Will Packer was recently honored by the National Black Arts Festival with the “Trailblazer In The Arts Award.”
The fundraising “Gala- Mahogany: A Celebration of Black Arts,” was a night of celebrating Black artistic excellence. It also featured dinner curated by celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson.
During his acceptance speech, Packer shared his story of moving to Atlanta and following his dreams.
“I moved to Atlanta straight out of FAMU,” Packer said. “My brother Rob Hardy and I had a U-haul truck. We had $257 and we had a dream and Atlanta was the place where our dream came to thrive. Atlanta is the place where your dreams can come true. And I will say that if I’m in this room, I will say that if I’m in another room in this country. I’ll say it in any room around the world because it’s the truth. And Atlanta has been a foundation for me. It allows me to thrive in the way that I am thriving in my career.”
Packer continued by discussing the importance of art. “We live in a very polarizing time right now,” he said. “We live in a time where you have to pick a side. You got to pick an ideology. You got to pick a political affiliation. We hate our neighbors. When we don’t even know why we hate. We are so divided right now. You know art has the power to connect people. It has the power to change perspectives. Art allows us to see the world through somebody else’s prism. Art allows us and brings us into worlds that we otherwise would not even know exist. And that’s why the work of this foundation is so vitally important.
Packer wrapped his speech by discussing NBAF and why attendees of the event should continue to give back to the foundation.
“Each and every one of you that are here are supporting this organization,” he said. “You’re supporting the mission of what these fine folks are doing. I’m so honored to be chosen this year to be a part of this. I want it to continue. I will do my part to help it continue and I want everybody in this room to know that when you are supporting art, you are supporting humanity. You are supporting the future. We need it to survive.”
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