ABOUT THE BLAKK CO.
The City Feels Different When You Find Your People.™
More Than a Social Club. Born in Kansas City in 2020, The Blakk Co. has evolved from a Gentlemen’s Club into a social community and now, Blakk City. Our journey reflects a simple belief: meaningful spaces matter. Blakk City honors the legacy of Black Kansas City, Black Culture and Black Social Spaces while creating a new destination for connection, culture, opportunity and belonging
The idea for The Blakk Co. was born during a defining moment in 2020. In the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd and the worldwide call for racial justice, we recognized something our community needed more of spaces where Black people could gather, connect, have difficult conversations, celebrate one another, and simply belong.
Founded in Kansas City in August 2020, The Blakk Co. began as a Gentlemen's Club centered on brotherhood, conversation, and connection. But as our community grew, so did our understanding of what we were building.
The need was bigger than us. And the vision had to become bigger, too.
In 2022, we evolved into a Social Club, opening our community to a broader audience and creating experiences centered around culture, business, entertainment, and meaningful connection. What began as a place to gather was becoming something much more a place where relationships were formed, businesses were supported, ideas were exchanged and people found community.
By 2025, one simple belief had come to define everything we had learned:
The City Feels Different When You Find Your People.™
Today, that belief has become both our philosophy and our purpose as The Blakk Co. has entered its next chapter with Blakk City ™, a first-of-its-kind, city-themed social experience in Kansas City designed around the places and traditions that have long brought Black communities together.
Through our Business, Social and Entertainment Districts, Blakk City pays homage to the cultural significance of Black social spaces from the front porch, family reunion, barbershop and beauty salon to Black-owned businesses, music, storytelling and nightlife while reimagining what those spaces can become for a new generation.
This evolution isn't about leaving the Social Club behind. It's about preserving it.
Black social spaces have historically given our communities places to organize, celebrate, create, network, build businesses, exchange ideas and experience belonging. The Blakk Co. exists to honor that legacy while creating new spaces where Communities of Color can connect, grow and thrive.
And our story is still being written.
Whether you become a Resident or visit the City for the day, you're invited to explore the neighborhoods, experience the culture, support Black business, make new memories and perhaps find people who change the way you experience your city.
Become a Resident. Visit the City. Come find your people.
Meet Our Founders
Founded by visionaries Christina Williams and Dr. Tamela Ross, The Blakk Co. was born from a shared passion for creating spaces where Black and Brown communities could connect, belong and thrive.
Williams brings a background in entrepreneurship, business, and cosmetology, while Ross brings a legacy of community service, wellness, and mental health advocacy.
Together, their distinct strengths have shaped The Blakk Co. from its beginnings in 2020 into what is now Blakk City, an immersive social experience centered on culture, business, entertainment, and community.
Their commitment remains rooted in the purpose that started it all: creating intentional spaces that UPLIFT. EMPOWER. ENCOURAGE.
Today, they continue building a City where culture is celebrated, relationships are strengthened, opportunities are created, and people can find their people.
The Blakk Co. Declaration
We are powerful, a community shaped by our differences, strengthened by our shared experiences, and connected by a culture that has always known how to create something from what we were given.
We know our worth. We are leaders, creators, builders, protectors, and visionaries, honoring the legacy behind us while creating what comes next.
We belong wherever our gifts can grow. Where our voices can be heard. Where our businesses can thrive. Where our culture can be celebrated. Where our stories can be preserved. Where our joy can be unapologetic and nd where our people can find one another.
We exude excellence, We are BLAKK
THE LEGACY OF BLACK SOCIAL CLUBS
For generations, Black social clubs have been more than places to gather.
They created spaces where Black people could connect, celebrate, organize, advocate and belong during times when many doors were closed to us. In Kansas City, clubs such as the Beau Brummel, Saturday Night 16, Kansas Citians and Twin Citians brought Black communities from both Missouri and Kansas together through friendship, social events, service and civic engagement.
Their influence extended beyond entertainment these spaces helped strengthen community and, in some cases, became part of Kansas City’s fight for greater equality.
That legacy is part of the foundation of The Blakk Co.What began in 2020 as our own Social Club has now evolved into Blakk City, a modern interpretation of the spaces our community has always created for ourselves.
Here, the spirit of the social club lives throughout the City: in the conversations, the music, the businesses we support, the stories we preserve, the experiences we share and the relationships we build.
We aren't simply remembering the spaces that came before us. We're building the next one.
THE LEGACY CONTINUES HERE.