On Feb. 19, St. Thomas University held a pop-up for Black-owned small businesses in James Dunn Hall.
The event was run by the STU Black Students Association (STUBSA), the African and Caribbean Society Club and the Cultural Diversity Coordinator’s office as part of a “Black to our Roots” event series celebrating Black History Month throughout February.
A variety of businesses were on display throughout the three-hour event, including food, clothing and in Melanie Nagbe’s case, dance lessons.
Originally beginning with a dance group called Making Africa Proud, Nagbe now offers African dance classes, with the hopes of adding Caribbean dance soon.
“This is in me,” she said. “I grew up dancing and that is something I really enjoy. So I want other people to experience that and have a community of people loving the dance that I do.”
As well, Nagbe has been running Hair by Mel since 2018. Having grown up braiding her sisters’ hair, she wanted to nurture her talents.
“So when they asked me to do their hair, I was like, ‘Yeah,’ … The end process is the best, because you feel very pretty.”
Nagbe was eager to take the opportunity to get involved in the event for the marketing opportunity, saying, “[it’s to] show what you can do and what your business is all about.”
Nagbe teaches her dance classes out of a studio and does hair from the comfort of her own home. She hopes to reach a broad range of people with her work.
STUBSA Public Relations Officer Adetomiwa Adeyemi also runs an online hair business called Miwa’s Court. The name comes from a shortened version of her first name, combined with her passion for law and self-empowerment.
“Coming from a diverse background, you understand that a lot of people won’t be able to spell or understand your name until you have developed a connection, or you actually tell them what your name is,” Adeyemi said. “So I came up with the name Miwa because I feel like she’s someone who’s inspiring and also wants to achieve a lot, like she always puts herself out there.”
“We added court also because I am looking forward to becoming a lawyer, so I feel like this is different from the court of law, but [it’s] my court and in my court, my rules and abilities.”
Adeyemi was born with a natural aptitude for braiding hair, like Nagbe, she holds a deep appreciation for it. She loves supporting her community and wanted to put her business out there during the event to connect with people.
“I developed [a] passion, because I think that hair and style go together and I’m also looking to be a fashion influencer, so also looking for model and collaboration grounds.”
The Black owned business pop-up was the 6th event in the Black History Month celebration series. There are three more to go, including a dance workshop on Feb. 24, a virtual keynote address by Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard and a food fest and art expo on Feb. 28 to wrap up the month.
