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Description:
Since 2005, ThemFive with a collection of talented individuals have volunteered to take
time away from their busy lives to celebrate the lives and legacies of our mothers,
grandmothers, wives, daughters, sisters, and all women of color. This is done with a free,
day-long event. This event is The Beautiful Black Woman Festival. With this festival,
ThemFive hopes to encourage an aura of confidence, and a feeling of being loved and
needed in the female attendees. We achieve this feat with live music, poetry, fashion shows,
motivational speakers, vendors, awards, gifts and much more. This festival is rapidly
growing to be known as one of North Carolina’s largest and most anticipated events of the
spring. The Beautiful Black Woman Festival has been held in May of each of the last five
years and usually held in conjunction with Mother’s Day and Teacher Appreciation Week,
when Black female teachers are honored by ThemFive as community heroes.

Each of the past five Beautiful Black Woman Festivals has boasted attendance in the
hundreds and each year is bigger and better than the last. Women have taken the time to
thank ThemFive, either verbally, through e-mails, or simply with a hug. Many, many
relationships have been built on theses festivals. Attendees have ranged in age from 1
month to 84years old, according to surveys taken after past festivals.

Also according to surveys, the consensus favorite part of The Beautiful Black Woman
Festival has been the annual fashion show. With this information, ThemFive, along with
aspiring fashion designer Corey Ritter of the Infinite Line created the 6th Man Fashion
Explosion. The 6th Man Fashion Explosion is a separate day of fashion shows, live music,
vendors, and dancing. A total of four local fashion designers including The Infinite Line,
Total Image Menswear, Kumba Wear, and Rosalyn Womack of The Honeybun Boutique
have created styles and fashion show productions to showcase their styles and creations at
the 1st Fashion Explosion.

Awards:
ThemFive also uses the festivals to honor female community members with plaques and
gifts stating how grateful we are for their life as well as their service. Since 2005 ThemFive
has honored women such as Dr. Vickie Kilimanjaro, publisher of The Carolina Peacemaker
newspaper, then Greensboro City Councilwoman, now former mayor, Mrs. Yvonne Johnson
(twice), Ms. Joya Wesley of WNAA 90.1 NCA&TSU radio and The Greensboro Truth and
Reconciliation Commission, Mrs. Joyce Johnson, community activist and first lady of The
Beloved Community Center, Dr. Mabel Scott, Vice Chancellor of Public Relations at
NCA&TSU, and Ms. Portia Shipman, founder of The Sherri Denese Jackson Foundation for
the end of Domestic Violence. In 2007, ThemFive enlisted the help of High Point based
furniture company Kaco International to honor three everyday women chosen from a list of
more than fifty possible candidates. The first of the three was Ivey Crosby (cousin to
ThemFive member Jeff Crosby) who was chosen, not because of her kinship to a ThemFive
member, but because of her 4.3 High School Grade Point Average and her being appointed
salutatorian of the Ben L. Smith Academy in Greensboro. Ivey was presented with a plaque
in addition to a scholarship check to assist in the purchasing of books and materials needed
to attend NCA&TSU the following year. The next honoree was a single mother Kimberly
Jefferies who was working full time to support herself and a pre-teen daughter after the
death of her mate to cancer. Kimberly was also presented with a plaque and a check to
assist in the paying of bills. The final award went to 11 year old Yaquasia Tuck who won a
trip to Washington D.C. to meet the president, through Guilford County Schools.
ThemFive and Kaco awarded Yaquasia with a check to help with transportation as well as a
plaque and a gift card to purchase any essentials needed for the trip. In 2009 Greensboro
saw the election of its second female and first African-American Mayor, Mrs Yvonne
Johnson. ThemFive celebrated this historic occasion with an award. The Yvonne Johnson,
Queen of the City Award was born. Mrs Johnson was present to receive her award as well as
local community domestic violence abolitionist, Portia Shipman.

In 2010, The Beautiful Black Woman Festival’s sixth year, ThemFive will continue along
the path of philanthropy and, with funds gathered through sponsorships, will again donate a
specified cash amount to a mother in need to help with bills and expenses. Funds will also be
awarded to a female student for assistance with books and supplies. A Triad female teacher
will also receive a check as a show of appreciation for educating the future leaders of our
communities.

Location:
The Beautiful Black Woman Festival is held at NCA&TSU Aggie Park at 3100 E. Lee St, on
the corner of E. Lee St and E. Florida St. The Aggie Park has become home of The
Beautiful Black Woman Festival, because of the plush 15 acres of land housing the park.

Date/Time:
Beautiful Black Woman Festival 2010 is to be held from 1pm until 6pm on Saturday May
22, 2010, in Greensboro, NC. With the Fashion Explosion to be held the following day on
Sunday May 23 at the same time and location

Early Preparations:
ThemFive began preparations for Beautiful Black Woman Festival 2010 in May 2009,
immediately following 2009’s festival, by creating accounts on the top African-American
networking website communities. Each of these social networking schemes has been very
successful with hundreds of “friends” gained on each internet community; each new
“friend” assures that one more person knows about The Beautiful Black Woman Festival.
Groups have also been formed so that potential attendees can announce their intentions to
participate in the festival. In 2008, in order to receive accurate feedback from the women in
the community, ThemFive launched an online survey to ask the ladies what they would like
to see at the next Beautiful Black Woman Festival, the results were recorded, analyzed and
utilized. This has been repeated for the festivals since then.

Stage management is handled by Kevin Goins with the assistance of Eric Rodriguez for Blue
Flame Promotions. Marketing and promotion is completed by Jeff Crosby for ScorpioSoul
Designs with a street team. Sound, videography, and recording are handled by Harrison
Spencer Jr. for Elitists Entertainment. Parking, security, and cleaning will be controlled by
ThemFive with a team of volunteers organized by Michael Spencer.

Event Description:

•        Free Event
•        Saturday May 22 and Sunday May 23, 2009 from 1pm until 6pm
•        Aggie Park
•        Live Music including Neo-Soul, Old School R&B, and Gospel
•        Spoken Word, Inspirational Speakers, Fashion Shows
•        Awards, Gifts, Donations

Bridging The Gaps, One Way Or Another

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