08/21/2025
This month is Black August, where we honor the complex history of resistance and the enduring struggle for Black liberation. ✊🏿
We’re so honored to have Effie Burt, who was in the first desegregated class at Lafayette High School in Orwood, Mississippi, blessing us with her presence and Koko Taylor-inspired vocal prowess. 🎵
Wanna hear the story of how her protest toward the school’s anti-Black and discriminatory policies played a major role in helping to create a more accepting environment for Black students near and far?
Back in the day, her high school (like many around the country) banned afros, claiming they would limit students’ ability to learn and see the board. 😒
So, y’all know what Effie did?! Baby, she pulled up with a blonde wig down her backside, shakin’ and flippin’ it every day to highlight the absurdity and hypocrisy of their rules around “acceptable hair” until the principal was so bothered that they allowed her and other students to wear their fros! 🎉
Despite being suspended for wearing dashikis, as the Afrocentric garb was frowned upon, Effie was resilient and persisted in showing her pride in her Blackness.
In adulthood, she continued to fight civil rights violations in court to demand for justice for her people. Now, as a grandmother in her 60s, she continues to honor the movement through gospel-blues singing and musical remembrance work. 🙏🏾
Witness the great Effie Burt this Sunday, 8/24, at 5 PM for $10! 🎫 We’ve got dinner and drinks for sale and a sweet atmosphere like nowhere else. 🌲
