Celebrating Black Heritage at the Arboretum

One of the singular ambitions of Lady Banks Living (LBL) is to encourage people to discover new experiences, organizations, and pursuits. Often, we don’t believe we fit a certain demographic and therefore aren’t exposed to certain activities or concepts. Or sometimes we are just hesitant to step out of our personal comfort zones due to a fear of uncertainty. A healthy fear of uncertainty is important, it’s what keeps you from walking down dark alleyways alone.
But all alleyways aren’t dark and with me, you’re never alone!

So, when I heard ran across a social media post about The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden’s inaugural Black Heritage Celebration Day, I knew that not only did I want to attend this event, but I wanted to support it in some way. I had just started crafting the beginning of the LBL project and this was an opportunity to live out my passion.

Black Heritage Celebration Day was the kickoff to the three-month exhibition of ZimSculpt, a world-renowned collection of hand-selected, modern Zimbabwean stone sculptures artfully displayed throughout the garden.

The days leading up to the event were cloudy and rain-soaked which we all know is an outdoor event planner’s worst nightmare. But when Black Heritage Celebration Day came, the clouds cleared away and the sun came out to celebrate with us! I believe there were some personal prayer requests answered the night before. The event featured Black artists, businesses, designers, and entertainers throughout the day. I got there just in time to see a jam-packed Rosine Hall turned a fashion extravaganza that could rival Fashion Week.

It was a beautiful opportunity to casually stroll the gardens, bump into old friends, and try out “new to me” products like I Love Good Water and old personal favorites like Avery Savory Popcorn. The entire experience was a joy, and I couldn’t help but leave with new copper earrings. Because shopping is my vice.

I wonder how many people who were born and raised in Dallas and have never visited the botanical garden in our own backyard? If you have never been or haven’t been in a while, count this as my invitation to you to go see this exhibit specifically. ZimSculpt runs through August 8. If you have any questions or thoughts that are holding you back, comment below and I’ll answer what I can and if not, I’ll meet you there and we’ll find out together!