“No sexism, no racism, no ableism, no ageism, no homophobia, no fat-phobia, no transphobia, no hatefulness.” The message Brooklyn’s Afropunk Festival sets out to spread each year is all about building a loving multicultural community. It transcends music and art—bringing with it a gender-defying, genre-bending, deeply personal mash-up of black pride, beauty, and celebration. Afros strung with baby’s breath, waist-length dreadlocks, and curls of every color highlight a truth as (if not more) important today as it was when the festival began 13 years ago: black is beautiful, no matter what.