Saturday I hosted a meetup for naturals in Chicago — and it was AWESOME! I was amazed at how much support it got from women in Chicago. From radio DJs who previewed the event to entertainment bloggers who posted about it to everyday women who distributed the flyer to their circle of friends. It was just beautiful to see so many women unify.
And the impact was evident! About 200 people attended the meetup Saturday. Two hundred! And this on a day when two other major festivals – Chicago Pride and the Taste of Chicago – were going on.
One older natural told me she came because she was sitting in a coffee shop a few blocks away and kept seeing natural women pass by the window. Finally she stepped out to ask one where she was going. “I haven’t seen this many naturals in a room since 1967,” she told me. Um, THAT was definitely the quote of the day!!
I took all the feedback from the last meetup to make this one a little better. We rented out a larger space (even though at certain points it still wasn’t enough!) and started things off with a haircare discussion. New naturals threw out their questions, while older naturals replied with great advice. The hour-long discussion ended with the product swap… which was BANANAS. Miss Jessie’s, Yes to Carrots, Aubrey Organics, Organix and other amazing brands were on the table. A couple times I caught two hands reaching for the same bottle! Luckily the participants were gracious and demure and didn’t fight over anything :)
After the discussion there was an open time for vending. There are SOOO many talented naturals in Chicago and I wanted to give them a chance to present their wares. Urban bellydancing company HipQuake (headed up by a natural with one of the BADDEST curly fros I’ve seen!) did a demonstration in the afternoon. According to my fiance (who photographed the whole thing), one of the HipQuake instructors said (and I’m paraphrasing), “Since there aren’t any little kids around, Imma feel free to be myself. These moves are gonna make somebody happy tonight.” BIG Lol!
I’m super tired, so I’m declaring this my last discussion/vending meetup for the summer. But we are gearing up for the Fall. I can’t end this post without shouting out Erin and Shari, who designed flyers, paid for costs out-of-pocket and generally kept things moving. I’m taking a blogcation today… but here are a few pictures for you to enjoy :)
~Leila
P.S. — If you’d like to stay updated on future events, join our Chicago mailing list. Just email blackgirllonghair@gmail.com and put “mailing list” in the subject line.
Women file in at the beginning of the day…
Discussion time! That’s me in the distance (in the black tank) hosting the haircare talk…
More discussion
Listening (Do you see me standing to the right in a black tank? My hair was in a fro-hawk)
Vending time
That’s Erin in the bottom left corner!
Attendees participate in the Hipquake demonstration
Erin (right) chats with an attendee
If you have feedback or suggestions for future events please email blackgirllonghair@gmail.com . We are currently seeking meetup sponsors and a space to hold at least 250 people in the Fall.
