illi News - The Evolution of the BDCV Platform: Empowering Mental Health & Wellness

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Semaj Brown's Black Dandelion Convergent Voice™ (BDCV) Platform evolves to support the mental health and wellness of both the young and the young at heart.

FLINT, Mich. - illiNews -- Mention the phrase Black Dandelion around any educator in and around the vicinity of Flint, Michigan, and immediately they will begin to tell you all about Flint Poet Laureate Semaj Brown, and her Black Dandelion Convergent Voice™ (BDCV) platform. They will proudly tell anyone who will listen of the success of the Black Dandelion: Convergent Voice™ City of Flint Flint Literacy Week during the month of April, National Poetry Month, and the impact the integrative educational platform has made on its students.

The Black Dandelion Convergent Voice™ (BDCV) is a uniquely integrative education platform known for its ability to evolve and serve diverse purposes. Since its inception in 2022, BDCV has expanded literacy from Flint, Michigan to Togo, West Africa, impacting communities across multiple U.S. states along the way.

In 2024, mental health professionals and social workers from Children and Family Services of Contra Costa County adopted the BDCV platform for use in their mental health and wellness practices. Their powerful experiences were documented and shared widely with peers, sparking further interest in the platform's creative and therapeutic potential.

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Inspired by the writings and artistic expressions that emerged from this work, Semaj Brown introduces the Microscopic Intelligence Series, the latest evolution of BDCV. This new initiative begins with a special cohort: women over 60 from the African American Art Collective, Saving Our Lives Hear Our Truths (SOLHOT 60+)—a group deeply committed to self-care and mental well-being.

Workshop Details
Facilitator: Semaj Brown
Date: Tuesday, July 29, 2025
Time: 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Schedule:
▪9:30 a.m. -12:25 p.m: Flint Institute of Arts Art School -Sheppey Dog Room
▪12:25 p.m. – 1:25 p.m: Lunch (on your own)
▪1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.: Gloria Coles Library – Harris Room, 2nd Floor

This important work is SPONSORED BY: Financial Plus Credit Union, Valley Area Agency on Aging, and Genesee Health System

To learn more about the Black Dandelion Convergent Voice™ or the Microscopic Intelligence Wellness & Healing Series, or to contribute financially to these groundbreaking efforts, email: contact@semajbrown.com. Website: https://www.bdcvliteracyweek.com Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEh4fI2PM-U&t=1601s

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About Semaj Brown: She is Flint, Michigan's inaugural Poet Laureate and the recipient of the Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship Award, 2021. Semaj was Visiting Artist/Educator/Editor at The Flint Institute of Arts, Art School, 2023. She is the recipient of the 2024 Poetry Foundation Poetry Programs, Partnerships and Innovation Grant. In 2025, the recipient of the Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative Grant for Black Dandelion. April 7th was named Semaj Brown Day by the City of Flint. Brown is also an award-winning educator and author of the book, Bleeding Fire! Tap the Eternal Spring of Regenerative Light, Broadside Lotus Press. An excerpted recording of Brown reading her poem, Black Dandelion is highlighted in the national AT&T Dream in Black, Black Future Makers Afrofuturistic Lifestyle television commercial.