The Bloom Board
To Our Girls
These women look like you because they ARE you. They have faced the same challenges and overcome them with their black girl magical powers. They want to see you win. They want to see you joyous. They want to see you become your best self and then take this world over. They're too young to call them your elders, so you can just call them "Big Sis"...
Al Malonga, Founder of Wardrobe Breakdown Fashion Stylist
Named one of 2016's Most Stylish Women, Essence Magazine wrote "Parisian wardrobe stylist Al Malonga is a fashion week favorite and someone that all fashion girls know and love. Her style is a great cocktail of feminine, masculine, vintage and trendy touches that are simply on point." While Black Lives Matter captioned a portrait of her on their Instagram account "Celebrating the galaxy that is Black women and femmes". Al Malonga has a large body of work with an abundance of career highlights including styling several large size commercials, Universal Music Group artists, and prized independent film just to name a few.
Charlotte Lily Gaspard, Founder and Artistic Director of Midnight Radio Show Theater Company
“Part celestial creature, part sophisticated human” is how Charlotte Lily Gaspard has been described by Faerie Magazine when contemplating the ethereal artist and her work in one of their features. Charlotte is the Founder and Artistic Director of Midnight Radio Show, a shadow puppet sci-fi fairytale theater company based in Brooklyn, NYC. Midnight Radio Show combines storytelling, silhouette puppetry and lighting effects to bring magical, whimsical worlds to life. With the support of Brooklyn Arts Council and New York Restoration Project, Charlotte has presented countless free shows in parks and community gardens in the series “Twilight in the Garden,” and been written up in the New York Times: Spare Times for Children. Drawing on a professional theater background that includes credits at the Public Theater, Signature Theater and Shakespeare in the Park, Charlotte is passionate about creating and teaching collaborative forms of expression to budding optimists and inventors of all ages.
Nichole Washington, Photography Artist
Nichole has a special way of holding a mirror up to the black woman and capturing her complex beauty. Fans of her work include admirable women such as Alicia Keys, who shouted Nichole out via Instagram after viewing her art at Urban Zen's exhibit Her Time Is Now. Nichole's photography art has been displayed at galleries such as the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Chashama Whitney Houston Biennial, and Refinery 29 29 Women We Admire, among many others. Nichole holds a Masters degree in Digital Photography from the School of Visual Arts, New York and her personal motto is "Live boldly and confidently from the inside out."
Joanna S. Keita, "DJ Mojo Jojo"
DJ Mojo Jojo has been spinning records for events, clubs, and bars through ought the five New York City boroughs for years. She is a staple in the community and is a familiar face spinning for events such as Beauty Con New York. Mojo is also the co founder of MelodictripMedia, a music media network which explores new sounds and creates unique, visual content, where she is the lead graphic designer and producer of content.