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.
Read more on T.H.E. Summit article here:
https://www.pekelariley.com/blog/the-summit-hairstylist-empowerment-event-where-texture-is-the-apex
