Atlanta’s Sundresses & Seersuckers Returns For fifteenth Yr

Organized by the Delta Mu Mu Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., the occasion has grown into one of many Peach State’s most anticipated traditions, drawing greater than 15,000 attendees from throughout the nation whereas straight benefiting its Dedication to Excellence 501(c)3, which has awarded over $700,000 in scholarships since 2009 to younger Black males.

Behind that progress is a management trio whose skilled backgrounds mirror the dimensions of the occasion itself.

Co-chair Larry Rasberry, a former finance government turned strategic funding advisor, has helped remodel Sundresses and Seersuckers right into a nationally acknowledged expertise since 2017, bringing monetary precision and operational technique to an occasion that now generates hundreds of thousands in income for group initiatives.

Alongside him, co-chair Wendell Span, a longtime educator and faculty principal, brings a community-first lens formed by greater than 20 years in academic management, making certain the occasion stays centered on entry, mentorship, and repair.

Rounding out the management is Patrick C. Daniel, chairman of Dedication to Excellence, and a veteran human assets government whose world company expertise informs the group’s strategic method to influence, workforce growth, and youth programming.

Collectively, they’ve helped evolve what was as soon as a day social gathering right into a multi-day cultural vacation spot attended by the likes of Jazze Pha, Jazmin Crockett, and Massive Tigger.

For Rasberry, the mission has at all times prolonged past leisure.

“We put loads of concentrate on not simply having a celebration or having an after social gathering or a most important occasion,” Rasberry informed BOSSIP. “We put loads of effort and time into creating an expertise. So when of us come to Sundresses, we would like them to be like, ‘Man, that was an expertise,’ not simply attending an occasion.”

That have now unfolds throughout a packed weekend lineup, starting Thursday with a golf outing and “nineteenth Gap” social, adopted by the Meet and Greet, a rising vendor market, sponsor activations, and Friday evening’s multi-room “Prequel,” a choose-your-own-vibe expertise that includes all the things from reside R&B and neo-soul to Afrobeats, go-go, and high-energy DJ units.

By Saturday, the main focus shifts to wellness and group with a morning bootcamp and panel dialogue with Black medical doctors earlier than the principle occasion takes over House Depot Yard.

The flagship gathering blends reside music, curated lounges, VIP experiences, and a Black beverage activation spotlighting greater than a dozen Black-owned manufacturers.

Span stated the enlargement from a single-day occasion right into a full weekend has been pushed by intentional iteration.

“Yearly, that’s our aim,” he stated. “We take heed to our patrons. We need to make it possible for as a result of they’re coming and supporting us, we’re stepping up our recreation yearly.”

That evolution has not come with out unanticipated challenges. After 2024’s S&S included water most important points and final yr’s included a extreme climate delay, Span is concentrated on one factor.

“My largest factor about this yr’s occasion is having water, however not having the rain,” he stated with amusing. “It seems to be like we’re going to get that this yr.”

At its core, Sundresses & Seersuckers is about attendees, some who’ve come yearly for the reason that begin.

The organizers informed BOSSIP that they continue to be agency in protecting the highlight on the individuals relatively than celeb headliners, a call that has change into central to the model.

“This occasion is in regards to the individuals,” Rasberry stated noting that they’ve vowed to by no means middle it round a celeb headliner. “It’s not a couple of nationwide recording artist. It’s about Sundresses and Seersuckers, the patrons and our sponsors, and most significantly, those who we’re in a position to influence.”

That influence is the place the occasion’s deeper significance comes into focus, with proceeds annually funneled into Dedication to Excellence’s Black Rhinos mentoring program, supporting scholarships and offering younger males with entry to management growth, life abilities coaching, and profession pathways.

Daniel, the chairman of CTE who additionally serves as Chief Human Assets Officer for a multi-location aviation enterprise, describes Sundresses and Seersuckers as each a cultural celebration and a automobile for long-term change.

“It’s greater than a second. It’s a motion,” he informed BOSSIP. “At first look, it seems to be like a vibe, and it’s. However what individuals don’t at all times see is that that is larger than a celebration.”

“When individuals present up, they’re not simply coming to look good,” he added. “They’re serving to fund scholarships. They’re supporting mentorship. They’re opening doorways that didn’t exist earlier than.”

That philanthropic basis has helped place Sundresses and Seersuckers as one of many largest fundraisers throughout the Divine 9, with organizers emphasizing that each element, from programming to partnerships, is designed to gasoline that mission.

The occasion’s progress has additionally translated into broader cultural affect. Attendees journey in from throughout the nation, drawn by what organizers describe as a uncommon focus of Black excellence, elevated model, and intentional power in a single house.

Its fame is bolstered by the occasion’s robust relationship with the town of Atlanta, together with assist from Mayor Andre Dickens, who attends and beforehand referred to the weekend because the “official kickoff of summer season.”

Security and curation stay central pillars. The occasion operates on an invitation-only mannequin, with managed entry, a strict costume code, and a sturdy safety presence designed to take care of its elevated environment.

“The protection and safety is paramount,” Rasberry stated. “Private security is paramount.”

That very same degree of intention extends to defending the model. Sundresses and Seersuckers is trademarked, and organizers have taken lively steps to protect its identification as comparable occasions emerge nationwide.

Nonetheless, Rasberry believes the true distinction lies in execution.

“You may get your grandmama’s recipe, however you received’t have the ability to put together it the best way that grandmama does,” he stated reciting a phrase stated by Delta Mu Mu chapter’s Keeper of Data & Seal, Justin Valentine.

For Span, the occasion’s that means is deeply private, rooted in each brotherhood and influence.

“It’s not even work,” he stated. “It’s being round individuals I care about and making one thing significant occur.”

Daniel echoed that sentiment, grounding the occasion in its bigger goal.

“If we don’t create alternative deliberately, it doesn’t occur,” he stated. “This is likely one of the ways in which we shut the gaps.”

As Atlanta prepares for one more weekend of seersucker fits, flowing sundresses, and an total expertise, Sundresses and Seersuckers continues to show that in a metropolis identified for exporting tradition, S&S’s celebration and influence can transfer in the identical rhythm./

Or, as Daniel put it, “What higher mixture can you’ve got?”