Events

UPCOMING EVENTS

LOCnificent Fest 6.0 – Thursday, October 3rd and Sunday, October 6, 2024

LOCnificent Fest is back, with its 6th edition, and bigger than ever! This year, we’re expanding to a two-day event featuring our first panel discussion mixer. Join us for LOCnificent Fest 6.0 as we explore the “Diaspora Connections” theme, celebrating the global beauty of Blackness through locs and natural hair. From Africa to the Americas, we’re connecting cultures!

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3RD – LOCnificent Fest 6.0 – Panel Discussion Mixer

LOCATION: Fetes de Fleur, 110 Rogers Avenue, Brooklyn

A mixer event that promotes networking, dialogue and community, featuring a panel discussion titled “Pathway to Our Roots and HAIRitage: Bridging the Gap Between Black Naturals Across the African Diaspora.” We will spotlight the cultural significance of natural hair and locs, explore the shared and distinct histories and experiences of people of African descent, and promote cultural understanding and appreciation. Ticket is inclusive of drinks and music.

Moderator: Dr. Tsedale Melaku – Sociologist, Assistant Professor of Management at the Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College (CUNY), and author of You Don’t Look Like a Lawyer: Black Women and Systemic Gendered Racism. Scholarly focus on race, gender, class, workplace inequities, intersectionality, and allyship.

Panelist: Dr. Ayo Sekai, Ph.D. , who has worked to advance outcomes for education and business through academic research, federal leadership, and scholarly publications. She is a publisher of the only Black-owned, woman-owned, and doctor-owned social science press focused on peer-reviewed works by Black scholars – UWP Books.

Panelist: Taliah Waajid, the Founder of Taliah Waajid Brand, World Natural Hair Show, and Uncle Jimmy Products. She is a Master Stylist and Master Cosmetologist who created her own Natural Haircare startup at age 14 and established the first complete line of natural, chemical-free hair care products.

Panelist: Zenda Walker, an award-winning author, celebrity hair stylist, and inclusion strategist with a consulting business, Know Your Hairitage LLC, that fosters inclusivity and belonging by amplifying hairitage stories. Her book “Zara’s Wash Day,” launched June 4, 2024 and will be followed by the second book in the Know Your Hairitage series, “Zion’s Crown,” on September 10, 2024.

Panelist: Crystal S. Roman, is Founder, CEO, Head Writer & Producer of the Black Latina Movement. The Black Latina Movement is a vibrant grassroot theater and film production company in New York City. It creates a place for women that are multicultural, multiracial and all the intersectionalities that most women of color represent but lack representation in media.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6TH – LOCnificent Fest 6.0 – Diaspora Connections

LOCATION: Crown Hill Theatre, 746-750 Nostrand Avenue, Brooklyn

A annual day party, with a festival flair, aimed at celebrating locs, natural hair, and diaspora culture, challenging stereotypes, and promoting unity. Come experience: