By Sarah Kinbar
The 6th Annual Dreams Do Come True Brunch at Majestic Event Center on John Young Parkway was so solid from tip to tail, it should be remembered as the most substantive and impactful event produced in Orlando since Kodak Black’s show at Genasis Event Center in December.
Produced by Ciara Quaintance and Megan Johnson of Ci Me In Your Dreams Enterprises. The brunch’s vendors, entertainers, and speakers were the cream of the crop, so much so that it’s a challenge to call out the best.
But we’ll try.
Of all the vendors in the marketplace section, three child entrepreneurs had a presence to be reckoned with.
9-year-old Micah of Micah’s Magnetik Affirmations was on deck with his mother, selling a variety of magnets he made himself. With messages like “Winning is in My DNA” and “Dream Big, Work Hard, Make it Happen!” his work aims to encourage and uplift kids but has the same soul-warming effect on grown-ups. What’s most magnetic is Micah’s warm, glowing energy, which translates with a smile that lights up the room. Follow him on Instagram at @micahsmagnetikaffirmations.
Summer’s Lip Lush is a beauty brand originated and marketed by a delightful third-grader named Summer. She knows her brand, her product, and her audience as well as any full-grown entrepreneur. Summer invests her energy consistently and wisely, putting in an hour or two of work on her line every day. She developed the colors this way; “I went on my iPad and started drawing the colors and seeing which colors I liked. Then I showed them to my mom and she showed them to the girl who made my lip glosses.” In other words, from the name to the colors to the packaging to the public interface, everything starts with Summer. Follow her on Instagram at @summersliplush and visit her website https://www.summersliplush.com.
Although in elementary school, 10-year-old Maliyah launched her business Maliyah’s Trendy Shop because she recognized that her personal accessory style is a fit for more than just herself and her friends. Her taste resonates with people of all ages. She relies on her eye when sourcing products to sell: “I find stuff that’s that’s trendy, that pops out, that’s girly kinda, and gives you some glam,” she explained. From sunglasses to jewelry to hair accessories, Maliyah offers an ever-changing collection. Follow her on Instagram at @maliyahs_trendy_shop.
A robust line-up of entertainers and speakers kept attendees captivated.
The Ladies of Destiny championship step team, coached by Carmel Lafayette, performed a series of riveting step dances. The performers included three elementary girls, four middle school girls, and two high school girls, representing the larger group of steppers that practice at New Image Youth Center in Parramore twice a week: Wednesdays and Fridays from 4 to 6 pm. The center is home to a nurturing, multifaceted after-school program founded by Dr. Shanta Barton-Stubbs serves the community free of charge. Incidentally, the owner of the buildings that house the youth center recently informed Barton-Stubbs that she will need to vacate this week, as one of the buildings has been sold. Community members with an interest in helping with relocation should reach out to Barton-Stubbs through the website: https://newimageyouth.org. Find more information on the Ladies of Destiny step team on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LadiesOfDestiny.
Local hip-hop artist 613 Twissy – whose most recent release Hall of Fame features Bobby Fishscale – performed a set, bringing her calm, even energy, a hard-won claim earned through navigating a lifetime of challenges. Twissy became a mother figure to her younger siblings as a teenager when their mother was incarcerated and has never let go of her dream to make music. Now a well-known artist in the Orlando music landscape, she has seen the benefit of sticking with her plans. “It meant something to me to perform at this event because I was once a child with a dream. Looking over my life story, I can say dreams do come true. I talked with a few of the Ladies of Destiny steppers about their hopes for their dance careers, listened to them, and gave them some insight. I told them, if this is your dream, you can’t worry about what anyone else thinks. You have to keep going and keep finding the opportunities,” she said.
Follow Twissy on Instagram at @613_twissy; watch her videos on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFvx-WUDmQ-mu_i4kF28vlA/videos; and listen to her music on Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/613-twissy/1509618981.
While there were many speakers – all of them inspiring – it was Tiara “Mizhani” Walton who broke through with charisma and show-stopping power. The poet, also a fitness instructor and mentor, spoke about the foundational building that leads to the kind of growth that allows us to achieve our dreams. For Mizhani, it all begins with family.
“Empowerment for women isn’t just about independence. We can get into a space where we don’t feel like we need men, but breaking down a family structure is not something that I stand for. Create space to be loved and to be feminine,’ she said.
Ciara Quaintance remember how Mizhani was added to the panel. “Me and Megan were downtown looking at venues for the brunch. It was a blessing that happened with Mizani because we looked at a place where she was teaching a class that night. She had already been on our minds, but then it just fell into our lap,” she said.
“She was a crowd favorite that day. She is someone who already has a presence and we knew that her impact would be great, which is why we put her as our last panelist before our keynote speaker,” explained Megan Johnson.
Feeling the moment, Mizhani swapped out part of her planned comments for a poem, a deeply moving poem that you can hear on YouTube. https://youtu.be/99J-IsZ-GuU
Follow @mizhani_movement on Instagram.
Keynote speaker Trina, a game-changing rapper now in her forties, has built on her national influence as a musician to build up her non-profit Diamond Doll Foundation, which creates programs to help young inner city girls, “those that don’t come from a great home or who don’t have older influential people in their lives to help them become great women. I travel a lot and I meet so many young girls and everyday life for them is a struggle,” she said in an interview with Concrete Loop.
“It was amazing to see how many women feel a connection with Trina. Her status transcends generations. And the way she responded to a question during the moderated panel discussion was one of the greatest moments for me,” said Johnson. “They asked what it was like to lose friends as she became more successful, and talked about women bossing up together. The real friends won’t hate on you, they’ll join you. They will level up, too.”
Follow @trinarockstar on Instagram.