- Stitching Life's Precious Moments, One Blog Post at a Time
This past Juneteenth, I had the honor of vending at the For The Culture Juneteenth Festival in Hawai‘i — and whew, I’m still holding onto the joy.
To keep it simple: it felt like a family reunion.
Not just because folks were hugging like cousins who hadn’t seen each other in years (they were), but because the energy — the warmth, the music, the outfits, the smiles — wrapped around us like home.
Aloha is real here in Hawai‘i. You feel it in the way people look you in the eye, in how keiki are lifted up by the whole village, in the slow sweetness of the breeze. But there’s something uniquely grounding about being surrounded by Black joy. About
being in a space where Black girl magic was glowing, and Black boy joy was centered, celebrated, and safe.
There were families with beautiful brown babies toddling around with juice-sticky fingers, curls wild and laughter louder than the music. There were young folks showin’ out — the fly girls with their statement earrings and crop tops, the too-smooth fellas with crisp sneakers and that confident head-nod swagger you only learn from your uncles and mixtapes.
And I’m not gonna lie: just seeing us — laughing, creating, resting, dancing, vibing — in this kind of abundance? It was good for my soul.
I came as a vendor, sharing my handmade goods with the community — but I
received just as much as I gave. Every time someone paused at my table, complimented the fabric, held a piece like it reminded them of home… I felt seen.
Pockets of Orange isn’t just about pretty things — it’s about legacy, story, and softness. And this was the perfect place to show up with that energy. Because this wasn’t just a market — it was a celebration. A reclaiming. A remembering.
There’s something healing about being surrounded by your people in a space where we’re not just surviving — we’re shining.
We danced. We supported each other’s businesses. We swapped stories. We clapped for the babies. We honored the ancestors. We held space for each other’s dreams.
This is what Juneteenth should feel like — a celebration of freedom, yes — but also of fullness, culture, joy, and belonging.
To everyone who showed up — whether you bought a pair of earrings, gave a nod in passing, or just brought your beautiful presence to the festival — thank you. You made that space sacred.
And to the organizers of the For The Culture Juneteenth Festival: y’all created something powerful. A balm. A memory. A movement.
I’m so grateful to have been part of it. And I’ll be holding onto the feeling until we meet again next year.
With gratitude,
Noelle
Pockets of Orange
