by Khalilah Jones | photos by Brian Dunn & Corrine Ice | Creator Hub
How are you living a life worth remembering?
There comes a moment when you stop looking over your shoulder for the people who raised you—and realize someone is looking over theirs at you.
Maybe it’s your son or daughter.
Maybe it’s your niece who thinks you’re the coolest person she knows.
Maybe it’s a young professional watching how you carry yourself in the workplace.
Maybe it’s someone you’ve never even met who quietly admires the way you move through the world.
Whether we acknowledge it or not, somebody is always learning from us.
That’s the heartbeat behind the 2026 Soul Of Cville theme, Future Heirlooms: We Are The Ancestors.
It isn’t just a theme. It’s a mirror.
When most of us hear the word “ancestor,” we think of people who have already transitioned. We think of grandparents whose recipes still live in our kitchens. Grandfathers whose work ethic still shapes our mornings. Aunties whose wisdom still echoes in our decisions. The church mothers. The neighborhood elders. The mentors who saw something in us before we saw it in ourselves.
Many of us are who we are because somebody planted seeds they knew they might never sit under.
So now the question becomes:
What are we planting?
Because one day, somebody will tell stories about us.
Will they remember our kindness?
Our courage?
Our generosity?
Our resilience?
Or will they remember that we settled for “good enough” when greatness was calling our name?
Legacy is not created after we’re gone.
It is being written right now.
Every conversation.
Every decision.
Every boundary.
Every apology.
Every act of courage.
Every moment we choose integrity over convenience.
Especially in the Black community, where our ancestors fought for opportunities we now walk through every day, Future Heirlooms: We Are The Ancestors asks us to think beyond photographs and family reunions. It asks us to consider what we are leaving behind.
Our ancestors did not just leave us family names.
They left determination.
Faith.
Resourcefulness.
Culture.
Music.
Recipes.
Traditions.
Hope.
But they also left us a lesson many of us are still learning to unlearn.
Sometimes survival came at the expense of rest.
Sometimes strength came at the expense of self-care.
Sometimes “keep pushing” became the only language they knew.
We honor their brilliance by preserving it, but we do not have to inherit every burden.
Some of the greatest heirlooms we can pass down are not things at all.
Healthy boundaries.
Emotional intelligence.
Therapy.
Financial literacy.
Joy without guilt.
Permission to rest.
The confidence to say “no.”
The courage to choose peace.
Self-care is not selfish.
It is generational stewardship.
Imagine your grandchildren growing up believing that taking care of themselves is normal because they watched you do it first.
That is legacy.
The truth is, living a life worth passing on is not easy.
Excellence never is.
Especially Black excellence.
It asks more of us.
More discipline.
More grace.
More perseverance.
More courage.
It means choosing purpose when mediocrity feels easier. Choosing character when shortcuts are available. Choosing community when individual success would be more convenient.
The bare minimum has never changed history.
It has never built communities.
It has never inspired generations.
If we are serious about leaving this world better than we found it, then mediocrity simply will not do.
Our children deserve more than stories about what could have been.
They deserve examples.
That is exactly what Soul Of Cville exists to celebrate.
Not perfection.
People who keep showing up.
People who build.
People who create.
People who mentor.
People who lead.
People who choose community over competition.
People who understand that success means very little if no one is coming behind you.
This August, Soul Of Cville invites the community to do more than attend a festival.
We’re inviting you to participate in a movement.
A movement that honors where we’ve been while intentionally building where we’re going.
Soul Of Cville 2026
August 10 through August 16, 2026
The week begins on Monday, August 10, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., with the Prolyfyck, Soul Of Cville & Jefferson School Legacy Celebration, commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Jefferson School City Center.
At the heart of the evening is the Legacy Run, where generations will quite literally pass the torch. Older runners will hand it to younger runners, creating a powerful visual reminder that every generation carries a responsibility to prepare the next.
Yes, this is a run.
But it is also a promise.
Next up, and new for Soul Of Cville, we are bridging the gap between generations intentionally and with purpose. On Wednesday, August 12, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., the Legacy Lounge: A Sophisticated Harlem Renaissance Garden Affair takes over the Fralin Museum outdoor area.
Dress code: Harlem Renaissance chic.
Expect heavy hors d’oeuvres from The Pie Guy, signature drinks The Ancestor and The Heir, sultry jazz, neo soul, and classic old school sounds performed by Jen Tal, red carpet photo opportunities, and a phone booth activation where guests can leave messages for the future—or share poignant thoughts with their younger selves.
Photographer: Corrine Ice at Creator Hub
There will be dancing, light conversation, and real talk about living with intention and what legacy actually means.
This event is for the Legacy Holders—Aunties, Mamas, Uncs, Daddies, and all the grown folks carrying wisdom—and the Legacy Carriers—young adults, emerging leaders, and the next generation stepping into their power.
We are all about Black Joy as resistance, and we stand ten toes down on the belief that we do not postpone joy.
The time to celebrate, uplift, and enjoy each generation is now.
If you have a child, mentee, protégé, or loved one you want to bring into a space designed for connection, conversation, and culture, this is the one you do not want to miss.
Then comes one of Charlottesville’s most anticipated celebrations. The 2026 Best In Black Cville is presented by Vinegar Hill Magazine, sponsored by United Way, and produced by Chic & Classy Image Consulting with generous support from Nothing Bundt Cakes and the Uplift Our Local Community and Building Our Economic Wealth initiatives of the Eta Phi Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
On Friday, August 14, from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m., the Best In Black Awards Ceremony returns to Live Arts Theater, hosted by Ahmad “Ball Hawk” Hawkins and Jenette Solomon of 29News.
The evening celebrates the excellence that already exists in our community while inspiring the excellence still to come.
Guests will experience “The Blueprint and The Becoming,” an intimate Black business owners panel featuring DJ Marvalous (Richard Johnson) of Hit The Deck World Class DJ Services, James “Littlez” Dowell, co-founder of Prolyfyck Run Creww, and the owners of Nothing Bundt Cakes Charlottesville. Together, they’ll share honest conversations about entrepreneurship, unconventional paths to ownership, and what it really means to build a legacy that extends beyond business.
The celebration continues with performances by Elite Empire, including their inspiring Parent Squad, the Woodard Properties and Chic & Classy Image Consulting 2026 Let’s Intentionally Thrive (L.I.T.) Legacy Award scholarship presentation (by the way, we are accepting applications until Friday, July 31st https://forms.gle/uVcWCSUts8jGwGB66), community awards, and a breathtaking multigenerational fashion show that perfectly embodies Future Heirlooms: We Are The Ancestors.
This year also brings new opportunities to invest in your own future.
The Black Professional Network is back to host an exclusive VIP Reception where you can mix and mingle with movers and shakers, while aspiring entrepreneurs and professionals can reserve a spot for The Legacy Portrait Experience by Kreative Kulture. These professional pop-up branding sessions have limited availability and require advance registration. Once the spots are filled, they’re gone.
Guests will also enjoy sweet treats from Nothing Bundt Cakes, signature cocktails including The Ancestor, the signature mocktail The Heir, and unforgettable moments designed to celebrate culture, connection, and community.
This event WILL sell out. Snag your tickets here: https://buytickets.at/soulofcville/2304209
The celebration continues on Saturday, August 15, with Soul Of Cville Saturday at IX Art Park from 5:00 to 10:00 p.m.
This is a free community event.
Expect an evening overflowing with live music, a live band, performances, 40+ local vendors, interactive art-making, yard games, food, and community fellowship.
This year’s highly anticipated multigenerational fashion show returns with its own dedicated performance space, creating an intimate experience unlike any before. You are in for a treat because the Miss Cville Juneteenth organization will be ripping the runway alongside Greedy American by Style University and Chic & Classy Image Consulting, with Dream Luxe Beauty on makeup.
This is truly a multigenerational, multi-faceted, and multitalented collaboration meant to honor those who’ve come before us, recognize those doing the work now, and pour into those who will carry our culture into the future.
Because seating is limited and the show takes place indoors, free tickets must be reserved in advance. No tickets will be available at the door, so don’t wait to secure your spot. Reserve your fashion show ticket here: https://buytickets.at/soulofcville/2304264
Last, but certainly not least, something brand new to the 2026 lineup: Soul Of Cville Sunday Brunch takes place on Sunday, August 16, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at two locations: Order Up! Mobile Food & Catering (now newly located at the historic Jefferson School City Center) and Royalty Eats on Cherry Ave.
Soulfully delicious brunch offerings and drinks will be available for purchase at both partner restaurants.
Space is limited.
Free advance reservations are required.
Reserve your spot here: Feast of Reason: Soul of Cville Sunday Brunch Edition
About Soul Of Cville Sunday Brunch
This year’s event honors Chef Edith Hern Fossett, the celebrated French-trained, former White House and Monticello head chef, and the matriarch of Charlottesville’s food scene. During the presidency of Thomas Jefferson, Chef Edith’s elaborate state dinners became legendary, with guests noting that “never before had such dinners been given in the President’s House.” As a freed woman of color, she and her family later resettled in the free state of Ohio, where they continued to help define American cuisine for generations.
Soul Of Cville Sunday Brunch 2026 is co-hosted as part of Monticello’s Feast of Reason program, in collaboration with The Getting Word African American History Department at Monticello, the Charlottesville-Albemarle Visitors & Convention Bureau (CACVB), and Discover Black Cville. Specially designed conversation cards invite people to eat together and discuss questions that shape our civic life. Inspired by this timeless, community-building tradition and the extraordinary legacy of enslaved chefs such as Edith Hern Fossett and James and Peter Hemings, Feast of Reason creates space for curiosity, listening, and meaningful connection.
And when the festival ends each evening, keep your eyes open—the celebration continues with official after-parties, because this truly is a weekend created for the culture.
As we gather this August, we’ll celebrate the shoulders we stand upon.
We’ll remember the elders who poured into us.
We’ll honor the mentors who believed in us.
We’ll celebrate the parents, grandparents, neighbors, teachers, coaches, and community builders whose fingerprints are still on our lives.
But we’ll also accept something equally powerful.
We are no longer just carrying their legacy.
We are creating our own.
Someone is watching us right now.
Someone is becoming because of how we choose to live today.
May we leave them something beautiful.
May we leave them something lasting.
May we leave them more than memories.
May we leave them Future Heirlooms.
Because We Are The Ancestors.
The 2026 Soul Of Cville Festival is presented by Chic and Classy Image Consulting, 101 Jamz, Beyond Fitness by Sabrina, and IX Art Park, sponsored by Albemarle County, the City of Charlottesville, UVA, J.F. Bell Funeral Home, CACF, and supported by Virginia Humanities.
Visit the website for tickets and more information: Soul of Cville | IX Arts Foundation | Charlottesville
Visit the website for tickets and more information: Soul of Cville | IX Arts Foundation | Charlottesville
