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Fros, Fashions & Finds
The Juneteenth Dashiki Block
Party
By Megan Davis
The Truth Contributor
Rain was
in the forecast but it didn’t overshadow the shine of the
entrepreneurs and guests who participated in and attended
the Juneteenth Dashiki Block Party.
On June
15, the community came together to celebrate Juneteenth, the
official Independence Day for African Americans. This
independence was more than about marking the end of
slavery,it also liberated people to curate their own
careers, whether by pursuing literacy or by establishing
businesses of their own to serve their communities. This new
freedom enabled free men to acquire land once owned by
slaveowners and to even participate in the political
process.
Today, the
spirit of liberty, education and commerce is strong in
Toledo’s black community. This was evident as 20 black-owned
small businesses set up mobile boutiques, galleries and
concessions at Powell’s Beauty and Barber Supply, located at
the corner of Nebraska Avenue and Miller Street.
The
sidewalks were lined with tents as vendors came prepared,
rain or shine, to present their goods and services to the
community in this one day event. On the upper level of
Powell’s building, additional vendors were set up with their
displays and staff ready to serve new and returning
customers.
These
businesses were family owned – parents and their children
and husbands and wives were managing all aspects of each
business from customer engagement to suggesting merchandise
and completing sales. These are the businesses that build
families and provide a legacy for the next generation to
grow and build upon. A legacy that the Powell family has
exemplified for over 50 years.
There
can’t be a block party without a dope soundtrack to shop to,
so DJ Miss T was spinning neo soul, R & B and new trends in
black music throughout the day from Jill Scott to Lil Nas
and everything in between along with karaoke that brave
souls signed up to sing to.
Throughout
the event, over 100 guests pulled up, donning vibrant
Dashikis, including Kente and Ankara abstract prints. Men
and women with bold natural hairstyles such as Afros, locs,
braids and gorgeous headwraps, some of which were wrapped by
Meeche El, creator of Otswanii who also adorned children
with tribal face paint; made for a day of connecting and
embracing blackness in all of its glory.
Michal
Hamilton, owner of Michal T. Productions, LLC was a part of
the block party, transforming the main entrance to Powells
into a dance floor with his dance partner Amanda, bringing
Latin Soul flavor with a salsa demonstration, followed by a
group lesson for guests, despite the rain that arrived in
the mid afternoon. He is an instructor at the Azuca Social
in Maumee, as well as offering salsa, Bachata and Kizomba
classes throughout the region.
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