The Curly Girl Picnic was originally planned as a gathering to host 30 women in Austin’s Zilker Park to vibe out and discuss natural hair, politics, and whatever else came to mind. At first thought, this idea was great for several reasons. This, originally free, small sized gathering in a public space wouldn’t require a permit, event insurance, or money to secure a rental space. 3 days after making the event public there were over 700 people who had RSVP’d to the Curly Girl Picnic! AMAZING!!! I was forced to do everything that I originally planned on not doing and it all had to be executed in exactly 1 month and a half! Within that short time frame, we were able to secure event insurance, a venue at Huston-Tillotson University, an HBCU overlooking downtown Austin, partner with a New York-based radio station, Rhythm & Soul, and have over 50 combined product and food vendors, brand presentations, and panelists. The Curly Girl Picnic was able to attract 750 plus combined attendees and media outlets coming from all over the state of Texas.
We started the day with a vinyasa yoga flow to the sounds of African drumming and then proceeded with music and panels from 2 Woke Gurls, Soul Filing Podcast, Suraiye the 411, Wasila Giwa, Munirah Smalls, the Mosaic Way, along with many other talented women. The Curly Girl Picnic was more than a gathering of women who embraced their natural tresses, it was a gathering that allowed Black women to be comfortable with exploring topics that are culturally relevant to who they are as African beings. The Curly Girl Picnic presented panels and performances that spoke on the topics of self-love, self-healing, experiences of being Afro-Latina, the beauty and politics of natural hair, and Blackness in the era of Trump. This gathering was nothing short of African greatness, positive energy, and much-needed sisterhood.
I attending SXSW last year on a pretty generous press pass. I was excited to be able to cover the event, but was let down by the “culturally progressive” topics that were being presented. SXSW presented many topics on diversity as well as topics that were relevant to the continent of Africa. Although the topics that were presented were great, SXSW, unfortunately, didn’t have any Black men and Black women on these panels and if they did, the Black men and Black women that were on these panels were very safe in how they chose to deliver their messages. With the Curly Girl Picnic, I wanted to create a safe-haven for those attending SXSW to come to a gathering where they could feel culturally connected.
The entirety of the Curly Girl Picnic, the planning stages and it’s execution, was a long and emotional month and a half of non-stop work. Without my support system, project manager/best friend, TyBreun Morse, the Black List Association, the staff and Alumni of Huston-Tillotson, and the many other people and brands who have shown their support on this journey, none of this would have been possible. My heart is full and I will be forever grateful to each and every one person who has shown selfless support.
Next year’s Curly Girl Picnic will be even bigger and better. Stay tuned into The Co Report for more info regarding next years event!
View more photo’s of the event from our partner Timothy Mukule
Photo Credit: Laudi
Mention @TheCoReportPicnic and hashtag #ThePicnic18 when sharing
