Nefer Bookcafe hosts first-of-its-kind book festival in Wakefield celebrating Black hair

There were small business vendors promoting beauty products, wellness and cultural traditions, free braiding stations and inside the bookcafe was “The Beautiful Black Hair Show” —an art exhibit and sale celebrating Black hair through books, painting and sculpture.

Children who attended were given a gift bag filled with a free copy of “A Black Girl and Her Braids,” an empowering picture book celebrating braids and the versatility of Black hair written by Jaylene Clark Owens, signed advanced copies of new children’s and young adult books most notably from Elizabeth Acevedo and Frederick Joseph, stationery, bluetooth speakers, AirPods and pool toys. 

Gift bags were made possible through a donation from the American Booksellers Association (ABA), a not-for-profit trade association that supports and advocates for the success of independent bookstores across the United States.

Nefer is a member of the organization and Lonna Dawson, the owner of the bookcafe, attended the ABA’s Children’s Institute back in June. 

“The ABA is an organization that truly supports its members with deep care and helpfulness because it understands the role independent bookstores play in their communities,” Dawson said.

Dawson told the Bronx Times that she wanted the bookcafe to have a clear theme to promote, which was Black hair. 

“So now we have not one display, but a full-on ceiling to floor, wall-to-wall experience of not just Black hair but the many ways we adorn ourselves,” Dawson said. “And it all started with being able to take the thing I felt we lacked and look at the love in it.”

Kephera Ife, Nefer’s creative director, worked with Dawson to make Black hair the first theme to promote in the bookcafe.

Each quarter, the Nefer team aims to celebrate and promote a new theme at the bookcafe.

Dawson said she hopes that people attending the event come away with better inner confidence, self-esteem and an empowered sense of identity.

“I really hope people take away a deep love for their neighborhoods and what their communities have to offer,” Dawson said. “There is nothing like being able to walk outside of your home, the place where you feel safe, the place where you feel comforted, and have an extension of that feeling in the world around you.”

“I want everyone to deeply love themselves, extend that love to others, but more than anything, the Crown Affair is really deep Bronx love for what we have here,” Dawson said.

The Crown Affair was a love letter from Nefer Bookcafe to the Bronx, and a trailblazing event featuring acclaimed poet, actress and author Jaylene Clark Owens.

Her bestselling children’s book, “A Black Girl and Her Braids,” grew from a poem honoring the power, beauty and meaning of Black hair. 

Owens gave a live reading of the book, then she was joined by Sabriena Campbell, the chief of staff for Chantel Jackson and founder of Becoming the CEO Network, for a larger conversation about Black hair as a living archive of heritage, artistry, memory, innovation and belonging.

In 2019, Becoming the CEO Network began as a podcast and grew into an ecosystem of networking events that aim to build community, educate, empower and energize people.

Campbell met Dawson while searching for a location for Becoming the CEO’s quarterly networking mixer. 

“In February when we met, she said to me ‘what are your thoughts on us bringing the first of its kind, a hair event like Atlanta hair show style to the Bronx?’ And I’m like ‘I’m game. Let’s do it,’” Campbell said. 

In the spring, Campbell was already preparing for her braiding camp at the Northeast Bronx YMCA, so Dawson said that they should add a braiding camp to the Crown Affair.

“We need to be able to identify each other’s skills and say ‘You got this, girl. You can do this.’ It’s for us to learn together, to laugh together, probably cry. It should be some form of healing as well,” Campbell said.

Campbell told the Bronx Times that their goal is to host the event annually and expand its reach. She also wants to rewrite the narrative about the Bronx, because the borough has a rich and creative history, and said Nefer is becoming a hub for fostering creativity. 

Dominique Renee, the owner of D Flora Beauty said she learned about the event by attending one of Sabriena Campbell’s braiding camps, where she was invited to be a vendor and wanted to witness young Black girls embracing their natural hair in various styles.

Renee was excited to share her love and support for Black hair, self-care and clean beauty in the community.

“Being African American, we have so many styles, so many traditions, so many things that we have embraced from the motherland to here, where our hair is still a beauty and still impacts the culture,” Renee said. 

“Everybody in America wants Black hairstyles or our type of curls, our type of braids and ethnic things, so I feel like Black hair is just universal American culture that we embrace, but we also take our African culture and make it who we are today.” 

Judith Bennett is a teacher who attended the event to give her sister enriching experiences that celebrate Black culture and promote literacy.

Bennett told the Bronx Times that she comes from a Jamaican background, which has a history of European colonialism that shaped views of Black identity including hair, but she grew to love and appreciate her hair.

“My hair is what makes me special, makes me different. I didn’t always have that understanding but I have grown to have that understanding of my hair, and I just love my hair. I love seeing Black women and other Black girls appreciating their hair,” Bennett said.

At Nefer Bookcafe, Dawson and her team want people to experience belonging in the space.

“I want everyone to deeply love themselves, extend that love to others, but more than anything, the Crown Affair is really deep Bronx love for what we have here,” Dawson said.

Reach Keke Grant-Floyd at kekegfreports@gmail.com. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!