Corpus Christi (KIII News) — A special banquet was held Monday night as a part of the 10-day Juneteenth celebration in the Coastal Bend.
Juneteenth marks the time when the slaves in Texas finally got word of the Emancipation Proclamation.
The 2018 event is highlighting the evolution of hair, jewelry, and fashion in black culture and how it represents freedom.
The person in charge is Hannah Carter is in charge of the banquet.
Every year the event represents the transformation from slavery, to freedom, to education, and finally achievement.
"We choose an industry to highlight the accomplishments of the African-American. The industry we chose this year was cosmetologists," Carter said.
The man who knows hair best is Timbo Mack he is a hair artist in Corpus Christi and is creating all the hairstyles for the runway. The style Mack is going for is wild and free because there was a time when black peoples hair couldn't be.
"Over the years when people were trying to blend in with culture and society we succumb to straightening the hair to pretty much blend into what society depicted as being beautiful," Mack said.
Mack wants to pay homage to African-American roots.
"You're going to see the story told in the runway show today how we as a people, African-Americans came from Africa, we wore our hair in our natural state which was coily and kinky," Mack said.
To accentuate the beautiful African hair, Evelyn Copper is providing brightly colored African clothing.
"The continent is vibrant and rich and colorful, so the clothes just actually represent the continent of Africa," Cooper said.
The event will end with a keynote speaker Dr. Eunice Dudley who has a line of beauty and hair care products that are sold all over the world.
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