It’s time to pull out that special evening gown or favorite tux because one of Black Wichita’s premier award shows is returning this summer to highlight and celebrate black entrepreneurs around ICT.
The Blackout Cosmo Edition will host the 2nd Blackout Awards ICT at the Crown Uptown on July 9, beginning with a cocktail hour at 4:30 p.m., with curtains to open at 6 p.m. Get your pictures taken on the Black Carpet while enjoying local performances, fellowship, and settling into what is sure to be a great evening emceed by Jayden Flemming and Keston Rolfe.
The idea behind the Blackout Awards began as a conversation amongst four friends Julia Brown, owner of Bijoux Beauty Bar, Ashlee Norris, owner of Simply Beautiful Hair Salon; Erin Garcia, owner of Erin E’Nae Hair & Beauty; and Paris Walker, co-owner of Mark Paris the Shoppe about how they can bring the divided cosmetology community together.
“The four of us have a lot of respect for each other and our crafts, so when we talked about the seriousness of the division in the industry, we decided we wanted to do something to bring cosmetologists together and start breaking those barriers,” said Walker.
Now nearly three years after the first show, The group announced on Facebook earlier this month that nominations were officially open, and in less than a week, the group had received over ten thousand submissions. The expanded nomination list has over 30 categories in addition to some new ones for non-profit owners, actors, artists, and the “New Kid on the Block.”
“After the pandemic, we noticed a lot more entrepreneurs popping up around the city and have watched them grow, so we wanted to not only create more categories but be more specific with the ones we previously had,” said Walker.
Although these four women are significant players in a highly competitive industry, they believe that leveraging their connections could open doors for other Black entrepreneurs in Wichita.
Blackout Cosmo is also excited to announce two additional awards that weren’t a part of the nominations. The Plug award, which goes to the most influential entrepreneur in the business community, and the Legacy Award, which will go to a special entrepreneurial family.
Nominations for The Blackout Awards closed on Fri., Feb. 11.
Tickets for the award show will go on sale in May and will be made available for purchase on the Crown Uptown website