Curl Fest, which was held on July 15th in Prospect Park, was the epitome of black excellence and black beauty. As soon as I entered Prospect Park there was an instant feeling of home with all the beauty represented. Black women and men of all shapes and sizes made sure that their outfits were right and their curls were primped and shining to perfection.

All around and encompassing the festival were hair exhibits from all of your favorite brands which included Shea moisture, Iman Cosmetics, Tropic Isle Living, Crème of Naure, Mielle Organics, ORS Olive Oil, Phyto Specific, Clairol, Alikay Naturals, Jamaican Black Castor Oil, DeNatural, Palmers, Curls and much more.

Along with exhibits, there were great food trucks with an array of options that included delicacies from Jamaica, Nigeria, and Mexico. In the center of Curl Fest there were dance-offs and the DJ pumped music for the crown. It was an all out celebration of life, beauty, and art.

The celebration definitely encompassed and even surpassed the mission of the curly girl collective, which is to create innovative experiences that harness the energy of the natural hair movement. The inspirational bosses that inspired the Curly Girl Collective movement include media maven Charisse who is the External Relations Specialist, Melody who is the design guru and Creative Director, Tracy who is the Marketing Consultant, Simone who is the Service Systems Analyst and Gia who is the Creative Marketer. It only took an idea and the collaboration of women putting their skill sets together and uplifting each other to create a movement.

What change can you inspire in the world by just embracing your passion and using your skills? What will be your impact and your movement? I think that more women should work with each other and uplift each other and this can only inspire more magic in the world. Collectively, the end product is apparent and we see the vision of this movement. However, what kind of trials are you willing to persevere through to make your own movement?