 |
|
Photo by William Cook
PhxSoul.com was a vendor at the Arizona Black History Month Expo. We enjoyed meeting everyone who visited our table! |
Submitted by DaVaun Sanders
The Arizona Black History Month Expo packed the George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in downtown Phoenix on Feb. 13. Between an impressive array of vendors, enthusiastic crowd, and various cultural presentations, the Expo organizers truly offered something of interest for everyone who attended.
Arizona vendors brought their latest in fashion, hair care, artwork and food. Hundreds of people were in attendance for the event which lasted from 10 AM to 5 PM.
“The crowd is outstanding, this has been good exposure,” said Curtis Brewton, the owner of CURREG Men's Clothing and Accessories. “I've made contact with people that I wouldn't normally meet.”
Patrons regularly perused Brewton's wares, and he was one of several Expo vendors who sold merchandise throughout the day. The business owner's outlook remains cautiously optimistic, for the economy this past year proved quite a challenge to his continuing success.
“The customers that I used to have are not always able to buy, and many new ones that would like to buy are also unable to,” said Brewton. “The economic downturn has definitely impacted my business.”
Despite tough times for Valley businesses, the mood at the Expo remained festive. This was primarily due to the hosting enthusiasm of Ava Burns, Expo organizer and CEO of The Write Up, an urban newspaper that serves the Phoenix metropolitan area. Consistent happenings on the main stage, including a fashion show, gospel showcase, hair show, and barber battle—all also made for an upbeat and bustling afternoon. Youth presence at the Expo proved to be particularly strong, and the DJs catered their song selections to that demographic throughout the day. A peach cobbler contest and food specials from Karim's Cobbler Shop & Deli kept faces smiling for young and old alike.
While the presence and honoring of two Tuskegee Airmen allowed for a flesh and blood connection to the African-American heritage, the most historical component of the Expo was undoubtedly the Carver Museum itself. This gem is tucked into the underbelly of downtown Phoenix, and holds many quiet reminders of the local African American legacy for anyone willing to wander the halls and search them out.
The Carver Museum is a former high school, now supported through the Phoenix Monarchs Alumni Association. Various states of renovation and disrepair battle quietly in the halls and rooms away from the thumping bass and crowds in the main auditorium. In one of these dusty spaces, sports memorabilia is treasured away, where displays hold old Monarch records and ASU student athlete plaques. There is even a trophy and smiling photograph of Joe Black, a Negro League pitcher who broke into the Majors for five years, and named Rookie of the Year in 1952.
Tucked away in a museum courtyard is a sculpture of four women entitled, “That Which Might Have Been, Birmingham 1963,” which is dedicated to the memory of the four young girls killed in a church bombing during the Civil Rights era. In a twist of irony, unsupervised children from the Expo crowd had chosen this space to play. Some would even dare to climb on the sculptures, but an elder's stern voice warned against it.
“I remember a time when a Black sheriff couldn't arrest a white person,” says Jap Harrison, a board member for the Carver Museum who graduated from the original school in 1951. He leans on a cane, watching the youngsters with a kindly eye as he continues.
“There's been a lot of progress in town, but we could be pushing for a whole lot more.”
Harrison speaks upon many issues, such as the Museum's plans to renovate the upstairs area, and his belief that the President is not getting the support he deserves from the community. “Obama can't do it by himself,” he observes. Unfortunately the ears sharing the courtyard with the elder's words are much too young to grasp his perspective.
The Arizona Black History Month Expo proved to be remarkably well named, in gathering a positive blend of celebration, remembrance, and industry. Both youth and elder benefited, from the auditorium stage to the Carver Museum's courtyard. Hopefully the chance collisions between these two vastly different generations will give way to more purposed collusion within the African American community as Black History Month events continue.

Recent Comments