Costumers of Color’s celebration of Black excellence
Event Title: CoCo Noir Historical Symposium
Date: Saturday, January 31, 2026
Location: Virtual (Zoom Webinar)
Hosted by: Costumers of Color
Description:
Kick off Black History Month with CoCo Noir, a virtual historical symposium celebrating Black voices in living history, historical costuming, and related communities. At Costumers of Color, we know that every month is Black History Month—because all history is Black history.
This one-day online gathering will feature a series of engaging CHE Talks (Costuming & Historical Education), spotlighting Black historical costumers, living historians, researchers, and creatives. Presenters will share their projects, research, and upcoming appearances while connecting with audiences who want to learn, support, and amplify Black excellence in history and costuming.
Expect sessions ranging from personal research on historical figures, to behind-the-scenes looks at costuming projects, to discussions about community, culture, and representation. Each talk will last between 30 and 45 minutes and offer attendees the chance to discover new creators, events, and perspectives.
Join us to celebrate, learn, and honor the past while supporting the future of Black storytellers in history and costuming.
Follow this page and @costumersofcolor for updates. Email us at costumersofcolor@gmail.com with any questions.
Registration: $25 per person
Proceeds support zoom webinar costs and pay honoraria to our presenters. You’ll be emailed a link to the Webinar after registration.
Presenting: Use this form to submit your info to be a presenter https://forms.gle/f3XTgrfHcuxztQN28
Volunteering: Use this form to volunteer as staff/moderator https://forms.gle/LZ4ELRXW6NQsHEcT8
Scheduled Talks:
- Historical Inclusivity presented by Sir DressMaker
- Addy Walker: A complicated legacy presented by Emmalia Harrington
- Fashion: Photos & Documentation presented by Kristine Maitland
- Tignons, Turbans, Hats and Headwraps: What Miss Lambe and Other Women of the Caribbean Wore on Their Heads presented by Renata Dennis
- The Names in the Margins: Reclaiming Forgotten Black Designers presented by Taniqua Martin
- Dinner with Dumas: Alexandre Dumas’s Masquerade Balls presented by Michon Boston
Costumers of Color 