04/30/2025
At the Celebrate! Maya Project, international fashion designer and stylist Korto Momolu, was awarded the 2025 Spirit of Maya Award - a nod to her heart for humanity and undeniable creativity reflecting Dr. Maya Angelou’s passion for creativity, education, humanity, and social justice.
Prefaced by a sista-affirming, crown-adjusting, celebratory introduction from Afro-creative CC Mercer Watson that demanded regard for the recipient in the room, Momolu’s acceptance speech encouraged the audience to redefine what winning is and looks like. She addressed the sting of losing after giving her all on Bravo’s Project Runway reality TV show and that she had to see “losing” differently shortly thereafter because so many great things had manifested from that loss, including being a recipient of the 2025 Spirit of Maya Award at that moment.
Momolu spoke of her father’s educational and professional triumphs, her family’s relocation to Canada in 1990 due to the first Liberian Civil War, graduating from L'academies des Couturiers Design Institute in Ottawa, Ontario, and her mother's advocacy for her design talents. She shared her journey to Arkansas, the opportunities and experiences she’s acquired, and how she has made lasting relationships that she never would have had if not for her loss on Project Runway.
She spoke as a queen in her element—head high, voice steady, drippin’ with confidence and culture—specifically addressing the youth attending the event. Every word was laced with pride and encouragement.
A lifestyle magazine for Black Arkansans URBANE is Arkansas’ primary African American lifestyle publication. URBANE is a mood.
