Facing Race is thrilled to partner with Frizzy By Nature, the curators behind the celebrated Frizz Fest, to bring an enriching experience to this year’s conference. Known for uplifting natural hair and self-love through community-centered events, Frizzy By Nature embodies the empowerment and inclusivity that Facing Race stands for. As always, our commitment remains centered on businesses and organizations led by people of color. This year, we are reaffirming our dedication by partnering specifically with vendors whose entities are owned, operated, or serve Black, Indigenous, people of color, and individuals who are trans-identified and/or non-binary. Attendees can explore a vibrant marketplace featuring a curated selection of vendors dedicated to culture, identity, and social justice. Join us to support these remarkable businesses and discover unique products that inspire and reflect the values of the Facing Race community.
2024 Vendor List:
AK Press
Radical and social justice oriented books for adults and kids, including all Facing Race presenter books.
The Good Life Candle Co.
The Good Life Candle Co. is a luxury home fragrance company that specializes in clean products. We offer products such as candles, melts, sprays, diffusers and men’s grooming products such as beard combs and oils.
Diversity Gallery, LLC
Cultural clothing and jewelry It's Me! All natural Oil.
Tailored Pieces
Bonnets, bow ties, headbands, fans, and more handmade accessories.
With Love Skincare
Natural skincare products including bath bombs, body butter, oils, sugar scrubs, etc.
Magic Hair
Children’s books.
BlackMadonna Juju
Handmade Jewelry, Art & Accessories.
National Urban Fellows
National Urban Fellows (NUF) is a fully funded 14-month leadership accelerator program that attracts early to mid-career, equity-centered professionals committed to equity work.
PM Press
PM Press is an independent nonprofit publisher of critically necessary books for our tumultuous times. Our aim is to deliver bold political ideas and vital stories to all walks of life and arm the dreamers to demand the impossible. Founded in 2007 by a small group of people with decades of publishing, media, and organizing experience, we have sold millions of copies of our books, most often one at a time, face to face. We’re old enough to know what we’re doing and young enough to know what’s at stake. Join us to create a better world.
Cabanne District Community Development Corporation
Advocacy and Educational products for community members to not have high energy costs and to co-create solutions that positively impact Mothers, Children, and Elders.
Operation Liberation
Non-profit organization; t-shirt and literature.
County Health Rankings & Roadmaps
County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (CHR&R), a program of the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, draws attention to why there are differences in health within and across communities. The program highlights policies and practices that promote health and equity for all, with a vision where everyone has what they need to thrive. CHR&R aims to grow a shared understanding of health, equity, and the power of communities to improve health for all. CHR&R offers resources and tools that support community-led efforts in diagnosing core problems, understanding and accounting for historical context, and implementing evidence-informed solutions. It also provides a snapshot of the health of nearly every county in the nation. By advocating for a new understanding of data and evidence and developing methods to challenge assumptions, explore possibilities, and build community power for health and equity. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation provides support for CHR&R.
CeceLynnDesigns
Digital art company that specializes in Black art for the culture. Products include prints, totes, t-shirts, and notebooks.
Humans of St. Louis
Humans of St. Louis (HOSTL) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit with the mission of sharing photographic portraits and first-person stories to highlight local needs, issues, and experiences from people in the St. Louis region. The HOSTL book is a 554-page self-published compilation of 400+ color photostories from the streets of St. Louis. Stories were selected from thousands of interviews shared online as well as never-before-seen material made since the documentary project started as a social media site in 2014. Proceeds from book sales help sustain the organization in its pursuit to leverage storytelling as a vehicle for community conversations, civic engagement, and social good.
Oil On Me
Oil On Me products offer a natural approach to skincare with an emphasis on essential oils. We handcraft body butters, soaps, scrubs, and essential oil blends that are fragrance-free and subtle for all skin types.
Blackademics: Addressing Anti-Blackness Around the World Inc
We will be selling books and presales for our docuseries.
13Lunas
13Lunas is a project built by sisters Patricia and Gabriela Arroyos to connect the spirits of plants to people. We offer handmade small batch herbal tinctures, anointing oils, spiritual baths, cleansing sprays, etc. We believe in empowering our communities to use their own magic and intentions to receive their desired outcomes, and we want to give them the tools to do it.
Descendants of the St. Louis University Enslaved, Inc.
Descendants of the St. Louis University Enslaved, Inc (DSLUE) is a 501c3 organization whose work centers on remembrance, education, narative change, and reparations. We won’t be selling, but educating.
The South LLC
We sell political streetwear. We’re an unapologetically Black lifestyle brand that creates content to help our audience express their politics and works with like-minded organizations to infuse that lifestyle into political and advocacy campaigns.
Jua Kali Soko
Kenyan jewelry, clothing and other artisinal goods such as fans, shukas and more! My self published books of poetry and prints of my collage art.
Music City Creative
We sell the most inclusive and sustainable merchandise on the market. MCC is both an apparel brand and full service print shop, and will be promoting both parts.
Mental Health America- National
Free Mental Health Screening, Free Mental Health Awareness Materials, Mental Health Advocacy Merchandise
Includrs, Inc.
DEI software featuring interactive educational workshops, anonymous reporting of unwanted workplace behavior, mental health tools, and office romance management resources.
Origin of Greatness
Origin of Greatness is a culturally driven business rooted in the formulation of clean cosmeceutical products. Our products are versatile in use and beneficial to individuals from diverse backgrounds. However, The OG’s products are specifically designed to fulfill the needs many Black consumers struggle to have met by the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries without adverse side effects.
Pro-Equity Anti-Racism Institute
Pro-Equity Anti-Racism Institute (PEARi) is a mission-driven organization committed to eradicating racism and all systems of oppression through a comprehensive Pro-Equity Anti-Racism approach. Our key offerings include the PEARadigm™ Framework, a strategic blueprint designed to embed equity into organizational opperations, and Equitablean™, a transformative process improvement methodology that merges Lean principles with equity for efficient, effective, and equitable workflows, actions and outcome. Additionally, our PEARadigm™ Educational Platform provides virtual and hybrid learning to empower individuals, leaders, and organizations in driving systemic social change. Together, these tools advance anti-racism by operationalizing equity, ensuring Pro-Equity principles guide decision-making, budgeting, and processes across sectors.
MenTool Health
Products, Children’s Books, Affirmation Materials (i.e. stickers and keychains), Services, Curriculum Development (i.e. creating an online curriculum for yoga instructor wanting to expand his/her business)
Top Tutors for Us
By Black students, for Black Students, Top Tutors for Us provides the younger generation equal opportunity to succeed in college admissions. Top Tutors is an ACT/SAT test prep platform that connects minority students to culturally relevant tutors and provide students with an adaptive curriculum designed to improve standardized test scores. We have the benefit of connecting students with a mentor who looks like them; many tutoring services are unable to offer this specialized connection.
Little Bogan Books
Children’s books that center and celebrate Black joy!
Invest STL
We prioritize equitable community development by evolving our work in four key areas: direct investments in neighborhoods, investing in the community and economic development system, convening thought leadership and testing innovative ideas to influence policies and decision-making, and reframing narratives to shift our collective understanding and awareness of St. Louis residents and neighborhoods.
Ikot Iban
Ikot Iban began as a personal response to the generic, mass produced, wasteful nature of the fashion industry. As a queer Black female-owned slow fashion brand dedicated to small-scale production right here in St. Louis, we infuse sustainability, art, and utility into every step of our design and production process. Our reversible, specialized design headbands, headwraps, and ponytail, loc and braid ties feature bold, contrasting fabrics that are easy to style. Simplified tutorials translate the time-tested tradition of headwraps in under a minute—eliminating the complexity often associated with traditional headwraps while celebrating the ingenuity of its origin. Made in small batches using upcycled vintage or hand-picked international fabrics from Thailand to Côte D’Ivoire, we minimize waste while offering pieces that echo individual artistry and are crafted with care. Ikot Iban aims to lead the movement toward eco-friendly hair art, proving that sustainability and style can—and should—coexist.
CEEM
Consumer coop. CEEM creates, supports, and invests in Black-owned businesses.
UTN
UTN is a 501(c)3 charity supporting service minded individuals and community organizations working to empower Black/Brown communities through hip hop pedagogy, cultural literacy, media literacy, and community activism/artivism. We offer scholarships and grants through our community assistance program.
White Women Cry and Call Me Angry
White Women Cry and Call Me Angry is a memoir about my experiences of racism in the philanthropic sector (interpersonal and structural). It has been a call to community with Black women and other women of color with similar experiences. I will also have my new book for sale “We Quit America: Our Exit from a Country Designed to Kill Black People.”
Re-Purposed Living LLC: Cultivate Your Purpose
Unlock your true potential with the Cultivate Your Purpose Self-Discovery Workbook, your ultimate companion for living a purpose-driven life. More than just a planner or journal, this comprehensive guide offers a structured yet flexible approach to uncovering your unique purpose. Whether you’re an individual or part of a team, embark on a transformative journey with thought-provoking exercises, insightful reflections, and practical tools. Align your actions with your purpose and thrive in all areas of your life through its step-by-step process and engaging activities. Adapt it to your needs and translate your discoveries into actionable plans for success. With the Cultivate Your Purpose Self-Discovery Workbook by your side, empower yourself to grow personally and professionally, and lead a more meaningful life filled with purpose and fulfillment.
Kimtique Eyewear
I sell prescription ready eyewear frames or fashion frames. Accepted by all optometrist offices.
Ricardo Levins Morales Art Studio
Artwork, Posters, Buttons.
Everyday Democracy
We provide facilitation, coaching, and tools to support truthful dialogue and deliberation to unleash the power of community storytelling, remembrance, and reclamation to heal and transform our communities.
How To Power A City (Octopus Film Video)
Independent feature documentary following people leading solar and wind power projects in six locations around the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
Afromorgan Inc.
Clothing / Textile / Apparel & Accessories.
THE WOKE BRAND
MYRINA RENASSAINCE ART
©TJS Photography is the go-to photography company for creatives, artists, corporations, and organizations. We specialize in Creative Portraiture & Event Photography. Renaissance TJS Studios, a Photography and Art Studio, opened in May 2020. We've captured high profile clients such as Kamala Harris and Janelle Monae.
We've been featured in multiple publications like STL Made, St. Louis Magazine, IMNOTART Chicago, Lambert Arts and Culture, Own Your Now, Kranzberg Arts Foundation, St. Louis American, Show Me St. Louis, and more.
We have partnered with many businesses over the years and we continue to cultivate the minority-owned business sector through positive and empowering imagery. We blend my commercial skills and artistry in ways that challenge you to "Get it from your perspective, this is mine."
Myrina, our lead photographer is also the creatHER of Her Eminent Reign, a multi-women-led visual arts project honoring women from the past who have been forgotten during Women's History Month. This photography exhibition has been featured in The Dark Room STL and is currently on display at St. Louis Lambert International Airport until December 2023.
Sneaker Stars
Jezebel Production