Color of Fashion Celebrates Juneteenth with Conversation and the Power of Black Voices and Perspectives

On the rooftop of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) with Denver’s skyline as the backdrop, Color of Fashion and The Black Girl Social Club bridged community and conversation with a discussion from a panel of five Black professionals. The Juneteenth celebration on Friday, June 14 brought guests together while shedding light on topics like execution in the workplace, facing adversity and celebrating both individual and collective Blackness. 

The panel, moderated by Vanessa Symoné, featured Annabelle Geno, Director of Memberships at the Clayton Members Club; Blake Jackson, multidisciplinary creative; Michelle Trail, Founder of Traillionaires Foundation; Dexter Nelson II, Museum and Archives Supervisor at the Denver Public Library; and Nicole Douglas, former luxury real estate agent who is currently pivoting her career as a Sound Healing Practitioner. 

Comcast, The Black Girl Social Club and Maia Parish – The Wine Mistress sponsored the event. As the sun set behind the Rocky Mountains, guests enjoyed charcuterie, themed drinks, authentic food and music by DJ Chris Milly along with the powerful panel discussion. 

Symoné led the discussion by prompting the panelists to describe their roles and what Juneteenth means to them. 

“I come from a culture where success is dimmed,” said Nelson.

Jackson touched on how he entered the creative industry and his journey in visual storytelling, having grown up in a society where many Black men are expected to work in entertainment-related fields, i.e. athletes, rappers, etc. He was faced with the challenge of “not being surrounded by my peers and people who looked like me, it kind of created this sense of who I am.” He also shared that his drive to be successful derives from teaching himself how. “I graduated from YouTube University,” he added. 

Geno echoed this sentiment, telling the audience that “the biggest misconception is ‘I need a degree to do this’… your personality is what gets you through the door. What even moves the needle is companies who support who are you,” she continued. “When you walk into Clayton, you’re not just a demographic, you’re a person.”

The conversation continued, introducing the idea of execution. “Execution is the strategy, hope is not” is listed on Trail’s website as a founding principle for the work that she does. Trail emphasized the importance of hope and how it equates to success, but explained that “we don’t have to stand just on hope… the action is putting things forward.” 

“My strategies are not new, I’m just bringing them forward so we don’t forget,” Trail added. 

For Douglas, execution has emerged as a prevalent theme in her career transition. By exiting her space in luxury real estate and embarking on a journey to teach and share the benefits of sound therapy, she is showing up for herself and defining her destiny. “I still wanted to help my people find their safe way… within their own space, their own shell, their own body. Now I feel complete in my own identity by helping individuals who look like me,” Douglas said. “Because you see our color, you see who we are. But essentially that’s not seeing who we are, because that’s all you see.” 

Each panelist overcame adversity in the journey to becoming the professionals they are today. “I’m seen as a disrupter in a lot of spaces, asking questions,” said Nelson. Geno has found that “having a seat at the table gives me an opportunity for someone to open the door… I’m going to open doors where no one believes doors would be open,” she said.

By paving the way for themselves, these individuals are also making strides for their peers to shatter glass ceilings. “My commitment to you is to have the conversation and see how I can help you. But you have to ask me,” Geno expressed. Similarly, Nelson’s work includes opening doors for others, as “there are people who haven’t been able to see themselves in our museum and our space because too often we’re only seen as representing the Black elite,” he said. 

Jackson’s shirt read, “I’m a Love Letter on Black Liberation.” For him, this is what he is meant to be at all times. “One of the biggest challenges in being in my field is being pigeon-holed,” Jackson said. “Once white folks stopped feeling guilty, that kind of dried up a little… There’s always an uptick in my larger gigs when there’s kind of an uptick in white guilt. I don’t want to be othered by brands or othered by people just because of who I am.”

“Executing is about repetition,” Jackson told the audience. “Everyone else is talking, not a lot of people are doing. So if you’re doing something you already succeeded.”

The discussion ended with a question from the audience: “how do you all pour into yourselves? Share wellness or spiritual practices.”

For Nelson, self-care is isolating time away from work. 

To Trail, self-care is life care. From therapy to physical therapy to exercise to taking time for herself, her wellness routine is well-rounded and encompasses her entire self. 

Faith is very important to Geno, “but I also build healthy boundaries around my lifestyle. Do something every day that is going to make you smile,” she encouraged. 

Garnering some support from the audience, Jackson shared that he has a healthy relationship with psilocybin. His response also brought authenticity and honesty, as he is not always focusing on self-care. “I have a really big problem with actually caring for myself… a lot of times it will stop me from being creative,” he confessed. 

For Douglas, isolation does the trick. It’s about “creating a connection with self…  You’re not going to be able to teach anyone how to love you if you don’t love yourself. Learn how to shine your own diamond,” she added. 

We can’t ignore the incredible fashion at the event, as guests and panelists alike wore vibrant colors and pieces representing Juneteenth. Although despite the event organizers being Color of Fashion, fashion was not the focus here. COF Co-Founders Alicia Myers and Samantha Joseph are driven by community engagement and proved that their platform is focused on bringing people together through celebration, education, shared knowledge and of course, fashion. 

Surrounded by creatives in a space like MCA gave us a feeling of inspiration, where the panelists shared their obstacles yet proved that hard work and perseverance always pays off. The result? An incredibly moving event, especially for Denver, celebrating Black power, pride and the value that every guest and panelist brings to our community.

Photography by Victoria Glidden.