I had the incredible opportunity to photograph a StyleMavens Event in Birmingham, Alabama, on Juneteenth of 2020. Aliscia Marie, Funmi Ford, and Mary Beth Ford gathered a group of businesswomen, bloggers, and entrepreneurs to celebrate the Juneteenth Holiday on the steps of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. It was open to the public but specifically to women of color in our city. The purpose was to “mobilize African American women from all walks of life to come and celebrate the liberation of Black Americans on this momentous day.” They wanted to “commemorate the freedom we have and the freedom that is to come.” It was not a march but a meet-up of like-minded women.” It was a wonderfully empowering community event.
The women who attended were “bloggers, business owners, mothers, and women working in governmental bodies.” They wanted “to mobilize and motivate women during these hard times and gain encouragement from each other through fashion and fellowship.” It was a good experience to witness. It was a chance for me to listen, document, and witness the strength of the Black woman in America from a Birmingham’s point-of-view.
Thank you to Funmi Ford for the invitation to photograph the event and for the written description of the event.
If you’d like to see other events photographed by Bang Images, please take a look. You can visit the StyleMavens Instagram by following this link.