B.A.E. BASEL
10 years ago, she said.
“That will determine what I will do next in regards to events and programming,” she said. “I think Black curators in Miami are going to have to be very creative. We’re going to have to see more collaboration among promoters and DJs. People aren’t open to programming that will bring out too many Black people. Unfortunately, non-Black owned venues wait to let Black people do events.”
For Brown, August’s Black Pepper Food Festival affirmed the need for her work as an event curator. The daylong event was held at The Urban and featured 200 Black-owned food vendors handling food demonstrations and served 5,000 people who visited the venue throughout the day.
Miami Gardens native Daren Reid was one of the vendors at Black Pepper Food Festival and appreciated the opportunity to build his brand. His jerk oysters were a hit with guests, but he almost didn’t reach out to Brown via Instagram.
“When I reached out to her, I was reluctant,” he said. “I appreciate her because she said this would be a great opportunity. When I got there, I saw she was right. She really put confidence in me. It made me dream bigger. She gave me reassurance, and I feel like you need people like that in the Black community.”
Since the event, Reid has been invited to the Jamaican Jerk Festival and the South Beach Food and Wine Festival, one of the largest food events in America.
Small businesses like Brown’s and Reid’s are a vital part of Miami-Dade County’s culture. Citing Local Initiatives Support Corporation research, Miami-Dade Beacon Council President and CEO Rodrick T. Miller said that Miami-Dade County is home to nearly 100,000 small businesses and over one in three entrepreneurs in South Florida is African American, Hispanic or female.
“Not only do these businesses impact our economy and greatly influence our pro-business culture, but they provide important services to our residents and engage with our larger businesses as vendors and partners,” he said. “Small businesses are an important engine behind our growth, fueling jobs, commerce and adding to the vibrancy of our community.”
Brown is focused on her next two goals. She noticed that while there are more Black-owned spaces than previously existed in Miami, she wants to own a venue that can be used for events ranging from panel conversations and banquets to baby showers and dinner parties. She also wants to work with more corporate clients aiming to connect with Miami’s Black community.
Within an hour of the B.A.E. Basel event’s beginning, The Urban was packed with a crowd of almost all Black people dancing, taking selfies and being joyful. As Brown moved around the art exhibits and hugged more people who wanted to say hello, it was clear that her goal of building communal space for Black Miami was working.
“There are a lot of people that are doctors, attorneys, engineers and regular working-class people that have a space they want to go to and hear the music they want to hear,” she said. “It’s something I’m passionate about. It’s challenging, but I feel like God put me on this earth to make Miami a more inclusive place.”