An Evening of Rest & Reclamation Black-Tie Gala

Join Black Women Rest for An Evening of Rest & Reclamation, a black tie gala dedicated to raising awareness and resources for restorative and community centered mental health initiatives across the River Region. This special evening brings together community leaders, advocates, artists, and supporters who believe that wellness, rest, and healing should be accessible to everyone.

Guests will begin the evening with a cocktail hour featuring artwork from Black women artists, followed by a seated dinner and a keynote address from Dr. Kimberly Brown Pellum. The night will conclude with music and dancing as we gather in celebration of collective healing, joy, and the ongoing reclamation of rest.

Dr. Kimberly Brown Pellum is a public historian whose work focuses on African American history, gender, and the legacy of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). She is the Creative Architect of the “Beyond Black Beauty” exhibit featured at the Meek Eaton Black Archives at Florida A&M University, a project that explores the history of Black College Queens and their influence on African American beauty culture, student life, and institutional branding. Additionally, she is responsible for innovating the course “Black Beauty” within Florida A&M University’s Department of History. Now in its third year, it is the only university level course of its kind that emphasizes the role of Black women as engineers of beauty culture on a national scale.

Dr. Pellum also served as Curator for the World Games “Race to Freedom” exhibit at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, which brought international attention to the Black freedom struggle and its global connections. As a writer featured by Google Arts & Culture and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, she authored “The Genesis of Dr. Carter Woodson’s Negro History Week,” linking the early work of the Father of Black History to today’s observance of Black History Month.

Dr. Pellum is the Reference Model and Consultant for the bronze Rosa Parks statue in downtown Montgomery, Alabama, helping to ensure the monument reflects the dignity and power of African American women in public memory. She was also a contributor to History Today: The HISTORY Channel Podcast, featured on the episode “Claudette Colvin Doesn’t Give Up Her Seat,” which highlights the role of young Black women in the Civil Rights Movement.

Through her writing, exhibits, and public history projects, Dr. Pellum makes historical learning accessible to wide audiences while maintaining intellectual rigor. Her most precious audience, however, is her two children to whom she reads each night.

Proceeds from this gala will directly support the programs and services of Black Women Rest, which is committed to creating restorative spaces and resources that support the mental, emotional, and communal well-being of Black women and the broader community.

To learn more about Black Women Rest community, check out our website at worthyofrest.com

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