Oak Cliff Advocate

07/18/2025

Many creative women help make The Oak Cliff Film Festival possible, including submissions coordinator Lauren Alberque, who has a special affection for Oak Cliff. ⁠
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“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!”⁠
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Festival coordinator Emily Edwards takes inspiration from fun female leads like Elvira, Mistress of the Dark as well as Lucille Ball and Julia Child. She 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.⁠
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The festival is seeing more and more female filmmakers and youth filmmakers. That sentiment was repeated by Chelsie Pennello, a Washington, D.C. filmmaker who enjoys unexpected characters and a theme of grace. “My short film, 'Mandarins,' played at OCFF 2023,” Pennello says. “The warmth of the community at Oak Cliff and their top-notch programming made me want to come back year after year.” 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. ⁠
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https://oakcliff.advocatemag.com/2025/06/the-women-of-the-oak-cliff-film-festival/
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📷️: Clockwise: Brianna Brasher, box office manager; Andrea Jameson, volunteer coordinator; Lauren Alberque, submissions coordinator; Rebekah Webb, assistant volunteer coordinator by ⁠

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Clockwise: Lauren Alberque, submissions coordinator; Andrea Jameson, volunteer coordinator; Brianna Brasher, box office manager; Rebekah Webb, assistant volunteer coordinator. “The Oak Cliff Film Festival has grown substantially over the past few years, but we have maintained our mission of celebr...

07/17/2025

Taco y Vino has been a Bishop Arts staple since 2018, serving its award-winning brunch and the signature "six tacos and a bottle of wine" special. They will soon be opening a second location in Garland.

07/17/2025

Dallas Zoo’s first female CEO, Lisa New had never flown on a plane before she went to Hawaii for an internship studying spinner dolphins. The next year, she was tracking humpback whales migrating from Australia to Hawaii with the Pacific Whale Foundation. While at the University of Tennessee, she volunteered at Zoo Knoxville in the behavior and research departments and was offered a full-time position in the research department. One of her tasks was caring for two orphaned chimpanzee babies, Mugsy and Lou.⁠
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“My career trajectory toward working with animals was really about their behavior and how animals evolve and adapt to their environment. And then along the way, I fell in love with all the animals.”⁠
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New then spent the next 30 years at Zoo Knoxville, shifting from conservation science to leadership. She was appointed as CEO Zoo Knoxville in 2013 and a decade later, was selected as the Dallas Zoo’s CEO. New lives in Oak Cliff close to the Zoo. It’s the closest she can get to rolling, lush East Tennessee. ⁠
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She visits Knoxville often. She’ll stop by and see Lou, the chimpanzee 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.⁠
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https://oakcliff.advocatemag.com/2025/06/lisa-new/

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.

07/16/2025

Dallas Sanitation officials recently announced the City will move to end alley garbage pickup for more than 20,000 customers in 2026.

On the map, customer locations identified with blue dots will be transitioned the week of January 19, 2026. Customer locations identified with green dots will be transitioned the week of July 20, 2026. Dallas Sanitation officials recently announced the City will move to end alley garbage pickup

07/16/2025

In May 2024, the restaurant formerly known as Beckley 1115 rebranded to “Swank: A Neighborhood Restaurant.” Swank will now close as part of an expansion and rebranding, with their last dinner service being July 26.

07/16/2025

The Oak Cliff Art Walk will return for its fifth year at a new location on Oct. 4.

07/14/2025

Oak Cliff native and musician Dezi 5 will headline the historic Kessler Theater on August 9 in a performance that marks a new chapter in his career.

Oak Cliff native and musician Dezi 5 will headline the historic Kessler Theater on August 9 in a performance that marks a new chapter in his career. His breakout single, “Pick Up Your Phone,” recently advanced to the first round of NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest,

07/14/2025

“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,” Brooke Hart Jones says. ⁠
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Jones, an Oak Cliff native who graduated from Kimball High School, attended an HBCU. “I went to Hampton University, which is a historically Black college, and it was really, really a wonderful experience.” Jones wanted to “share the magic of HBCUs.” She says, “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.” ⁠
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Jones went on to sell HBCyoU dolls in major retail stores worldwide, but logistical problems and costs caused her to pivot. 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. ⁠
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https://oakcliff.advocatemag.com/2025/06/brooke-hart-jones-and-hbcyou-dolls-are-meeting-kids-where-they-are/
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📷️: 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

07/11/2025

“We see the craziest transformations here, and it’s really cool,” says owner of Crecer Dallas Hair Salon, Nataly Medina. “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.”⁠
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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 ... You don’t really come across salons where you do any and everything, from barbering to the cosmetology and the alternative stuff.”⁠
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Crecer, which translates “to grow,” encompasses the shop because they not only use all plant-based products, but also sell houseplants. "We’re very intentional with everything we pick out here. 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.”⁠
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https://oakcliff.advocatemag.com/2025/06/women-owned-salon-crecer-combines-hair-and-plants/
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07/11/2025

The space, which previously housed SoulTopia, a holistic boutique, was completely transformed into a vibrant taqueria offering all the staples including breakfast tacos, trompo, shrimp and their signature ribeye taco.

07/11/2025

https://prestonhollow.advocatemag.com/2025/07/11/northpark-pres-volunteers-for-flood-victims/

NPPC youth tie green ribbons in memory of flood victims. NorthPark Presbyterian Church volunteers gathered this week to create disaster clean-up buckets for victims of the Texas Hill Country flood disaster. The kits were designed to make a tangible difference for those still

07/10/2025

Shurretta Metcalf, a 40-year-old mom from Oak Cliff, won the IBF bantamweight title in October 2024 and will now box in front of millions of viewers on Netflix Friday.

Shurretta Metcalf, a 40-year-old mom from Oak Cliff, won the IBF bantamweight title in October 2024 and will now box in front of millions of viewers on Netflix Friday. Metcalf is a proud Oak Cliff native who recently won a world boxing title as