Africanism Gala highlights Black beauty
Women of all ages gathered on Saturday evening to celebrate Black beauty — both inside and out — during the third annual Africanism Gala at Heinz Hall in Downtown Pittsburgh.
Each guest dressed in her signature style — there were gowns adorned with sequins, dresses in colorful prints and suits in bold hues.
All of these individuals, however, share a common thread with their presence — to recognize strong Black women in their lives.
And themselves.
Demeatria Boccella co-produced the creative black-tie gala with Darnell McLaurin and Sandra Aristide Soteriou.
The mission behind the gala and all the work Boccella does is to create bridges, to build a creative community and to create opportunities for Black creatives to connect, she said.
“This is more than just a gala,” said Boccella of Shadyside. “This is a showcase and a representation of the work that we implement and that we produce annually through our arts educational programming. This is for Black beauty, inside and out.”
The evening was held in collaboration with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and featured “The Unspoken Elegance of Stillness: A Love Letter to Black Women,” a documentary by British filmmaker Simon Frederick. The film, being shown in the U.S. for the first time, premiered in London in May.
Frederick and Grammy-nominated composer Carlos Simon created music to accompany the film, which brings awareness to the strength and beauty of Black women.
“Pittsburgh has something special here,” said Frederick, who was in Pittsburgh for the gala. “It’s a cultural event and people seek out culture.”
Soteriou said Frederick has an extraordinary ability to hold a mirror up to Black life and show Black women not just what they look like, but who they are in their beauty and brilliance.
“Right here in this room, we are a living example of what it means to create spaces where we can see, uplift and celebrate one another,” said Soteriou, who wore earrings with photos of her grandmother, mother, daughter and herself. “This gathering, this energy, this love, it’s what sustains us. It’s what reminds us that our stories matter, that our presence is powerful, and that together, we can build something very, very beautiful.”
Red carpet looks
Along the red carpet outside, women and the men who came to support them were interviewed by Greensburg native and actress Melessie Clark.
After a cocktail hour in the lobby, the more than 600 guests mingled up to the second level. Attendees sampled hors d’oeuvres before taking seats inside the performance hall to listen to a spoken word performance by Damon Young, an award-winning writer and literary artist who shared his love letter to Black women.
Young and Kiya Tomlin, who co-chaired the event with Mary McKinney Flaherty, collaborated to create a sweatshirt that features his writings on Tomlin’s design. Part of the proceeds from the sweatshirt sales benefit programs of the AFRICANA initiative of FashionAFRICANA, founded by Boccella.
The initiative’s programs include an artist residency program and the Bill Nunn Theatre Outreach Project, August Wilson New Voices, Next Narrative Monologue Competition, The Art of Design & Storytelling and a speaker series to empower Black creatives.
“I’m a female creative. I’m a Black creative,” Tomlin said. “What the AFRICANA initiative does for our youth and exposes them to creatives and helps them to dream and to grow is, to me, very worthwhile.”
Models
In addition to the film and symphony’s performance, there was a dance performance, fashion show and a presentation to Africana Icon awardees Olympian, WNBA and NCAA basketball champion Swin Cash, a McKeesport native, and Fatou Jobe, a Bronx, N.Y.-based international fashion model.
Cash recognized her mother, who was in attendance, and said there are times women question if they are enough.
“You are enough,” Cash said. “You have to tell yourself what you know about yourself, the positives, and then be able to chase your dream.”
Diversity
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, who attended with his wife, Michelle, also was recognized.
“One man saw an opportunity to showcase the strength, resilience and brilliance of Black women,” said Gainey’s press secretary Olga George. “Not only does he have the most diverse staff in the history of the city, but he also elevated Black women to leadership roles. This was about recognizing what Black women can and will do when given a seat at the table.”
Boccella said she is grateful for the Gaineys’ unwavering support.
The mayor referenced a study that found the city of Pittsburgh was the worst place for minority women, especially Black women.
“So when I took office, I wanted to make sure that I put Black women in strong positions,” Gainey said. “For my love letter to Black women, I want to start with my mom, a 15-year-old teenager that had a son. I turned troubled times into good times by watching my mama. Who would have thought that a 15-year-old mama would birth the mayor of the City of Pittsburgh?”
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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