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Mural on The Coin Toss off of Singleton Blvd. Artist unknown. Photography by Lauren editor@advocatemag.com Newsletter: advocatemag.com/newsletter
Dolls digital
to
Brooke Hart Jones and HBCyoU Dolls are ‘meeting kids where they are’
Story by JILLIAN NACHTIGAL | Photography by AMANI SODIQ
Brooke Hart Jones created HBCyoU Dolls to “share the magic of HBCUs.”
HBCyoU Dolls is the first and only Historically Black College and University (HBCU) doll line sold in major retail stores worldwide. An Oak Cliff native who graduated from Kimball High School, Jones went on to attend an HBCU herself.
“I went to Hampton University, which is a historically Black college, and it was really, really a wonderful experience,” Jones says. “It was a culture shock. … A lot of people from different socioeconomic backgrounds and kids of politicians and entertainers and businessmen and things. I still had some diversity there as well.”
Jones left college with a finance degree and decided she wanted to “take Wall Street by storm.” She immediately decided she was not a huge fan of finance and transitioned to merchandising.
“I enjoyed New York, but two and a half, almost three years was enough, and I realized that the University of North Texas had one of the best fashion merchandising programs in the country,” Jones says. “So I decided to attend UNT for fashion merchandising a few years after college, and then worked for JCPenney and their buying program for a while, and through turn of events, I ended up at Dave and Busters.”
She worked as a merchandise buyer at Dave and Busters, selecting the prizes that attendees win with their tickets.
“I was selecting those for close to 12 years, and it was an amazing, amazing experience, great, great culture there, a lot of fun,” Jones says. “But after 12 years, and I was turning 40 soon, I was like, I feel like it's time for me to make a change.”
She left Dave and Busters and worked at a hospital gift shop for a while. COVID hit, and a lot of retail and merchandising on the back end shut down. After being furloughed, the idea for HBCyoU Dolls came to be.
“I was looking for a birthday present for a little girl and thought it would just be a fun idea because her mom's a proud alumna like myself. I made (a doll) for her,” Jones says. “People on social media loved it, and I started selling them. I didn't even have a website when I started.”
She later partnered with Purpose Toys, which helped get the dolls into retail stores such as Walmart and Target.
Due to several factors, Jones and HBCyoU Dolls have recently undergone a rebrand.
HBCyoU Kidz, the new venture, is an animated sing-along YouTube and book series for kids. It introduces children to the history, culture and importance of HBCUs.
“(The dolls were) a wonderful journey for two and a half years, but now we’re revamping the brand and taking it more digital,” Jones says. “It’s a YouTube channel similar to Gracie’s Corner but still the same mission of sharing the magic of HBCUs. So fun little songs and videos teaching chil-
dren about HBCU culture and history, inspiring education, self-esteem, while having fun doing it, and also books as well.”
For now, the dolls are on hold.
“You know everything that's going on in the climate, economically and just a lot of uncertainty right now, I think it's best just to take a break on that for now and revisit that when times aren't so turbulent,” Jones says.
“Because 99.999% of toys are manufactured in China, it's kind of tough right now. I was already planning to take a break before all the tariffs and everything, just to relaunch the brand and take some time and then revisit the product.”
As far as physical items go, Jones will be focusing on books, coloring books and smaller novelty toys.
Another factor influencing this pivot is the shift to digital in the development of kids. Before, kids’ primary form of development was through playing with dolls and toys, Jones says, but a lot of that has now shifted to digital.
“Many kids watch YouTube, TikTok, cartoons. Our children play with toys a lot less than they used to. So we can complain about the evolution, or we can meet them where they are,” Jones says. “I've decided to kind of meet them where they are and provide safe, educational ways to introduce concepts of values and history and self-esteem, and that's why I'm launching the YouTube channel.”
HBCYoU Kidz has two books out now: Which Yard Should I Go?:
Alyssa's HBCU Road Trip Adventure and Miss Juneteenth: Nicole's Big Dream. There will also be a couple of videos about Juneteenth on the YouTube channel.
“I’ll also be introducing boy characters,” Jones says. “People would always ask me about when I was going to have boy dolls. Well, the cost of adding a new doll, you wouldn't believe me if I told you, just adding an additional doll. So that was difficult. But through this digital media, I can add as many characters as I like more easily.”
Being able to expand her audience and stay true to her mission is most important for Jones.
“My mission is to share the magic of HBCUs, and now doing it through YouTube at no cost, is able to spread that mission even further and reach more children,” Jones says. “It’s been a wonderful experience with the dolls, but I’m definitely excited for this new chapter.”
to grow
Woman-owned salon Crecer combines hair and plants
Story by JILLIAN NACHTIGAL | Photography by VICTORIA GOMEZ
Tucked among the murals and indie boutiques of Bishop Arts, there's a space where the scent of eucalyptus mingles with the buzz of clippers and where leafy green fronds sway gently over salon chairs.
Crecer Dallas Hair Salon in Bishop Arts is a Latina-owned, eco-conscious, gender-free priced, unisex beauty salon and plant shop. They offer plant-enriched beauty solutions, botanical hair treatment and an array of houseplants and plant-based retail.
Owner Nataly Medina’s family grew up in Oak Cliff, and she has always felt very connected to the community, which is why she decided to open her salon here.
“My grandmother raised like, 10 kids here, and we have lots of memories,” Medina says. “We've always grown up coming here most of our life. We had a granny right down the street, so many family and friends in the area. Since my dad is also from Mexico, there's a familiarity with the culture.”
Medina has been doing hair for nearly 13 years and is a barber by trade, which is rare as a woman, she says.
“It's a very male-dominated industry, and I've kind of made a reputation here in Dallas with just my style of hair cutting,” Medina says. “And I think it also put us on the map in other ways because we do any and everything. And we're unisex, which is very rare. You don't really come across salons where you do any and everything, from barbering to the cosmetology and the alternative stuff.”
Crecer has an all-female staff, and Medina’s stepsister, Cynthia Michelle Jasso, is the “plant lady.” The idea for Crecer came to be in 2020 when both Medina and Jasso lost their jobs during the pandemic.
“I just said, what if we just do a full-blown salon, and then we can sell plants because it's smart in terms of business, because it creates a kind of never-ending experience. Every time you come in, there are new plants,” Medina says. “We just kind of brought our two ideas
together and opened up a hair salon in the plant shop.”
She says they do a little bit of everything at Crecer, and anyone with any texture is welcome.
“In terms of anything hair cutting and color, it doesn't matter who you are,” Medina says. “That was really important for me, honestly, especially being a woman in the male-dominated industry.”
Crecer also uses all plant-based products.
“We’re very intentional with everything we pick out here,” she says. “Everything's plant-based from the retail products we're using, obviously, the plants, even the herbal teas that we serve, the drinks that we serve, everything is pretty much botanical, plant-based, plant-derived, to some extent.”
Medina says in her past gigs barbering, she didn’t always feel welcomed or treated the best. It was important to her to create a safe space with Crecer.
“I think it is important to also high -
light that we are very LGBTQ-friendly,” she says. “We're very accepting of just women, feminine energy, and we love each other, honestly.”
When they first opened, Medina says business was fairly slow. But through social media and foot traffic, things have picked up over the years.
“We’re kind of hidden, honestly. We don't have a huge sign outside,” Medina says. “So we're trying to get more visibility, slowly but surely. But I love the Bishop area. It's pretty chill. It's a mature crowd.”
One of the most important parts of her job, Medina says, is helping clients feel more confident.
“Energy is a big thing, and hair is super sacred,” Medina says. “ We have meetings, and we talk about how we can elevate the experience because it's a big deal. When you think about your identity, a lot of it does revolve around your hair; it's kind of crazy what your hair can do and how it can change a person.”
Crecer often does major transformations, and it’s common for people to come in wanting to go from super long hair to super short, or something not alternative to something very alternative.
“We see the craziest transformations here, and it's really cool,” she says. “It's awesome that people feel comfortable here. It's kind of a different generation now too. A lot of the younger crowds that come in here are able to kind of express themselves more freely. It's pretty dope to see.”
The word Crecer means “to grow,” and that is just what the salon aims to do.
“I am proud to say all the hairstylists that have worked here are able to really set their careers off or get a large following or have a platform,” Medina says. “Just seeing my staff, especially moms and stuff, be able to buy a car, buy a house, and to see it firsthand and experience it is super inspiring to see, and it motivates me to do more and want to give back more in any way that I can.”
Nataly Medina owns Crecer Hair Salon in the Bishop Arts area, which uses all plant-based products.
THE ZOO KEEPER
There was a point in Lisa New’s life where she spent her dusks and dawns in a little dingy boat off the Hawaiian coast studying spinner dolphins’ behavior as they rested in shallow waters after feeding overnight. Unlike the bottlenose dolphins that jump out of the water in arches, the more acrobatic spinner dolphins shoot straight up into the air.
“One would jump out of the water and spin, and then another would and another, and then all of a sudden, it was a symphony of animals all around you. And in just the blink of an eye, and almost silently, they were gone,” she says.
New had never flown on a plane before she went to Hawaii for that internship.
The next year, she was tracking humpback whales migrating from Australia to Hawaii with the Pacific Whale Foundation. She was doing population census work by photographing their flukes (the big tail at the back) and distinct markings on their dorsal fins. This was before digital technology, so the team would spend hours analyzing and comparing photos.
New grew up frequenting lakes in Tennessee near the Great Smoky Mountains and loved being in the water. In rustic fashion, the team would camp on the beach. One venture into the ocean, their small boat capsized, tossing their
equipment and the crew into the water.
Meet Lisa New, the Dallas Zoo’s CEO
Story by JEHADU ABSHIRO
“It might sound glamorous. It was really tedious hard work out in the Australian sun. But it was incredibly rewarding,” she says. “And I was happy as could be just to be out on the water every day looking at and being close to those animals.”
New’s love of animals wasn’t innate.
Her fascination with evolutionary biology and animal behavior began during undergrad at the University of Tennessee. Her family had dogs, a barn cat, and she occasionally spent some time with horses.
“My career trajectory toward working with animals was really about their behavior and how animals evolve and adapt to their environment,” she says. “And then along the way, I fell in love with all the animals.”
A first-generation college graduate, she comes from a close-knit family of tradesmen. Her father was a journeyman pipe fitter and an
amateur country musician, and her mother was a homemaker.
“My parents used to say that they would just put me to sleep on a pile of coats, and I would sleep there until it was time to go home at night, and if I started crying, I would always stop when the fiddles played.”
Despite her many afterschool activities, cheer, softball and student council, New made sure to see her grandparents regularly after school and on the weekends. One of her grandmothers did alterations for JCPenney.
“That was incredibly important to my grandmother that I go to college,” New says. “She had saved up all of her dimes and nickels over the years, and she wasn't alive when it was time for me to go to college. But you know, there was a small nest egg for me to get me started on my way.”
Photography by LAUREN ALLEN
Her brother died in a tragic fire when he was 18 years old and New was 21. Unbeknownst to New, he had made her the beneficiary of a life insurance policy.
“Him doing that changed the trajectory of my life,” she says. “I grieved a lot, and I considered dropping out of school just because I was such a mess. But I decided to stay in school and to use the money for something that he would have wanted for me.”
That’s when she headed to Hawaii and Australia. When her money ran out, she returned to Knoxville, where she was born and raised.
While waiting tables, she volunteered at Zoo Knoxville in the behavior and research departments. About this time, an opportunity to study orca whales was offered to her, but she just couldn’t afford it. Plus, her interest had shifted from marine biology.
She was eventually offered a full-time position in the research department. One of her tasks was caring for two orphaned chimpanzee babies, Mugsy and Lou.
“That also changed the trajectory of my career. I went from thinking that I wanted to be in academia and study evolutionary biology, probably focused on marine mammals to this love and fascination with great apes and particularly chimpanzees,” she says.
She went back to graduate school for a Master of Science in ethology, where she completed a practical small sample study of how to reintegrate the two chimpanzees back into a troop.
New then spent the next 30 years at Zoo Knoxville, shifting from conservation science to leadership. She has spent 20 of those years involved in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), an accreditation and conservation organization for 238 institutions globally.
New met Dallas Zoo’s former CEO Gregg Hudson in the early-2010s when she came to Dallas as an accreditation inspector five years after the zoo had
Opened in 2010, The Giants of the Savanna exhibit, now renamed to honor Hudson, is the first zoo in America to integrate zebras, elephants, ostriches and giraffes in the same enclosure, which mimics African grasslands,
been shifted from being a City-run organization to a privatized 501(c)(3).
Fort Worth Zoo-alum Hudson took the Dallas Zoo from being a struggling institution to financial solvency and increased yearly attendance to one million visitors.
“The change during that five year period was remarkable,” she says. “It really touched me at the time.
When she got back to Knoxville, she put her name in the hat to be the CEO of Zoo Knoxville, since the CEO had retired. Members of the board had already started encouraging her to apply.
“It was not a shoo-in. I was very inexperienced,” she says. “But, you know, Gregg Hudson had that kind of impact on me, and I was able to tell him that, multiple times, that, ‘You are one of the reasons that I pursued my career.’”
She was appointed as CEO Zoo Knoxville in 2013. In the 10 years she served as CEO, she was at the forefront of a $39 million capital campaign, increasing yearly attendance to more than 500,000 visitors, more than doubling the operating revenue and reconstruction projects.
Hudson and New continued to work alongside each other on various projects through AZA. One pillar of the organization is overseeing species population holistically across multiple institutions, which helps decrease selling or removing animals from the wild. It also looks at conservation in the wild through its Saving Animals from Extinction program (SAFE).
“When we work together, we're bigger than
the sum of our parts,” she says.
New helped with pushing legislation through for the 2022 Big Cat Public Safety Act, which focuses on restricting the selling and private ownership of big cats. The AZA was already working with federal organizations pre-Tiger King craze. Joe Exotic’s unaccredited Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park and Carole Baskin’s antics might have accelerated some things.
Hudson served as AZA’s chair of the board in 2018. New filled that role in 2023.
When Hudson died after battling cancer in 2023, the Dallas Zoo board hired a recruiting firm that reached out to New.
It was time to leave Tennessee.
“We had built some amazing things,” she says. “I had felt like I had taken it to a point where it was ready for fresh blood, and I could turn my attention somewhere else. It's not often in your life that you get the opportunity to shape a culture and have an impact on not just one institution, but two. So I just really couldn't turn it down.”
New was selected as the Dallas Zoo’s first female CEO in its 135-year existence in 2023. The organization has almost 400 employees, more than 2,000 animals
and more than 400 species on 106 acres in Oak Cliff. The Dallas Zoo has been involved with the confiscation of wild animals, like Oak Cliff rapper Trapboy Freddy’s tiger cub in 2023.
“We're routinely sought out and asked for our expertise in cases like this. DallasFort Worth, there are more illegal animals, either in the pet trade or the illegal wildlife movement,” New says. “Dallas-Fort Worth is one of the busiest airports in the country. So, another thing that Dallas Zoo is working on is being able to be a hub for this region in wildlife confiscations.”
Protecting the Twelve, a conservation effort for 12 individual species across Texas and the world, is nearing its end, and a deep dive into the impact of the efforts is next. There’s capital growth and new animal exhibits, like the new I Spy Butterfly, in the works. New says the Zoo is working in close partnership with Halperin Deck Park.
“It's been just a year and a half, and every day I'm continuing to be impressed and excited about working with them [staff],” she says.
New lives in Oak Cliff close to the Zoo. It’s the closest she can get to rolling, lush East Tennessee. She visits home often. She’ll stop by and see Lou who is still alive and in his late-30s to early-40s and resides in the Lisa New Chimpanzee Ridge. He still remembers New whenever she visits Zoo Knoxville.
EL MERO ES MÁS DIFERENTE
El Mero Mero is redefining street food in Dallas
Story by LORENZO ALMANZA | Photography by LAUREN ALLEN
OAK CLIFF IS HOME TO MANY ELOTEROS
. Many “corn men” serve the same dish: corn in a cup with mayonnaise, butter and cheese. Of course, you can add hot sauce if needed. However, “El Mero Mero Elotero” has aspired to be more than just an average elotero.
Rafael Peña and Amanda Monroy opened shop in 2021, as they took a chance on a new opportunity. It was there they found their passion for serving food. Their mission was to create food items that appealed to a variety of customers.
“Well, our goal is always to be different,” Monroy says. “So, that’s why we always included different food items and changed up the menu.”
You can find them all over Dallas serving items such as nachos, smash burgers, Mexican loaded hot dogs and aguas frescas.
The Dallas couple plans to further expand their menu as they recently upgraded to a food truck. This new transportation service will allow them to serve items outside their comfort zone.
“Now, with a truck, it makes it much more versatile,” Peña says. “I can do a whole lot more than I envisioned, and I still plan on hopefully bringing things that really appeal to everybody, so we’ll see.”
Since the truck comes with
multiple stoves and a burner, it will allow them to incorporate more items they never had.
One of the new items that Monroy hopes to include is pizza.
“I’ve been thinking of doing a Mexican-style pizza, which is really cool because we do a Mexican-style burger, and again, it’s always hard switching these menu items, but now we can actually serve them more often,” Monroy says. “So, that’s always going to be pretty fun.”
Other possible food items include carne asada, enchiladas and sopas, all of which will be easier now that they have a food truck.
“I hope to start making chocomiles. I grew up eating chocomiles. Man, those were a favorite of mine in the morning, like with some breakfast tacos or a little breakfast torta; it was amazing,” Peña says.
The couple got their food truck inspiration from local markets and food venues. They used their past childhood experience and diverse food knowledge to bring their inspiration to life.
"I’m no stranger; I was born in Texas. I love steak, I love this, I love that, so there’s potential for everything,” Peña says. “You start seeing a whole variety of stuff in the market, and that’s why I say we’re in a sense always having different stuff and
El Mero Mero serves a wide variety of Mexican street food, including nachos, smash burgers and Mexican loaded hot dogs.
With the food truck and menu intact, the couple will now revamp themselves to “El Mero Mero.” It’s a name they feel distinguishes themselves from when they first started off as an elotero. It also spurs future changes, as the duo has plans to take their food truck dreams to the next level.
“I feel like we did want to start with the elote cart, and then we wanted to end up with the food truck and then a restaurant, so for right now, I think we’re on track,” Peña says.
While the couple shared their dreams for the business, they also hope to build the impact they have on their community.
“It’s been a couple years now, and I love being a part of the community. I grew up a part of the community, and I would love to make the truck a part of the community,” Peña says. “If possible, I want to get in stadiums, I want to go here, I want to go there. I mean, I took a big investment because I thought I deserved it, and I appreciate the people that love my food and hope to bring that to everybody. Now, it’ll be more accommodating for everyone.”
Neville Crowell Jason Cuccia Jason Saucedo Kathy Hewitt Jeremy Moore
WAREHOUSE SALE
the fore front
Stories by JILLIAN NACHTIGAL | Photography by ETHAN GOOD
Oak Cliff women making a difference in our neighborhood
planting peace growing purpose
Armed with a passion for psychology, child development and a deep belief in the Montessori philosophy, Catalina Murcia transformed a humble 12-child daycare into Casa de Paz Montessori, a thriving, two-story haven of learning on Hampton Road.
Shaped by her upbringing, Murcia’s mission has always been clear: to nurture the innate curiosity of children and offer peaceful, purpose-driven education.
Murcia is a native of Bogota, Colombia and the founder of Casa de Paz Montessori School. She came to live in the States when she was 9 years old and has always been interested in psychology and child development. She graduated from the University of North Texas with a major in psychology and minor in early childhood development and family studies and got her AMI (Association Montessori Internationale) diploma from the Montessori Institute of North Texas.
Casa de Paz began in a little house when Murcia was pregnant with her first daughter. The first location served as a home-based daycare with a capacity of 12.
“I always wanted to open a Montessori School,” Murcia says. “That's what I studied. I studied education, and then got into Montessori. And there were a lot of options up north, but I didn't see very many here in the south, and specifically in Oak Cliff, where I grew up. So I wanted to provide high-quality Montessori education to the families that I grew up with here.”
They expanded to a building in Bishop Arts with a capacity of about 34, where they had toddler programs and primary programs with one classroom for each. They moved to their current location on Hampton Road in 2023, which is two stories and has capacity for about 140 people.
“I love seeing my students, seeing them play outside every day,” Murcia says. "It was a lot of work, and I’m really proud of everything that we've done for everybody and just together, because it hasn't just been me, it's because of all of the parents' support and the community that puts it all together.”
A Montessori school uses a unique educational approach developed by Maria Montessori that emphasizes child-led learning and independence. These schools focus on handson activities and allow children to explore their interests at their own pace. Montessori classrooms are designed to be self-contained environments where children can choose
their activities and work independently or in small groups.
Casa de Paz aims to keep children’s natural curiosity alive and provide them with the means of auto-education, meaningful work and the opportunity to build positive relationships with people of all age groups.
“I fell in love with it when I was in school because it is very humanistic and really focuses on understanding the human being. And it's very spiritual in a way,” Murcia says. “Dr. Montessori’s books are about peace and creating peace within to be able to create it in the world. So she felt that if you provide humans with what their spirit, their being is asking for, what they naturally need through each stage of development, you will have adults who are fulfilled and know their purpose.”
Casa de Paz offers parent and baby classes starting at three months on Saturdays, 18 months to age 3 is their toddler community, and they started an elementary program two years ago.
The toddler program guides children through key developmental milestones within an inviting, nurturing environment. Toddlers freely explore four enriching areas designed to support holistic growth: practical life, language, psycho-motor development and the outdoor garden.
The primary classroom serves children within environments designed for holistic growth. Children engage with five distinct areas that support cognitive, emotional and physical development: practical life, sensorial, language, mathematics and art, music and movement.
The elementary program embraces Montessori’s cosmic education, fostering interconnected learning across subjects such as geography, history, science and math. In a collaborative, mixed-age environment, students engage in meaningful projects, pursue independent research and participate in frequent outings and hands-on culinary experiences.
The school recently celebrated its 19th anniversary, and Murcia looks forward to continuing to provide meaningful education in Oak Cliff.
“I'm pretty proud that we've been here, that this continues to grow and that hopefully it'll be here for a very long time, for many generations, for my children and grandchildren, to be able to be here and to serve the community for a very long time,” Murcia says. “Most of our families stay for a long time.”
world champ
By day, Shurretta Metcalf juggles the chaos of raising two boys and running her businesses. But when the gloves go on, she becomes a world champion.
Metcalf is a proud Oak Cliff native who recently won a world boxing title as the International Boxing Federation Bantamweight World Champion, and whose life is a balance of being a professional boxer, a mom and a business owner.
She owns a boutique and a salon called the Headquarters Deluxe studios across from Red Bird Mall.
“Since I'm from Oak Cliff, I like to be in the area where I'm from, and I like to just give back to the area where I'm from,” Metcalf says. “I do community service, I go to meetings and go to the schools when they have events.”
While she is a proud business owner, her two boys are her biggest pride and joy. She started underground boxing in 2012 as another way to make ends meet and support her family.
“It was just another way to make some money to take care of my kids,” Metcalf says. “Because my oldest son, he’s autistic. So I couldn't really have a lot of jobs where I could be away from him as much.”
In 2014, she began boxing as an amateur and went number five in the country as an amateur boxer. She turned pro in 2016, and in October 2024, Metcalf took the world stage, winning her new title, International Boxing Federation Bantamweight World Champion.
She was fighting in the 122 weight class but moved down to 118 where she defeated former world champion Melissa Oddessa. She then went on to fight Miyo Yoshida for the first time in November 2023. That win led her to be ranked and allowed her to go for the world title.
She ended up having to wait a year to fight Yoshida for the world title, but in a fight at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Metcalf won in a unanimous decision.
Just five days after winning the belt, Metcalf turned 40 years old.
“It's so surreal for me because I manifested this,” Metcalf says. “I kept saying, ‘I'm going to be a world champion,’ and I just kept working. I never let nobody tell me that I was too old, because
in boxing, they'll tell you you're too old. Then where I'm from being a Black female, it's going to be two or three times even harder. But I didn't let that stop me. I just kept training.”
Metcalf says the city has been very supportive of her throughout her journey to becoming a champion.
“I beat those top girls, I just have to keep beating them,” Metcalf says. “I'm very happy I have the city just cheering me on and letting me know, like, ‘Hey, don't stop. You’re giving a lot of people hope here.’ And that’s why I’m here.”
She recently signed with Jake Paul's MVP and is set to be the undercard fight for an all-women boxing card at Madison Square Garden. The all-women boxing card is on July 11 and can be seen on Netflix.
Jake Paul's MVP (Most Valuable Promotions) is a boxing promotion company co-founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian in 2021. MVP aims to create a global boxing platform focused on digital storytelling and live events, prioritizing the interests of the fighters. They have signed a number of notable boxers, including Holly Holm and Amanda Serrano.
“This is the icing on the cake,” Metcalf says. “I'm just super excited about this fight. I've been in training camp now for this fight, and I'm going to get some more belts.”
Recently, the historic title bout for Metcalf had a curveball thrown its way five weeks ahead of the fight.
In a switch of opponents, Metcalf, the reigning IBF Bantamweight World Champion, will now face Most Valuable Promotions’ newest signee and WBA Bantamweight World Champion Cherneka Johnson for the undisputed bantamweight title.
Metcalf also finds ways to give back to her community. She rents out her salon to people who can't afford long-term booth rentals. She also trains other boxers and is an advocate for domestic violence survivors and autism awareness.
One of the most important aspects of her journey is being an inspiration to her sons.
“I'm a single mom, so I wanted my kids to always have a role model that's close to them, letting them know we do have obstacles,” Metcalf says. “My son with autism, he's going to have some obstacles. … So I just try to show my kids like, ‘Hey I love you guys. No matter what, I do this for you guys.’ I say your mom gets punched in the face to take care of you. Them being in my life is the reason I am who I am today.”
reimagining mental health
The early seeds of Jessica Gomez’s calling were planted on park benches beside her father, where her curiosity about people first took root.
Now the executive director of Momentous Institute, Gomez brings a deeply personal lens to her leadership, shaped by her own struggles with anxiety and depression, her identity as a first-generation Mexican-American and her mission to create culturally responsive mental health care for families like the one she came from.
A Chicago native, Gomez moved to Dallas 14 years ago.
“So I'm a South Sider from Chicago, born and raised. Thought I was going to do my whole career there and give back to my community, given some of my lived experiences,” Gomez says. “I always say I became a psychologist when I started going to the park with my dad and sitting on the bench and having just that curious mind.”
She says her upbringing led to her interest and involvement in mental health services.
“The South Side of Chicago is a really diverse, robust, beautiful community with a rich history, but I also started to notice some things,” Gomez says. “Why did my family have to run across town to have healthy foods at a grocery store because it wasn't available or that my parents had to pay for private school, which was such a significant burden for them, because the schools in my community were not safe for me. So a lot of those kind of differences in the community I lived in, I think, set me up for that trajectory.”
Gomez had her own struggles with mental health with anxiety and depression. As a first-generation Mexican-American, Gomez says it was a struggle to find a therapist who understood her culture and context.
“Mental health wasn't something that my family talked about. It was hugely stigmatized,” Gomez says. “I know it is in many families, but in my family, you just don't talk about those things. The vocabulary didn't even exist in my language. I think I was 18 or so when I said, I'm going to make sure no one ever has to go through this. And so that set me up to become a psychologist.”
Gomez ended up in Dallas because she wanted to train in a community that had few resources. She learned that Texas had some of the highest rates of mental illness and very few psychologists, especially ones who speak Spanish.
She did her residency at Momentous Institute and fell in love with the work that they were doing.
“I felt like my voice was prioritized here,” Gomez
says. “The psychologists that were training us said that in order for you to know how to value your client, you have to feel valued.”
Gomez started as an intern and worked her way up to the position she is in now. She was a psychologist for over 10 years, training others, working with families and at the school.
Four years ago, the position for executive director opened up, and Gomez realized that in its 100-year history, Momentous Institute had never had someone that looks like the community they serve lead the organization.
“I think I had significant support from staff and the families we serve that it was time that the organization was led by someone who had kind of walked a similar walk as our families had,” Gomez says. “It's an incredible responsibility. I feel like I push myself to always make decisions based upon those voices that I've heard in the therapy room and in the classroom to make sure I'm always making decisions on what best benefits them. So, huge responsibility, incredible honor. And I love that the children who come here see me, and they can see themselves in me.”
Momentous Institute specializes in trauma-informed, culturally responsive, family-based mental health services for young people and their families.
“What makes us unique is that you don't have to have insurance if you can't financially afford it, families determine what they can afford to pay, whether that's $10, full fee or scholarship, and we don't have session limits,” Gomez says. “So treatment is really focused on their goals and helping them heal. And we've got 30 professionals, and in a year, more than 12,000 sessions of therapy to people who would otherwise not have.”
They offer services to children ages 0 to 15 and their families. All programming is offered in both English and Spanish, and there is no requirement to live in a specific ZIP code. Mental health services are offered in-person and via telehealth.
“If we start to recognize that mental health is a state of action, that there are small things you can do every single day that are manageable, whether it's staying hydrated, going to sit at the park, meeting with a friend, moving your body, even if it's just dancing in your kitchen, (because I do that very often), those are things I can do every day, right?” Gomez says. “It doesn't have to be these huge, significant moves, but if you cultivate it little by little, that's what we want to teach people. That's what we teach our children in the school and in our services.”
‘KEEP OAK CLIFF WEIRD!’
Women of the Oak Cliff Film Festival talk about what makes the event special
Story by KENA SOSA
Photography by JESSICA TURNER
Submissions coordinator Lauren Alberque
“The Oak Cliff Film Festival has grown substantially over the past few years, but we have maintained our mission of celebrating and championing brave and independent filmmaking, while cultivating a film community in our unique neighborhood of Oak Cliff,” festival co-director Ashton Campbell says.
The Oak Cliff Film Festival, which took place in late June this year, is a program of the nonprofit Oak Cliff Film Society, and the event draws in theaters, venues and businesses. Behind the scenes, there are many creative women who help make the festival possible, including submissions coordinator Lauren Alberque, who has a special affection for Oak Cliff.
“The Oak Cliff neighborhood has a rich, authentic and unapologetic culture — a distinct voice in the DFW metroplex,” Alberque says. “OCFF aims to celebrate that unabashed commitment to community, the arts and the underdog. Keep Oak Cliff weird!”
Festival coordinator Emily Edwards has a bachelor’s degree in radio, TV and film from the University of North Texas and has worked as a producer with major networks like Netflix, TLC and A&E. Edwards takes inspiration from fun female leads like Elvira, Mistress of the Dark as well as Lucille Ball and Julia Child.
Edwards points out that back in 2011, there was a need to create a space where local storytellers could connect with their audiences. Oak Cliff had that creative and community-grown space to offer.
“Fourteen years later and this community is alive and vibrant,” she says.
Edwards wants to expand on the festival’s educational programs and push for year-long programming. She acknowledges that managing a festival can be exhausting because of all the moving parts.
“As stressful as it can be, there’s nothing better than making it to closing night and hearing filmmakers and festival goers tell us how much they enjoyed themselves and thanking us for our hard work while we celebrate another successful year in the books,”
she says before pausing. “Scratch that. The only thing better than that is seeing repeat volunteers that keep coming back year after year to help us put on this amazing festival.”
Edwards loves hearing feedback about how accessible the festival is, making it a more personal experience for filmmakers and audiences. The festival also gives back locally. OCFF embraces local businesses and sponsors, tying together the entire community. Through the OCFF, the organization brings in local musicians and artists, highlights the area’s history and offers free student filmmaking workshops that open the doors to youth learning about filmmaking. Some of them even get to screen their films at the festival.
Submissions embrace all cultures, genres and stories making special memories while opening minds. Edwards lights up to reveal, “One of my favorite memories was back in 2023, we had a high school Mariachi band come perform ahead of our opening night documentary Going Varsity in Mariachi . You could feel the excitement in the room as they paraded up the aisles to the front of the stage.”
With filmmakers from all over the world and submissions increasing every year, Alberque has her work cut out for her. She just joined the team last year after co-hosting Dallas Home Movie Day when she met festival co-director and co-founder Barak Epstein at The Texas Theatre and decided that getting involved was how she could contribute to the film community in Dallas.
Alberque, who holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in cinematography from Columbia College and a master’s degree in library science from UNT, is passionate about film production and preservation. She has played a part in preservation projects in museums from Dallas to Chicago. She also co-hosts the yearly Dallas Home Movie Day.
With such a love for film and so many delicious treats in the festival submissions, it can be brutal to slim down the list of films that will be shown.
“There is a delicate balance between knowing your own taste and what plays well to your audience. I also consider the storytellers — are these stories that we don't often hear or have exposure to? New voices from different parts of our community?” Alberque says. “Do these films further the diverse and multifaceted universe of cinema? Of course, on a more literal and deliberate level — polished, clear and often vulnerable visions. This doesn't mean a big budget
and a recognizable name, but work that is intentional and genuine in its storytelling.”
As submission trends change, so has the gallery of films. Some fads fade fast, but one welcome evolution seen at the festival is the booming number of submissions by female filmmakers. The festival is seeing more and more female filmmakers and youth filmmakers as obstacles and access have changed throughout the years. That sentiment was repeated by Chelsie Pennello, a Washington, D.C. filmmaker who enjoys unexpected characters and a theme of grace. Her work has been featured at Tribeca and other festivals. Pennello is also a recipient of the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities 2024 and 2025 Fellowship.
“My short film, Mandarins , played at OCFF 2023. It was a truly magical experience that I would not shut up about to all my filmmaker friends afterwards,” Pennello says. “The warmth of the community at Oak Cliff and their top notch programming (shoutout to Going Varsity in Mariachi ) made me want to come back year after year.” Not only that, but Pennello was equally as enthusiastic about the punk show held behind the theater screen between films.
She is excited to have her dark comedy short, Cherry-Colored Funk , playing at the OCFF this year. Pennello is currently working on her first feature film. And so many of the submissions recently are from local talent.
“It's awesome to see such high-caliber work coming out of DFW,” Alberque says. “This was a record-breaking year for submissions; it's great to see such an active community of filmmakers, but it definitely makes it that much harder to only select a handful of films.”
OCFF is about the films, but it’s also about the people. Campbell is most satisfied seeing the festival bringing people together in a way that is appreciative and inspiring, a mood that makes you want to go on to create.
“Most importantly, we have always been about bringing people together, and that continues to be the heartbeat of the festival,” Campbell says.
That is the intent of the festival to support, inspire and bring together filmmakers, audiences and art. Campbell says that when the festival is in full swing, “the love, excitement and camaraderie is palpable.”
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