T.H.E. SUMMIT – HAIRSTYLIST EMPOWERMENT EVENT WHERE TEXTURE IS THE APEX!!!

“We are here today because we are tired. We are tired of being seared in the withering flames of injustice.” Martin Luther King Jr.

Almost 6 decades after MLK shared these sentiments during his “I Have a Dream Speech” – 3 bold Black women took action, creating a movement to escape the withering mane flames and excessive conditioned heat of anti-Black/anti-Texture inequity and exclusion within the hair industry.

Global artistic hairstylists and co-founders of the Global Artistry Council; Pekela Riley, Tippi Shorter, and Kauilani Goodwyn – said, enough is enough.

After being tired of mainstream industry hair events and award shows that either excluded, marginalized, appropriated, or disassociated themselves from the paradigm shifting work of Black stylists and the textured styles they created – these 3 pioneers launched an empowerment event that centers and elevates all things texture:

T.H.E. SUMMIT.

Where texture is the apex. #Period

Texture Hair Elevated (T.H.E.) Summit unapologetically celebrates global educators, brand influencers, and hairstylists with textured hair centered as the authority. The purpose is to elevate texture to its rightful place…the apex. Pekela, Tippi, and Kauilani also seek to educate and ensure stylists of all backgrounds can expertly work with all clients, with all types of textured hair.

Launched in 2020 after the racial reckoning of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests, the first on-site Summit and awards show was a two-day event that took place on May 22-23, 2022 in Atlanta, GA. There were 300 attendees on-site and 400+ attendees virtual, majority of whom were hairstylists. There were also 10 award categories and over 30 nominees. Categories included - colorist, haircutter, enhancement, stylist, barber, and editorial stylist of the year.

T.H.E. Summit Awards winners by competition and category include:

T.H.E. Snapshot

· Ashley Brown (Haircutter)

· Charmayne Bradley (Colorist)

· Brendnetta Ashley (Enhancement)

· Brendnetta Ashley (Stylist)

· Vernon Francois (Celeb Stylist)

T.H.E. Collection

· Evie Johnson (Haircutter)

· John Mosley (Barber)

· Jamal Edmonds (Editorial Stylist)

· Jamal Edmonds (Hairstylist)

T.H.E. Summit also partnered with multiple brands to provide grants for attending cosmetology school and continuing education. They partnered with Milady and the NAACP to give 18 aspiring beauty entrepreneurs $10,000 grants each, for furthering their beauty career.

Sponsors of T.H.E. Summit include: Texpert, Matrix, Mizani, Dyson, SalonCentric, Alfaparf Milano, Redken, Amika, Wahl, Kerastase, L’oreal, Pureology, Sam Villa, Kenra Professional, Pulpriot, Biolage, Pivot Point, and True + Pure Texture Extensions.

Styles created by Team Mizani: Evie Johnson, Jamal Edmonds, & Jada Jenkins

Here's more from Pekela Riley on T.H.E. Summit.

HOW DID THE IDEA FOR T.H.E. SUMMIT COME ABOUT?

It really began as a “vent session” that inspired us to take action. Tippi and I were talking about many of the blatant Rosa Parks spaces we were in, within this industry – where we were the “1st & only.” During those moments we felt tokenized and inhibited from giving our true voice.

Many times people would cannibalize our ideas and then water them down. We were also tired of seeing texture positioned as a ridiculously small sub-category in hair.

At some hair award shows, texture has ridiculously been labeled under students.

How could this be when 70% OF WOMEN WORLDWIDE HAVE TEXTURED HAIR? I’ll wait!

The truth is textured hair has been “othered” when in reality it’s the majority.

Texture is truly the APEX. We wanted to create a validating global space to center texture as the fabric we create from. We also wanted to celebrate hairstylists that have been overlooked and tokenized.

After George Floyd, companies began reaching out to us asking, “what can we do better?” But it didn’t feel sincere. We’re always asked how we can be treated better, when in actuality, we have the power to create our preferred reality.

We started from a place of asking: What do we want to see? What do we believe is fair? What do we believe is right?

Sistas, do we want to see other super talented Black stylists WINNING? Yes! Then that’s exactly what we about to see sistas!

T.H.E. Summit became just that.

Style created by Charmayne Bradley - T.H.E. Snapshot Colorist of the Year 2022

WHAT IS THE VISION BEHIND T.H.E. SUMMIT?

To elevate texture in its rightful regard, from a sub-category of an event to T.H.E. event.

We want to collectively gather all our people – with wavy, curly, zig zag kinky, coily, and every textured hair creation by God.

The Global Artistry Council wants to give voice and community to our amazingly talented and overlooked tribe of stylists who serve all texture types – and have not been honored, recognized, or given proper equity.

We’re creating experiences that feel whole and inclusive – where artists of diverse backgrounds feel heard and centered. It’s also a space for those brands, companies, professionals, and stylists that champion DEI and want a more diverse network, deeper skill set, and understanding of texture.

T.H.E. Summit is the most diverse group of stylists and touch points of culture. You will not get this level of elite intentionality regarding inclusion and belonging anywhere else within the industry.

Style created by celebrity hairstylist Vernon Francois

WHAT HAPPENS AT T.H.E. SUMMIT?

Every activation at T.H.E. Summit centers textured hair – with an understanding that every style and artform showcased and celebrated is created from texture.

We have 2 segments entitled “Share the Stage” that give up and coming (unseen) artists opportunities to take the stage to showcase their talent and be discovered by world class brands. This is dynamic because many of the brands don’t have enough textured hair talent and need recruiting support.

We have numerous texture activations and panels, along with a 3D art display. Vendors are also on display with textured centered tools and products to support - such as Texpert and my very own True + Pure Texture.

Corporate brands who support our centering of texture are also provided sponsorship opportunities to speak to textured centered offerings.

Last but definitely not least, we have our awards show. We created very easy access to enter T.H.E. Summit award categories – to encourage up and coming stylists to gain confidence in an industry that constantly tells them “you’re not enough.”

Brendnetta Ashley - T.H.E. Snapshot Stylist of the Year & Enhancement of the Year

WHAT WAS THE RESPONSE FROM T.H.E. SUMMIT?

The response was incredible. There was so much unfiltered passion for being in a space of unlimited cultural equity.

There was an overwhelming response of unsolicited recap videos that were quite emotional. It made me emotional and proved that we can’t quantify a movement.

T.H.E. Summit has been a labor of love that tapped into the hearts, souls, inspiration, and drive for stylists to be elevated in our industry. Our mutual pain point is we all realize what it’s like to not have the opportunity to shine the way you have been gifted to.

We created an experience full of autonomy and agency that removes that barrier.

We wanted diverse stylists to see true equity at an inclusive event, diverse in ownership and origin – as opposed to the “new painting of an old building.” To see yourself on stage, owning the stage, and creating the table where everyone can sit - is the ultimate universal form of self-care.

Our centering of textured hair as the apex allows for stylists to be in a big room that says, “Wow, this is magical what you do…with our beautiful Black hair and our amazing Black culture.” There’s also a sense of historical pride too many tried to erase, that we’re elevating.

We’re celebrating the ancestral legacy of outstanding beauty skills we saw our grandmas do, which they learned from seeing their grandmas do it.

The circle of texture life baby. It twists and coils like the many galaxies within our infinite universe.

And to think we went through this industry, accomplishing things, without fully knowing who we were and our full worth.

T.H.E. Summit is changing all that. Now just imagine what the next generation will do after seeing the limitless celebration of textured hair stylists, knowing without a shadow of a doubt – they are more than enough, and texture is truly the apex.

Style created by Tippi Shorter #MizaniAirCut | L’Oreal Pro Color | Photo Credit: Dana G Mason

What’s even more powerful is the blueprint being laid for how our community can be elevated…

when the community elevates itself.

At T.H.E. Summit, no matter what your variant is, you feel like you belong, because it’s about centering yourself.

At T.H.E. Summit the goal takeaway we want every stylist to feel is:

“I realized I was in a room with giants, and I felt like one too.”