Black History Fair presented for another successful year

ASHTABULA TOWNSHIP – Neatly-folded fabrics sat side-by-side on a table, their various designs drawing the eye.
Behind the table, Kassey Watson stood by, waiting for customers and conversation.
Watson, owner of Sew Blessed Custom Creations of Warren, was one of the vendors at Edgewood High School on Saturday, Feb. 14, for the second annual Black History Month fair presented by Ashtabula NAACP Unit #3171.
“I’m glad to be invited, and I like to see what all the other vendors have to offer,” she said.
Watson had African Ankara Wax Fabric on display at her table. She described it as “beautiful, bold and alive.”
“It’s just something about the bright, bold colors of African prints that I really like,” she said.
She liked the fabric’s versatility.
“It can be used for everything from curtains to clothing,” she said. “I’ve used it on shoes.”
Watson also had some African Mudcloth on display, which she said is a traditional Malian, hand-woven, sun-dried cotton stitched together and dyed with fermented mud and plant-based dyes. She added that the symbols on the fabric often have different cultural and ethnic representations.
Liz Penna, president of the Ashtabula NAACP, said there were five new vendors this year, for a total of about 20.
She said the fair was a great way to showcase Black businesses. Its formal purpose was to highlight Black history and showcase Black businesses.
“It’s a good thing for people to come out and see other and visit,” Penna said. “A lot of networking is going on here.”
She thought the second year of the event was going well.
“I am very encouraged to see the people coming out and enjoying themselves and showing up to see what is happening,” she said.
She thought there was a real need for the event, giving African-Americans a chance to show people their talents and what they can make.
“I just like seeing the families coming together, so many people coming out,” she said.
She was impressed by all the products at the fair.
“A lot of the things are homemade,” she added.
At one table, information was offered about the CJ Prentiss Education Resource Center, located at 4317 Park Ave., Ashtabula. It was created in honor of, and under the vision of, former Ohio Sen. CJ Prentiss, according to a brochure handed out at the event. She passed away April 2, 2024.
“The CJ Prentiss Education Resource Center endeavors to continue the work that CJ Prentiss started by helping children and educators raise the bar for our children’s educational achievement,” the brochure states.
Clarice Wofford, program director of the center, was on hand to provide information about the center. An open house is planned.
“The center is going to try to meet the needs of some of the people in the community, especially those ones that are marginalized and falling through the cracks,” she said. She said the center will give them the education and support they need to excel.
Wofford thought CJ Prentiss would have been honored by the center.
“She was a proponent of education,” she said.
Ashtabula City Council member RoLesia Holman, an officer with the center, thought the center was an amazing opportunity for community involvement and was uplifting.
“It’s a way we can give back and support the City of Ashtabula City,” she said.
A vendor, Sister Queen of Kings and Queens Cultured Village of Cleveland, had traditional African head wraps at the event.
“As they say, every queen should wear a crown,” she commented. She said some of the head wraps can have a meaning.
“A head wrap can be wrapped in 1,001 different ways,” she said. “No way is wrong.”