Curly hair festival embraces blackness in Austin
The spicy smell of Jamaican curry was carried by the light breeze over a field of coils and curls on March 15. At the heart of Huston-Tillotson, a historically black college, the 2nd Annual Blossom & Sol Culture and Natural Hair Festival allowed a sense of acceptance and togetherness to bloom between a group of people often regarded as nonexistent in Austin.
Within a city that according to the census is 7.6 percent black, it’s easy to feel a sense of isolation, but this festival showed the strong presence of black culture here.
What creator Coco Bates thought would be a small gathering in the park became one of, if not the, largest natural hair festivals in Texas and brought hundreds of people together in a city sometimes regarded as segregated.
As the festival cleared out for the year, it is still possible to feel that same sense of black love in Austin. From art galleries and dance studios to a historic barbershop, here’s how to find the celebration of black culture that defined Blossom and Soul throughout the city.
Getting a feel for the Community
The curly hair festival debunked a myth that sometimes defines Austin — black people do exist here and they are thriving.
“With this being here it shows that we are evident we are a part of this too,” festival-goer Shellsy Malveaux said. “We are all one race and we need to learn how to be connected with one another and appreciate other cultures.”
About two miles away from downtown sits the culturally rich Central East Austin. Along with colorful murals the area is painted with history and the sights, tastes, and stories of Austin’s minority community.
The City of Austin forced black residents to live within the six-mile district in 1982. What started as a place for enforcing segregation became an area steeped in heritage and where black culture could thrive.
Perhaps one of the truest testaments to the neighborhood’s history is Victory Grill. Originally created as a place where black soldiers coming home from the war could enjoy a beer during segregation, the restaurant’s stage has hosted the likes of Billie Holiday and James Brown since 1945. While you can no longer grab a drink there, it’s worth stopping by to see one of the few remaining juke joints standing today.
Another historic staple is one of the few remaining black-owned businesses on 12th street, Marshall’s Barber Shop. This old-school establishment has provided the community with fresh cuts and memories for the past 30 years. Whether you need an edge up or are looking to get in heated sports debates, the black and white checkered floors remain open to everyone
Feel-Good Activities
As fingers worked tirelessly to transform curls into neat twists while a group of people took lessons set to the rhythm of pounding Afrobeat, festivalgoers were able to experience an event catered to African culture.
“We (get to) learn how to love each other, self-care, health and knowing it from our community and from the inside out because the best health is from the inside out,” attendee Kwaniqua Lewis said.
Whether that self-care means dancing the day away or having a pamper session, Austin offers a variety of ways to relieve tension.
Vickmay Skin and Spa is a black-owned boutique spa that provides massages service as well as facial peels, hot stone treatments, and body wraps for days you feel like relaxing while treating your skin. Pro tip: The prices here can be a bit steep, so check Groupon for some discounts.
For something a bit more active, Body Bloom ATX has dance lessons that boost confidence and mindfulness. Offering classes like Afro-Caribbean dance, Lily Shepard started these courses as a way of empowerment and bringing people throughout the community together. She also has danced with the Beyoncé, so it’s probably the closest you will ever get to Queen B.
Shopping
Festival founder Bates truly wanted to capture the importance of “circulating the black dollar” with her festival. With colorful bonnets and earrings crafted in the continent of Africa, Blossom and Sol was a place were black vendors could showcase their products.
In a city with over 6,000 black-owned businesses in Austin, according to the Bureau of Business Research Study, here’s a couple to check out for your next closet update.
Altatudes is a luxury boutique sewn in the heart of East Austin. Curated by Alta Y. Alexander, the first and only African-American to own an upscale womenswear boutique in Austin, the store sales unique locally and globally sourced products. The bright yellow boutique, a nod to the owner ’s alma mater Huston-Tillotson University, is hard to miss and once inside offers everything from Rebecca Taylor to hats made in Spain.
On the opposite end of Austin resides, the “sneaker social,” Kicking it ATX, aka a sneakerhead’s paradise. Seemingly endless walls are covered with a range of new kicks. This place is the first retail shoe and apparel store with a full-service bar in America as well as only black-owned space in the Domain.
Food for the Soul
As people snacked on strawberries covered in a sweet natural syrup and jerk chicken it was clear food was a star of the festival. Although Austin is mainly known for its barbecue, there are other cuisines bringing some flavor to the city.
With traditional dishes like beef patties and oxtails, Tony’s Jamaican food offers a wide variety of Jamaican cuisine. For vegetarian food options, head over to Sassy’s Vegetarian Soul Food which dishes veggie lovers a spin on soul food classics like chicken and waffles.
For something a little more traditional there’s the family-owned Country Boyz Fixins with daily lunch specials ranging from all-you-can-eat fried fish and chitterlings that smell like New Year’s Day in grandma’s kitchen.
Exploring the History
One of the defining features of the festival was its location at Hutson-Tillotson University. Established in 1875, the historically black college is the oldest higher education institution in Austin, Texas. With multiple beige buildings, it may not be the prettiest campus, but walking around gives a sense of pride for what was a symbol of hope during segregated times.
Once you’re tired of walking around the campus in the Texas heat, history-lovers can walk less than a mile to the George Washington Carver Museum, Cultural, and Genealogy Center which pays homage to African-American culture and features galleries, a theater, dance studio, museum store, and library.
The heart of the center is the Juneteenth Exhibit. Made up of five bronze figures, the permanent exhibit provides information about Texas’ role in the Civil War and the struggle for freedom long after the Emancipation Proclamation.
What started as a curly hair festival became a moment where people of varying backgrounds of African descent could come together and feel celebrated. It was almost enough to make you forget Austin was the only major city whose overall population was growing, while the number of African-Americans was declining, according to research by the University of Texas.
Prior to the event, some festivalgoers did not know so many black vendors or people who looked like them existed here. The city is, however, rich with black culture and history, if you know where to look.
“We can support our own, and that’s something we should really realize,” Bates said. “I always tell people that black people, in a nutshell, we are so talented alone. We don’t need to go outside of the community for anything.
When asked what she hopes people gain from this experience Bates instantly broke into a smile a simply stated “love.”
After laughing at herself and calling that a cliché, she said she hoped people gain “a sense of community, a higher sense of purpose, and maybe they leave here and have a greater knowledge of themselves and self-worth.”
Love. Although it may have sounded cliché to Bates, it was the heart of Blossom and Sol and the reason people should seek out different communities within Austin.
“With us learning more about ourselves, we are able to invite other cultures in to love them because if we can’t love our own selves then we can’t love anyone else,” festival attendee Lewis said.
