Fwd: HAIR, HOME & BELONGING DRAWS COMMUNITY TO YALE SCHWARZMAN CENTER
Stacy Graham-Hunt
PRESS RELEASE
June 23, 2026
CONTACT
Stacy Graham-Hunt
(347) 725-1656
HAIR, HOME & BELONGING DRAWS COMMUNITY TO YALE SCHWARZMAN CENTER
Public Conversation on Black Hair, Identity, and Belonging Resonates Across Generations
NEW HAVEN, CT (June 23, 2026) — On Wednesday evening, Yale Schwarzman Center became the site of a conversation that felt both deeply personal and long overdue.
Hair, Home & Belonging, a free public conversation co-presented by the International Festival of Arts & Ideas and Yale Schwarzman Center, drew a near-capacity audience to The Underground for an evening examining Black hair as a reflection of identity, culture, memory, and belonging.
Produced and moderated by journalist, publicist, and cultural observer Stacy Graham-Hunt, the conversation moved fluidly between laughter, personal testimony, cultural critique, and collective reflection. Panelists explored everything from beauty standards and hair politics to childhood memory, professional identity, artistry, and the emotional intimacy connected to Black hair rituals across generations.
The evening also unfolded in dialogue with RUSUNUNGUKO (liberty/independence/freedom), Nontsikelelo Mutiti’s large-scale installation currently on view in the Yale Schwarzman Center Dome, where vinyl braids woven throughout the space extended the themes of freedom, migration, identity, and belonging beyond the panel itself.
Throughout the evening, audience members nodded in recognition, laughed in agreement, and reflected openly during moments centered on memory, family, professionalism, and self-expression. The conversation resonated across generations, speaking both to personal experience and broader cultural realities.
QUOTES
“Talking about Black hair means thinking about beauty, power, identity, and belonging. I wanted to create a space for people to talk about their shared experiences in community and in an inspiring space like the Yale Schwarzman Center. Yale has a complicated history with Black people and Black voices, and it was an honor to center these voices at this prestigious institution where they may have been overlooked historically.”
— Stacy Graham-Hunt, Producer & Moderator, Hair, Home & Belonging
“The International Festival of Arts & Ideas has always believed that the most meaningful conversations happen when art and community meet. Hair, Home & Belonging was a powerful reflection of exactly that.”
— Melissa Huber, Managing Director, International Festival of Arts & Ideas
“Yale Schwarzman Center exists to create space for conversations that matter, not just for our students and faculty, but for the broader community. The connection between this panel and Nontsikelelo Mutiti's installation created an experience that felt immersive, reflective, and deeply resonant for the audience.”
— Rachel Fine, Executive Director, Yale Schwarzman Center
ABOUT THE EVENT
Hair, Home & Belonging centered Black hair as a reflection of identity, culture, artistry, and belonging. The evening began with a wine and cheese reception in The Well before guests gathered in The Underground for the public conversation.
Guests were also invited to experience RUSUNUNGUKO (liberty/independence/freedom), the site-specific installation by Zimbabwean-born artist Nontsikelelo Mutiti currently on view in the Yale Schwarzman Center Dome.
PANELISTS
Luvena Leslie, Founder, The Curly Hair Salon | @ctcurlyhairsalon
Renee Loren, Founder & CEO, Trachouse Beauty Salon | @trachouse
Siobhan Carter-David, Associate Professor of History, Southern Connecticut State University
Jazmi Zanders, Founder, Jazmiup Experience; Author, Koral’s Big Hair Day
Theodore Kim, Full Professor of Computer Science, Yale University; Two-Time Academy Award Recipient
PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEO
Photos By: Logan Dinkins
Additional media assets, including NBC Connecticut coverage, available upon request.
Co-presented by:
