Amy Benson sought a sense of refuge when she moved to Honolulu from Atlanta, Georgia, nearly a decade ago.
"I was looking for a way to center myself again," Benson said. "That was around the time of the brutal shooting of Trayvon Martin. It really set something off in me that I was like, 'OK, I'm out.'"
The 35-year-old is the daughter of a Nigerian mother with roots in the deep south of Birmingham, Alabama. Also, she's the youngest of five siblings on her mother's side of the family.
Benson searched for more of the Black community in the state, which makes up less than 3% of the population.
"Right away, I was like, 'Where are the Black folks at?' Because I knew that Black people were here, but where are they?" Benson said. "So outside the military installations, finding them was hard for me. I started to be like, 'OK, let me pound the pavement a little more and see what's really going on.'"
Benson said she wanted to create a cultural hub in Honolulu for Black people, whether they were residents or just visitors. She started her business from her paychecks in 2020, now known as Afro Aloha.
Afro Aloha is a for-profit business that hosts events featuring folks from the Black community. It allows the community to connect and showcase their talents.
Over the Juneteenth weekend, Afro Aloha hosted two events: the Juneteenth Cookout and Black Is Art.
"Black Is Art is truly decolonizing what people think art is," Benson said. "We're proposing a completely different perspective saying, 'We are the art, so everything we create will be art.'"
The event showcased community talents in art, poetry and music.
Afro Aloha has also created and hosted the state's first Black Entrepreneur Awards. Benson said the awards ceremony was representative of the more than 200 Black-owned businesses she's worked with, and that there may even be more she's yet to discover.
Benson said the events are the visibility piece to Afro Aloha and only a part of its mission. Her business centers on art, culture, entrepreneurship, joy and wellness.
Afro Aloha was initially named Black Bazaar Honolulu. Benson said she recently rebranded it to get the message out to Black people on the neighboring islands to participate in the events.
"We want to amplify what you're doing, and we want you to have a space with us as well," Benson said. "That's the main reason for the rebrand."
When Benson started her business right before the COVID-19 pandemic, their first in-person event was in Waikīkī, highlighting local creators and business owners. She said about 250 people showed up to that event.
Once the state shut everything down, Benson said her business went virtual. She got creative by bringing clinical psychologists, financial advisors, musicians and other creators to talk to the community.
Her business was a way to give back to Hawaiʻi while bringing the Black community in a cohesive safe space.
"Afro Aloha gives people that confidence and that grace to find out who they really are," Benson said. "And we want people to find out who they really are, and we want them to navigate that. We're saying that while you're navigating that, be with your people."
Benson said she gets emotional when she sees the community she's created come together.
"It inspires me more when people say that they've been impacted by what Afro Aloha has done in their life," Benson said. "I truly thank God for the stamina because it's been a lot of work. I won't sit here and be like it's been a piece of cake."
Benson said she hopes to expand Afro Aloha by strengthening its infrastructure and by offering more jobs.
"I want people to know that joy does not have to be an afterthought," Benson said. "Not all black and brown folks' experiences have to be based on trauma. We get to experience some joy and should prioritize that when we can.”
