oakland Museum of California and the Ruth Williams Opera House, and is currently a Live Events Producer at KQED.

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Tessie McCoy

Tessie McCoy is a writer, director, filmmaker, and spoken word artist born in Sumter, South Carolina. Her work explores grief, faith, mental health, and the interior lives of Black families. As Production Manager for Gold Beams, she helps to bring events to life for artists and community alike. Her debut short film, Cracks in the Foundation, won Best Original Screenwriting at the SF Indie Short Fest.

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DJ Kream

DJ Kream is a global community organizer, event producer, creative, and Oakland, California native who is making waves and breaking boundaries with her signature genre-bending DJ style. In 2016, Kream co-founded the Oakland-based entertainment company Oakhella, where she also made her DJ debut curating tunes at the inaugural festival. Since 2016, Oakhella has grown from a music festival to full scale entertainment company marketing, curating, and producing events for clients like Golden Voice, Black Joy Parade, REI, The Oakland Museum of California, The Battery Club (SF), The Life is Living Festival, and many more.

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Since making her debut, DJ Kream has curated the vibes at music festivals, nightclubs, weddings, day parties, brunches, drag shows, corporate events, and spaces coast to coast, from Portland to NYC to Mexico City.

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DJ Kream’s resume includes sharing marquees with legends old and new like Black Coffee, Moodymann, T-Pain, Sean Paul, Joe Kay, Channel Tres, Cypress Hill, 112, Next, Sango, Durand Bernarr, TXC, Kevin Saunderson, Carl Cox, and Coco & Breezy.