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The city kicked off Black History Month with big energy and bigger hats, coming together for a lively salute to longtime volunteer and civic leader Bettye Lofton while celebrating the history of their crowns. Fir ewi l d on Main hosted Elgin’s Hatitude celebration last week with support from the city and the Elgin Sub District Ministers Wives and Widows.
Caps of varied style and color took center stage for the annual celebration, recognizing Lofton’s decades of service. From chairing the Juneteenth Festival committee and leading the annual Bastrop County MLK Holiday Commission Walk to singing in the Elgin Gospel Choir and serving on City Council — Lofton has long been known for her compassion, empathy and ability to bring people together, city officials said.
The event also highl ighted the rich cultural tradition behind Hattitude. Sonja Wright shared insights from her wr it ten piece, “HATS,” describing how the significance of head coverings is rooted in scriptures and African heritage.
She explained that for Black women, hats have represented both humility before God and a powerful symbol of resilience.
During slavery, head wraps — once vibrant in Africa — were forced into plain materials intended to diminish individuality. Over time, however, these coverings became “a vehicle of empowerment,” evolving from a symbol of oppression into crowns of dignity and faith, she said.
Today, ac c or d ing to Wr ight, bright ly adorned church hats celebrate a history of perseverance and uplift Black women, who saved what they could to buy a special Sunday hat.
“The wearing of a crown on Sunday captures a captivating custom, a peculiar merging of faith and fashion that keeps the Sabbath day both holy and glamorous,” Wright said.
Wright encouraged attendees to wear their own crowns with pride, reminding them that a hat can speak volumes about personal identity, faith and style long before a single word is spoken.
