African Marketplace | YSU begins recognition of black history month

February 5, 2017 at 12:05a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Dr. Tiffany Anderson was happy to see lots of colorful merchandise and plenty of food, music, dancing and overall camaraderie at a longtime event, though she hoped everyone also would take home a greater sense of community and connectivity.

“It feels to me like it has been about connecting black Americans to their African roots,” Anderson said, referring to Saturday’s annual African Marketplace in Youngstown State University’s Kilcawley Center, which is a celebration of Black History Month. “I think the focus on community is very important this year – especially in this political climate. It’s a reminder that we’re stronger together.”

Anderson, director of YSU’s Africana Studies program, added that besides all of the festivities, the 3 Ω-hour gathering was to allow blacks to better recognize and understand what it means to be black in today’s society.

Attendees of many races enjoyed the offerings of the 35 local, regional and out-of-town vendors, along with a series of rhythmic African, Afro-Cuban and jazz dances, courtesy of the Harambee Dancers.

Merchandise for sale included a variety of colorful rings, pendants and bracelets, as well as clothing, hand-printed T-shirts, purses, handbags, ball caps and portraits of famous blacks Americans such as Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and President Barack Obama. Other items were scarves and scarf sets, clip-on earrings, head gear, shea butter, various skin oils and dolls that served as air-freshener covers.

“I string my own beads,” said Ida Ross-Freeman of Canton, who runs a community-based organization in that city and who was selling her incense, beaded bracelets, handmade necklaces and other products.

Ross-Freeman is quite meticulous about her bead creations, even if it means driving as far as Detroit to select the right ones, she said.

Those who wished to select ways to make their hair more flexible and stylish likely found Carmella Williams helpful.

“Every product has something you can find in your kitchen,” said Williams, who owns Youngstown-based Carmella Marie Natural Hair & Beauty. “At the end, I want women to feel more comfortable flaunting their hair in its natural state.”

Williams explained that her light, fluffy deep-conditioning item contains honey, which seals in moisture, and hibiscus tea, which can stimulate hair growth. Also, some of her gels and hair lotions contain flaxseed, because it often prevents “breakage in curls,” she said.

Alongside Williams was her sister, Jacqueline Carlisle of Hubbard, who runs a business called Color Me Confident Fashion. Many of her handmade accessories focus on “the meaning of colors” and how individual and patterned ones can affect one’s mood and state of mind, Carlisle explained.

Several tables contained pamphlets on health care options, services for veterans and types of insurance. Also available was information on having healthy pregnancies and preventing sudden infant death syndrome.

At the beginning of the event, Black Heritage stamps were unveiled on which Richard Allen and Dorothy Height were honored.

Allen was an influential black educator, writer and minister who founded the African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1794, which became the nation’s first black denomination.

Height was a longtime civil- and women’s-rights activist as well as one of the organizers of the Aug. 28, 1963, March on Washington. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2004.

In addition, the YSU Alumni Society had information on $1,000 Legacy scholarships, of which four are distributed annually to children of alumni members, noted Catherine Cala, director of the Office of Alumni Engagement.

The deadline to apply is Feb. 17. To fill out an online application, visit www.ysu.edu/alumni.