Women of color entrepreneurs to spread holiday cheer at annual market

Kathleen Jones
Fri, 10 Dec 2021 01:51:35 +0000
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The Women of Color Owned Holiday Market, hosted by Zora’s House, will be at Gravity Columbus 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Credit: Courtesy of LC Johnson

This weekend, the space for women of color to be celebrated gets a little bit bigger.?

The annual Women of Color Owned Holiday Market will feature handmade artwork, jewelry and other items by artists and entrepreneurs at Gravity Columbus from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. The event is held by Zora’s House, a local organization focused on bringing together women of color and creating a community for them to thrive in, Jami Jackson,? operations, people and culture fellow and house manager of Zora’s House, said.?

“We wanted to highlight women of color entrepreneurs and vendors and artisans, people who actually create things with their own hands and put lots of love into it,” Jackson said. “We have a lot of our members who are those types of people, so we’re just trying to figure out, how can we elevate them and how can we highlight them so that they get more clientele and are also able to sell their goods?”

Jackson said approximately 25 vendors will be present at the market this year, but the hope is to continue growing the event in the future.?

In looking for vendors, Jackson said she wants to have variety in her products while also supporting local up-and-coming businesses.?

“First, 51 percent of the business is owned by a woman of color,” Jackson said. “They have to make their creations; like, they have to be handcrafted in some way. We want it to be unique, something cool, because women of color like so many different things. We want to switch it up.”

Aqua Harrington, a visual artist and one of the vendors at the event, said they have participated in the holiday market, as well as the Zora’s House summer market, and the environment is warm and inviting because of its deeper meaning.?

“I can actually feel comfortable in a space that is made and catered to people like me, to people who have the same skin color as me,” Harrington said. “I don’t have to worry about being talked over or somebody else, like, directing their attention somewhere else. I find that it’s like a community of my own people, of like-minded people that I find are more welcoming.”

This year, Harrington, who uses she/they pronouns, said she is most excited for the larger venue, greater number of vendors and getting to debut her new art pieces, which are abstract and colorful in nature. Harrington said the difference in atmosphere at the market is refreshing and powerful.?

“I’ve been going through school and white spaces my whole life and moving through corporate and white spaces my whole life,” Harrington said. “Here, I actually get to be myself and allow my art to flourish where people can actually appreciate it.”

Jackson said having an event of this magnitude is important not only to Zora’s House, but to women of color in general.

“We really do believe that when women of color are empowered and when they feel comfortable and have the resources that they need, then they just take off and make the world an even better place,” she said.?

The event is free to attend. There will be snacks and drinks available for purchase.?