Solonje Burnett: Co-Founder of Humble Bloom talks humanizing experiences with cannabis, going beyond social justice awareness, and creating inclusive brands and businesses from the start

Today I'm chatting with Solonje Burnett, Co-Founder of Humble Bloom, a Brooklyn-based boutique firm that is focused on humanizing experiences with cannabis. Solonje is a cannavist and people advocate at Humble Bloom where it is her mission to give the underrepresented a seat at the table in the cannabis industry. She believes that we can shatter stereotypes and poor business practices through culture curation and by providing the industry with more access to strategic branding, advocacy and inclusive community experiences. As a culture consultant, she creates innovative workplace conferences, designs and implements D&I plans, as well as forges partnerships for agencies. Clients include Databricks, Working Mother Media, BetterCloud, and Koya Leadership Partners.

Solonje produces events and festivals for conscious companies, hosts nightlife parties, as well as programs music at membership clubs. Afropunk, Summit Series, Le Bain at the Standard Hotel, Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund and Soho House are among those she has worked for.

Prior to launching her consultancy, she executive produced Life@Work at Live Grey and focused on their inclusion strategy. Additionally, she represented Live Grey on Pineapple Co’s D&I committee. She launched Den Entertainment in 2012, a boutique firm specializing in culture curation, immersive pop-ups, and artist management/promotion. Her focus: creating community for diverse artists.

Solonje is a political activist speaking out on equality and human justice. She is a singer and performs with the Resistance Revival Chorus – born out of the Women’s March.

In our chat, Solonje and I dig into: Her previous work for non-profit organizations, creating multi-cultural music events, and consulting on diversity and inclusion; Humble Bloom's work creating educational and advocacy based experiences, while also elevating brands with integrity through partnerships and activations; How brands can move from just talking about social justice awareness, to actually taking action; Why the white-washing of culture in cities and unconscious/unsustainable consumerism is an ever growing problem; How Humble Bloom is using its platform to disrupt, collaborate and connect via content generation, innovative events, brand strategy and community to help move the cannabis industry forward; The amazing events Humble Bloom has going on in April that you don't want to miss; And more!

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Humble Bloom April Events

Pushing Equity Day One in NY | https://humblebloom.co/take-action

The time is NOW to fight for economic equity, equal access, integrity and preservation of the plant as we build the foundation of the industry here in our state.

Learning from the missteps of those who’ve legalized before us — Together we can craft NY cannabis culture so humanity is baked into the core. We have a chance to do better. Let’s repair and reverse the fear and propaganda based unjust incarcerations to rebuild traumatized communities. Let’s help our government leaders understand we can lead the charge in innovative farming practices to quell environmental damage. Let’s make New York cannabis for New Yorkers, instead of selling out to outside corporate interest which takes money away from improving our state for all and puts it into the pockets of a few.

Saturday, April 20th from 8-11:30pm | Full Spectrum | Deck
Launch/brand activation for a new CBD product called New Highs. This luxe, clean, beautifully designed product is the baby of Sarah Remesch.

"Full Spectrum" at The William Vale will engage attendees through touch, taste, listen, sight and smell.  Providing a full spectrum experience for your senses with all things that flower, heal and tantalize. Together we will create and explore as while immersed in music, movement, presentation, workshops and video mapping. Taking away both physical and intellectual to share at home and beyond.

Thursday, April 25th 7-10pm | Cannabis as an Agricultural Crop: Impact and OpportunitiesTaking place at the Assemblage Nomad, the event will be centered around cannabis as a high-value agro-industrial system with the combination of capital, technology and growers committed to a sustainable production in a way that has never existed in the environmental field before (ie. legalization and regulatory regimes, energy, sustainability and solutions).

Friday, April 26th - Sunday, April 28th from 10am-4pm | Tribeca Film Festival x WanderLuxxe | Deck
Wanderluxxe is a luxury membership travel and concierge service that will be returning to the Tribeca Film Festival for the third year in a row with a three-day event series from April 26-28.

The WanderLuxxe Lounge will host film premiere after parties, CBD/wellness experiences by Humble Bloom, and mix and mingle events all located in the heart of Tribeca at American Cut.  Talent that have visited WanderLuxxe's activations in the past include Common, John Legend, Sarah Silverman, Idris Elba, Taraji P. Henson, Anne Heche, Armie Hammer, Lakeith Stanfield, Storm Reid, David Oyelowo, Nicolas Cage, Spike Lee and many more.