While often going unrecognized by many across the nation and even among people residing in the neighborhoods of which they live, communities are flourishing with cultural diversity through vibrant styles, food, and languages from across the world here at home. Below are our events for the year working to showcase and appreciate such representation.
Indianapolis, Indiana
We are working to highlight the community as a way to raise awareness about how there is more to the West Side of Indianapolis than what is typically negatively stereotyped. A historically Black community born out of segregation and racism, by the 1960’s, an entire third of Indianapolis’ Black population resided in this district. The area was surrounded by factory plants and water pollution, and the racism-induced poverty caused more families and individuals to be forced to live in substandard conditions. The highway built has since displaced most homes, but while many inhabitants dispersed across the city, its history remains. Today, Indianapolis ranks as the second highest city of evictions with 20% of the city’s population meeting the Federal definition of poverty so while the most extreme appearance of poverty was eliminated, the racism, housing instability, and poverty was not.
The diversity represented in our efforts encourages the dialogue that is often missing in Indianapolis. In a 2014 article by The Indianapolis Star, Erika Smith interviewed residents of the Valley neighborhood about what their thoughts were when a proposed amphitheater was going to be constructed. Rahnae Napoleon, a local resident, told Smith that “`It’s like we’re the armpit of the city. … We are treated like we don’t count.’” Such conversations and elevation of voices are vital first steps to breaking down barriers and building bridges to make a more integrated and equitable society. The more we can share about the narrative of other cultures around the world, the more we will learn about how to appreciate the differences and our contributions.
Caribbean Celebration 2021
The Caribbean Celebration is a project dedicated to providing a medium through which individuals of all backgrounds can foster cultural exchange, honor heritage, and raise awareness about the richness of diversity Lafayette Square has as a community of Indianapolis, Indiana. More than 10,000+ Haitian migrants have moved to and started calling Indiana home in recent years. Since the west side of Indianapolis is very diverse with respects to backgrounds and identities, the neighborhoods want to showcase a visual representation of the people that live there. Through a partnership between International Market Coalition, Haitian Association of Indianapolis, and Fashion Community Foundation’s Berny Martin, this medium is delivered through a fashion display and visual storytelling for public viewing in the front lobby of the International Market Coalition’s Global Village Welcome Center. This visual story allows all viewers to observe and learn about how individuals expressed themselves through traditional garments worn by those native to Haiti and the Caribbean region.
Fashion Entrepreneurship
This exclusive, 3 full days of programming is built around a multi-disciplinary experience that encourages perspective, stillness, and growth. With this workshop, we will dive into a deeper connection within ourselves and our business. We will host a lineup of some of the greatest thinkers and leaders in entrepreneurship, consciousness, health, and mindfulness, who will take you behind the scenes of their expertise with real-world application.
Embroidery Workshop
In this fun and relaxing class, we will teach the basics of machine embroidery that anyone can hang or stitch on totes, pillows, or one-of-a-kind tees that will showcase newfound skills. This workshop teaches individuals how to prep hoops, how to transfer an embroidery pattern onto fabric, and the basics of selecting materials.
Interview with Aviana McClish
Model
Evansville, Indiana
SCREEN PRINTING WORKSHOP
Teaching workshop on the art of Screen Printing, a printing technique where a mesh is used to transfer ink onto garments.