When George Floyd was murdered in 2020, Erwin Hines was working for a creative agency. Floyd's death caused Hines to start rethinking the world around him and the context in which he lived.
He wasn't happy with the resources available to Black people for liberation and community, so he started making clothing with messages surrounding those ideas. After selling 5,000 units, he made the decision to leave his job and go full-force into his company, Future Is Color.
“Future Is Color literally is a reflection of my growth, my healing and my deep diving into the lineage of liberation work that Black folk have been doing since the founding of this country,” Hines said.
Hines grew up with both his parents and grandparents running businesses, which gave him the foundation for creating his own.
“They're (his family) building ecosystems of care around these communities and helping people take care of their homes,” Hines said. “Going down there every single weekend wasn't a burden as much as it was me beginning to see the direct impact of the things that we create and of the things we put out.”
Future Is Color has evolved into multiple events that foster connection, such as If You See Me You See Me, Jazz Night, NO RSVP and the The Listening Room. Each year there's a different focus. This year’s theme is “being together is the practice.”
“And then the music element was just based on the fact that music is one of the things throughout every single liberation movement that was always there,” Hines said. “It wasn't just background noise or background music, but it was a foundational element.”
Aladrian Goods is the host of The Listening Room, a gathering created by Future Is Color.
The Listening Room is a space dedicated to the practice of deep listening, using vinyl as a starting point.
“We're really intentional about framing the conversation to a theme that is connected to collective liberation in a way that gives people the experience of feeling a little more free in their day-to-day, but also feeling more connected to the community here in San Diego,” Goods said.
The Listening Room is different from the other Future Is Color events because it’s not just about the music.
“I think the opportunity we have here is to think about the context in which this record was created. Think about the themes the artists were exploring in their own work and then connect it to the larger overarching theme that Future Is Color has,” Goods said.
Each Listening Room is limited to 30 to 40 people in its usual space in Barrio Logan, next to Chicano Park.
“So, I think if I can champion listening, you know, even in a three-hour-a-week or every-two-weeks space, then hopefully that trickles out and inspires more people to be more intentional about how they listen and connect with each other,” Goods said.
While hosting the event, Goods prioritizes the experience of the people in the room.
“I also try to role-model the vulnerability,” Goods said. “This conversation is more human and nuanced. And I think anyone who brings their story is a great contribution to The Listening Room.”
Some people leave The Listening Room with questions that don’t come until days later. Goods created a journal to give them a place to keep exploring the music and perhaps create their own listening room.
“All the intention we put into holding this space on Tuesday nights, we put into the journal as well,” Goods said. “So, it allows us to scale beyond Barrio Logan (and) into the world.”
For Goods, The Listening Room is also a tribute to her grandparents, who both loved music.
“I end every Listening Room with the quote that my grandmother used to say is 'Thanks for your time. That's all of my time.'”
