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Keisha Drammeh: The art of redesigning vintage clothes

THE BIRMINGHAM TIMES — Keisha Drammeh’s eye for history comes in handy, especially with her line of vintage clothing.

Published

7 years ago

February 7, 2019

By Ameera Steward

Keisha Drammeh’s eye for history comes in handy, especially with her line of vintage clothing. Based on what she buys from thrift stores and estate and garage sales, she can always tell what was going on in the world when a certain item was in style. She researches the year and the era to make sure the attire is “authentically vintage.”

“There is a lot of copycat stuff out here,” she said. “You can look at zippers, buttons, and stitching to see if [an item] is truly vintage or not.

“Art is in everything, and fashion is an art form. So, anything I see can be used for fashion. I’ve always been taught to appreciate everything because you can see nature in it all. Patterns, fabrics, designs all have naturally occurring aesthetics [that] can be turned into artwork.”

It’s Poppin!

Drammeh creates artwork from used clothing she finds and recycles, and she sells those creations through her business, It’s Poppin! Vintage. Her “sustainable” vintage clothing store, which opened in 1994, features trendy, urban, vintage items while sustaining the environment and minimizing carbon footprints. She chose the name “It’s Poppin” because it’s long been one of her favorite phrases.

“I was saying that before it got trendy,” she said. “Now everybody is like ‘It’s poppin!’ It’s been poppin’ for me.”

A self-professed fashion activist, Drammeh doesn’t feel there’s a limit to what a person can wear, where they can wear it, and how they can wear it.

“I like gender-neutral items,” she said. “I’m not super-girly, but I’m not super-tomboy, [either]. I like to mix men’s pieces with women’s pieces. … There’s … no limit to fashion. It runs the gamut.”

In addition to telling the story of the clothes, she uses the word “sustainability” in what she does because “that’s what [my parents and I have] always done, being sustainable, … recycling and reusing, trying to reduce the amount of money [we would] spend on stuff,” she said.

Black History Month

February is a big month for Drammeh. On February 1 she was part of a fashion show presented by Golden Hour Productions and Unity Culture. And on February 10, she will host a Sip and Shop at the current It’s Poppin! Vintage, location, 1904 2nd Ave. N., inside the Paisley Pig in Bessemer; tickets are $10, and those attending should bring five items and have about three minutes to shop.

“[It] kind of gives it like a little exhilarating rush,” Drammeh said, explaining that any clothing that isn’t sold during the event will be donated to Olivia’s House, a transitional house for women and children.

“I hope I can be a part of that whole movement [to change fashion],” she said. “If it’s trendy to shop at a thrift store, please be trendy. You’ll save so much money, and you’ll have your own unique look.”

Beyond fashion and business, Drammeh is part of the National Hook Up of Black Women, an organization that started in Chicago, “because this sister felt like black women didn’t have a place to meet or hook up and be resourceful with each other,” she said, adding that the group is resourceful to the point that they have become her team for whatever she needs when it comes to her programs.

Drammeh also has established an art and culture program. Because it’s Black History Month, the topic of discussion will likely be about Africa, and participants will make three-dimensional masks.

“The event is for kids,” she said. “It’s a [two-day] youth program … in conjunction with the Hook Up, … which is the type of organization that [will provide support for] whatever you want to do.”

“Spirit of Birmingham”

Drammeh, a 44-year-old mother of three, was born in Chicago, Ill. When she was 14, her family moved to Detroit, Mich., where they lived for the next 20 years. She then moved to Atlanta, Ga., where she lived until August 2018, when her husband received a better job opportunity that brought their family to Birmingham.

Drammeh loves the Magic City, but for her there’s no place like the Motor City.

“I love Detroit, and I see some similarities between Detroit and Birmingham,” she said. “I like the spirit of Birmingham. I’ve been able to connect with some really creative people here, and I like how the creative community is tight knit. It seems like a small, big city. I like that feel versus coming from a place that was on steroids.”

Artistic Beginnings

Drammeh was an only child, and her parents were activists.

“My parents always [bought black]. We’ve been buying black since I was little,” she said. “[We] lived a real African-centered lifestyle, so we put black before anything.”

Her mother was an account executive who sold commercial time for major television networks, and her father was an artist.

“[My dad was always] digging, … pulling up, and putting stuff in the back of the car that people were trying to throw away,” she said. “He didn’t believe in wasting.”

Drammeh’s family didn’t go to church, so Sundays were the creative days in their household.

“Jazz, Miles Davis playing. Painting. … Just doing stuff in the house. … That’s the type of vibe my parents were on,” she said. “Looking back on how I grew up, I think a lot of black people could have benefitted from coming from such an African-centered household. … I don’t think a lot of black families were having the type of conversations that took place in our home and letting their kids be part of them.”

Growing up in such a creative household helped Drammeh develop her own style—and not care what others thought about it.

“I was one of those kids putting graffiti on and holes in their clothes before [designers] started selling [clothes like that],” she said. “You know, that was tacky for some people, especially your parents. I feel like that [style] was kind of inspired by [my] generation.”

Growing up in the Motor City also influenced Drammeh’s sense of style.

“In Detroit, you’ve gotta be ready for whatever at all times,” she said. “I look at [rapper] Kash Doll, [singer, rapper, and songwriter] Dej Loaf, and other Detroit artists and say they are basically still Detroit girls.”

Community Work

Drammeh earned a bachelor’s degrees in mortuary science and community development from Detroit’s Wayne State University, but she has always been an educator at heart.

“I ended up in art education because I love art and I love community,” she said. “I’ve always worked with after-school programs and had my own after-school programs for youth.”

Drammeh has been in the education and youth-development fields for years, both with her own cultural art programs and with the Boys and Girls Club in Atlanta, where she served as the cultural art director. She left that job in 2014 to devote time to It’s Poppin! Vintage.

In Atlanta, Drammeh found several nice thrift stores, where she would often shop for her friends. She also would add fabrics or patchwork to pieces to create different looks.

“For my friends and myself, … if I saw something cute [at a thrift store], I would buy it because it was cheap,” she said. “One day, I woke up and realized I had about 50 pieces that I didn’t give away. I couldn’t fit [any of the items], so invited people over for a big sale at my house. After that, I just kept shopping, [and] I never stopped.”

Drammeh recalled the number of people who showed up to her sale, and she has since turned her hobby into a hustle. Most of her customers are people who like to thrift: women and some men between the ages of 24 and 50. She also has seen her customer base grow among the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning and/or queer (LGBTQ) community.

Drammeh feels she offers her customers hope, as well as a sense of unorthodox style. The selections available at It’s Poppin! Vintage blends patterns, colors, and textures, but it’s about more than just selling clothes.

“It’s selling style, personality and character all in one,” she said, adding that her ultimate goal is to reduce the amount of money people spend on stuff.

“You spend money on a T-shirt that was made in a sweatshop by someone who was paid maybe 3 cents and can’t even feed their family. [Manufacturers] use gallons and gallons of water to make the cotton,” Drammeh said. “It’s just stupid when you can get something that has stood the test of time and is still great.”

When it comes to pricing, Drammeh doesn’t try to match other retailers. She takes a few things into consideration: her time, the clothing selection, and the era in which the clothing was made.

Visit www.itspoppinvintage.com to not only shop but also check out Drammeh’s blog, which includes the history of some her pieces.

This article originally appeared in The Birmingham Times.

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Post Newspaper Invites NNPA to Join Nationwide Probate Reform Initiative

The Post’s Probate Reform Group meets the first Thursday of every month via Zoom and invites the public to attend. The Post is making the initiative national and will submit information from its monthly meeting to the NNPA to educate, advocate, and inform its readers.

Published

2 days ago

February 10, 2026

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Tanya Dennis

The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) represents the Black press with over 200 newspapers nationwide.

Last night the Post announced that it is actively recruiting the Black press to inform the public that there is a probate “five-alarm fire” occurring in Black communities and invited every Black newspaper starting from the Birmingham Times in Alabama to the Milwaukee Times Weekly in Wisconsin, to join the Post in our “Year of Action” for probate reform.

Reporter Tanya Dennis says, “The adage that ‘When America catches a cold, Black folks catch the flu” is too true in practice; that’s why we’re engaging the Black Press to not only warn, but educate the Black community regarding the criminal actions we see in probate court: Thousands are losing generational wealth to strangers. It’s a travesty that happens daily.”

Venus Gist, a co-host of the reform group, states, “ Unfortunately, people are their own worst enemy when it comes to speaking with loved ones regarding their demise. It’s an uncomfortable subject that most avoid, but they do so at their peril. The courts rely on dissention between family members, so I encourage not only a will and trust [be created] but also videotape the reading of your documents so you can show you’re of sound mind.”

In better times, drafting a will was enough; then a trust was an added requirement to ‘iron-clad’ documents and to assure easy transference of wealth.

No longer.

As the courts became underfunded in the last 20 years, predatory behavior emerged to the extent that criminality is now occurring at alarming rates with no oversight, with courts isolating the conserved, and, I’ve heard, many times killing conservatees for profit. Plundering the assets of estates until beneficiaries are penniless is also common.”

Post Newspaper Publisher Paul Cobb says, “The simple solution is to avoid probate at all costs. If beneficiaries can’t agree, hire a private mediator and attorney to work things out. The moment you walk into court, you are vulnerable to the whims of the court. Your will and trust mean nothing.”

Zakiya Jendayi, a co-host of the Probate Reform Group and a victim herself, says, “In my case, the will and trust were clear that I am the beneficiary of the estate, but the opposing attorney said I used undue influence to make myself beneficiary. He said that without proof, and the judge upheld the attorney’s baseless assertion. In court, the will and trust is easily discounted.”

The Black press reaches out to 47 million Black Americans with one voice. The power of the press has never been so important as it is now in this national movement to save Black generational wealth from predatory attorneys, guardians and judges.

The next probate reform meeting is on March 5, from 7 – 9 p.m. PST. Zoom Details:
Meeting ID: 825 0367 1750
Passcode: 475480

All are welcome.

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Activism

Community Celebrates Turner Group Construction Company as Collins Drive Becomes Turner Group Drive

The event drew family, friends, and longtime supporters of Turner Group Construction, along with a host of dignitaries. The mood was joyful and warm, filled with hugs, handshakes and belated New Year’s greetings. Guests enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and a festive display of gourmet cupcakes as they conversed about the street sign reveal.

Published

2 days ago

February 10, 2026

Oakland Post

The Turner Construction group members.

By Carla Thomas

It was a family affair on Friday, Jan. 23, at the corner of Hegenberger Road and Collins Drive in East Oakland as community members, local leaders, and elected officials gathered to celebrate the renaming of Collins Drive to Turner Group Drive. The renaming saluted the Turner Group’s 45-plus years of economic development and community investment.

Special guests included former Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson, veteran broadcaster Valerie Coleman-Morris, Chevron Senior Public Affairs Representative Andrea Bailey, community leaders Cephus “Uncle Bobby” Johnson and Beatrice “Aunt Bea” Johnson of the Oscar Grant Foundation, and Oakland City Councilmembers Ken Houston, Carroll Fife, and Kevin Jenkins. Members of WEBCORE, the Nor Cal Carpenters Union, the National Association of Minority Contractors (NAMC), Swinerton and Alten construction companies, activists Elaine Brown and David Newton, and many others joined the celebration.

Inside the event tent, an emotional Oakland City Councilmember Ken Houston spoke of his deep connection to the Turner family.

“I grew up on the same street with the Turners,” he said. “When my father passed away, their parents and siblings embraced me like family. This is our city, and it’s an honor to name this street Turner Group Drive because of the love and effort this company and family have given. Many dreams came out of this building. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the Turners.”

Councilmember Kevin Jenkins, whose father once taught the Turner brothers, added, “Len Turner is an amazing person. He’ll help anyone.”

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee praised the company’s legacy, noting its creation of the Construction Resource Center, which trains and mentors the next generation of builders and developers through partnerships across the region. “This is a great day for Oakland and a profound acknowledgment of the Turner Group’s contribution to our community,” she said.

Fife echoed that sentiment: “This is a day for celebrating Black excellence. The Turner Group has poured into people and the community, showing us what’s possible.”

Among the many family members in attendance was the Turners’ 92-year-old patriarch, whose presence underscored the strength of the family’s legacy.

A touching highlight of the event came when Coleman-Morris was honored for her lasting mentorship of LaTanya Hawkins, now program manager of the Construction Resource Center. In 1979, Hawkins, then a fourth-grader, wrote Coleman-Morris a letter seeking advice. Coleman responded with words of encouragement that inspired Hawkins to pursue her dreams. The two stayed in touch for decades. On stage, they embraced as Coleman reflected on “the power of small acts of kindness to change a life.”

Coleman-Morris also shared reflections on leadership and community spirit, saying, “If we change the way we look at things, the things we see will change.” She then recited the Serenity Prayer, reminding the crowd, “We are a powerful community, we just need to believe it.”

Company leaders Len and Lance Turner closed the ceremony with words of gratitude and humor. Len thanked his mother, wife, family, legal team, and longtime supporters including Carson, Geoffrey Pete, and the late Dorothy King of Everett & Jones Barbecue. He also acknowledged the challenges the company had overcome, saying, “Without all of this support, I wouldn’t be here today.”

Through Turner Group Construction and the Construction Resource Center, the Turners have created new opportunities for underrepresented groups in the construction industry and continue to inspire the next generation of builders.

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New Bill, the RIDER Safety Act, Would Support Transit Ambassadors and Safety on Public Transit

The RIDER Safety Act would allow public transit agencies to hire transit ambassadors trained in de-escalation, crisis response, and rider education and engagement. Acting as a visible, non-enforcement presence to deter low-level incidents and reduce conflict, transit ambassadors would ease the burden from law enforcement and enhance public safety.

Published

2 days ago

February 10, 2026

Oakland Post

BART train. Photo courtesy of ABC7.

By Post Staff

A new federal bill would support transit ambassador, or transit support specialist, programs at public transit agencies across the country.

The bill, (D-CA-12), H.R. 6069, the Rapid Intervention and Deterrence for Enhanced Rider Safety Act, or the RIDER Safety Act, was introduced Jan. 30 by Congresswoman Lateefah Simon. (D-CA-12), H.R. 6069, the Rapid Intervention and Deterrence for Enhanced Rider Safety Act, or the RIDER Safety Act.

This legislation is based on Congresswoman Simon’s work at Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) to create a first-in-the-nation Transit Ambassador Program, which previously earned a prestigious nationwide award for “Innovation in Public Safety.”

She announced the bill at a press conference at the 19th Street BART Station alongside BART leaders and other supporters.

The RIDER Safety Act would allow public transit agencies to hire transit ambassadors trained in de-escalation, crisis response, and rider education and engagement. Acting as a visible, non-enforcement presence to deter low-level incidents and reduce conflict, transit ambassadors would ease the burden from law enforcement and enhance public safety.

This bill would also create jobs provide meaningful work, training opportunities, and a pathway for career growth in local communities. In the House of Representatives, the bill is also co-led by Representatives Shomari Figures (AL-02), Nellie Pou (NJ-09), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), and John Garamendi (CA-08).

“I am incredibly proud to champion the RIDER Safety Act in Congress and continue my work to ensure transit is safe, accessible, and affordable to everyone. We have seen the success of the transit ambassador programs here in the East Bay, and I am dedicated to bringing this proven public safety model to the rest of the country,” said Congresswoman Simon.

“These are strong local jobs for people who want to support public safety on transit and serve as a resource to individuals who may be in crisis or in need of services,” she continued. “Strengthening safety on transit benefits us all and helps ensure our public transportation systems remain places of opportunity, dignity, and trust.”

“This bill is critical to ensure the safety of every passenger who relies on public transportation across the country,” said Congresswoman Nellie Pou. “The RIDER Safety Act builds on successful transit models already implemented in communities, including the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) through the leadership of Congresswoman Lateefah Simon during her time as BART President. By providing transit stations with medically trained, unarmed personnel, we can strengthen safety standards, reduce fare evasion, and give riders a greater peace of mind when getting from one place to the next.”