08/30/2026
Whew 😅 lawd!!! Now that we’ve had a little bit of time to gather ourselves together after a phenomenal weeklong cultural fest…we’d be remiss NOT to come give some long overdue flowers 💐.
Some things can’t be built alone. ❤️💚
Soul of Cville is one of those things.
As we close out the 2026 season, we’re sitting with a whole lot of gratitude. Not just because we made it through another festival season, but because once again, this community showed us what can happen when people are willing to pour into the places, people, businesses, artists, and stories that make Charlottesville what it is.
Future Heirlooms: We Are The Ancestors was more than a theme. It was a reminder that what we build today becomes somebody else’s history tomorrow.
And this year, you helped us build something worth remembering.
8 events. 7 days. 35 awards presented. 80 small businesses supported. 4,000 votes. 2,500 guests.
Behind every number was a person.
A small business owner.
A performer.
An artist.
A volunteer.
A young person watching what’s possible.
A community member who simply decided to show up.
And behind all of that were sponsors and partners who believed enough to say, “Yes, we’ll help make this happen.”
To every organization, business, creative, community partner, and individual who invested in Soul of Cville with your dollars, resources, talent, space, time, expertise, encouragement, or simply your presence:
Thank you. Truly.
Your support allowed us to keep creating spaces where Black culture is celebrated, local businesses are seen, creatives have a platform, young people can dream bigger, and generations can gather in the same room and recognize themselves in one another.
That is the Soul.
And we don’t take your investment in it lightly. 🫶🏾
With immense gratitude to our 2026 sponsors & partners:
101 JAMZ WVAI 101.3 Jamz
Albemarle County Office of Equity and Inclusion County of Albemarle
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Eta Phi Omega Chapter, Uplift Our Local Community & Building Our Economic Wealth Initiatives
Alex-Zan
Around The Way Girl Nails Around the Way Girl Nails
Avis Fields
Beyond Fitness by Sabrina Sabrina Sabrina
Black Professional Network Black Professional Network of Charlottesville
Blooming Diamonds Bloomingdiamonds Decor and Arches
Brian Dunn Photography Brian Dunn
Brigid O'Rourke
Chic & Classy Image Consulting Chic & Classy Image Consulting, Khalilah Jones
Charlottesville Area Community Foundation Charlottesville Area Community Foundation
City of Charlottesville City of Charlottesville, Va - Government
Corrine Ice Corrine Ardenice
Discover Black Cville Discover Black Cville
Drama Queens Collection Boutique Santanna Juelz Burnley Cabell
DREAM Clothing Jamar Pierre-Louis
Dream Luxe Beauty Chaniya Brown
Fralin Museum The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia
Greedy American by Style University Guapo Jones
Griffield Printing Griffield Printing
Hit The Deck Entertainment Richard Johnson
IX Art Park Ix Art Park
J.F. Bell Funeral Home
Jen Solomon Jen Solomon
Kreative Kulture
Nothing Bundt Cakes
Prolyfyck Run Creww Prolyfyck Run Creww
Runway Collective by Micah Micah Washington
Stacy Smith
The Jefferson School African American Heritage Center Jefferson School African American Heritage Center
The Links of Charlottesville
The Visual Plug
Thomas Jefferson Monticello Thomas Jefferson Monticello
United Way United Way of Greater Charlottesville
University of Virginia
Virginia Humanities Virginia Humanities
Vinegar Hill Vinegar Hill Magazine
Woodard Properties Woodard Properties
And to every person who showed up, shared a post, bought a ticket 🎟️ , nominated a business 🏆, voted, danced 🕺🏾, shopped 🛍️, ate 🍲, laughed 😂, applauded 👏🏾, volunteered 🫶🏾, modeled, performed, sponsored, donated, or told somebody else about Soul of Cville:
You are part of this story, too.
We are deeply grateful for the trust you continue to place in this work.
Because being an ancestor isn’t just about what we leave behind.
It’s about what we choose to build while we’re still here.
And baby… we’re building 🏗️ 🦺 .
Thank you for helping us make 2026 another chapter worth passing down.
📜 👑 🖤
