Amidst the hot breeze and rhythm of DJ sets, 5C students and local residents gathered at Pitzer College’s Mounds on Oct. 6 for the third Black Flea Market. Organized by the Pitzer Black Student Union (BSU), the event featured a variety of student and local vendors offering customized shirts, jewelry, tooth gems, sweet and savory treats and more.
DJs Zay, Eman and Moongurl kept the energy high with sets that had attendees dancing their way through the market. Vibrant tents lined the path, some draped with colorful clothes swaying in the breeze. The event aimed to foster community by supporting Black-owned businesses, creators and entrepreneurs.
“It’s cool having a place specifically for Black artists, sellers and creators… to get some value out of being community members here, getting the chance to sell and make stuff,” William Marshall PZ ’25, a student vendor, said.
The flea market financially and socially uplifts members of the community by creating a hub for expression, relationships and trade. At his booth “William’s Wardrobe,” Marshall sold second-hand clothes. He said he enjoyed the steady income he has earned over the last three flea markets.
“Being low-income and first-[generation], this is for my own social and economic status,” Marshall said. “Right now, what I need is extra support.”
Many vendors, like Marshall, return year after year, forging lasting relationships with both event organizers and customers.
“It’s a nice event. A lot of times when we like an event that’s new, we choose to grow with it,” Crystal McClendon, co-owner of DD’s Chick and Cat Shack, a Southern food truck that has been part of all three Black Flea Markets, said.
She and her husband, co-owner David McClendon, were originally invited by members of BSU who had visited their restaurant.
The appreciation students have for returning vendors highlights the sense of community fostered by the space.
“As a creative, it is nice to share a space with people who look [like me] and share my experiences,” Marshall said.
One particularly popular vendor was Its-In-Scope. The brand, which is primarily a community research studio, draws inspiration from artistic archives. The organization’s recent research focuses on “abundance” found in land use, diaspora and the collective. Their table featured a series of prints and apparel patterned with distinctive tie-dye bleach stains, some depicting natural elements, inspired by this theme of abundance.
Similarly, clothing brand Rock Face Inc., created by Evan Penn Brown PZ ‘25, attracted the attention of many shoppers with its unique approach of taking thrifted clothing and imprinting them with artistic bleach symbols, shapes and patterns.
“Seeing [vendors] again and building that connection and building that rapport is one of the aspects I really love about the flea,” attendee Rahim Chilewa PZ ’27 said. “The implementation of Black spaces, Black vendors and Black sellers on campus is probably my favorite part.”
By financially supporting Black-owned businesses and student vendors, the market exemplifies the Claremont colleges’ mission to foster relationships between students and individuals in the Inland Empire and greater Los Angeles.
“Bridging that gap of really cool stuff from creatives who need the support, to a [college] that is hypothetically built off of supporting people and sharing resources, is a really good opportunity,” Marshall said.
Facebook Comments