Meet Samaria Bronte | Luxury Hair and Skin Care, Art Coordinator & Spoken Word Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Samaria Bronte and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Samaria, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
To be completely transparent I was in a space of figuring out real healing when Azar Ezer was given to me. It was in 2019 right before the pandemic was an actual reality; I had just been fired from my corporate job that January, and being the owner of The Black Enigma intimate art showcases we had to cancel all shows due to COVID-19. So you can imagine the thought process at the time was, “Well there goes both my streams of income”, but then I knew I had to focus on staying calm and having faith in what YAHUAH, The Most High was doing in my life, and remembering who I was because if I didn’t the crying and confusion would have never stopped.

However, I found comfort in figuring out my hair routine during this time, researching phytomedicine and etymology, weirdly enough. I learned that the roots of words hold power and origins are crucial to gaining understanding; much like our hair, and being able to understand what our roots need inevitably leads to healthy growth. I would literally experiment on my own hair and research the best herbs and plants to heal my scalp, what plants had which vitamins to increase blood flow for growth, and the list goes on.

The motivation behind Azar Ezer was strictly “How can I help my hair prosper?” While also seeking out “what is the lesson in all this brokenness?” It wasn’t how can I make money or how can I become a business that people need. I wanted to produce better habits in my scalp care, self-care, and spiritual care.

Azar Ezer causes others to ask themselves these questions regularly for a life of healing and growth. But it has to start at home first, so I began to give out free scalp and beard serum, and when people saw how well it healed their scalp conditions the thought process of starting Azar Ezer flooded in. First; it was the need to share this product that worked. Second; it was getting out of my own way and believing I am someone who can produce outside of the box, and Lastly, the need to express the understanding of how women are truly viewed in The Most High’s eyes and how our functions in actuality heal our community, the men we love and protects. This understanding increases the fight for ourselves. It’s all-encompassing. This all easily translated into what Azar Ezer hair and beard serums do.

For those who don’t know Ezer is what The Most High YAH named the woman many of us call Eve, when He created her for Adam in Gen 2:18 “And YAHUAH Elohim said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.” The word “helpmeet” in Hebrew literally means one who helps succor, surround, defend and protect man/mankind. Women were literally created to be a source of strength, a powerhouse full of fight, wisdom, and delicate care.

It was like a lightbulb went off because in essence that is what our scalp and skin serums do. It provides help to strengthen your growth, it heals the damage and revives places you thought were dead. As a black woman myself, how could I not see the parallels in how my ancestors have never been shy to the frontlines of fights, while also being a comforter to our people. The multifacetedness of women is summed up in the words Azar Ezer.

The Azar Ezer brand is progressing and we are currently in a rebranding phase. During this time of refocusing, I want to make sure men and women respect the functions of all women. Azar Ezer will be having conversations that redefine womanhood and show how a healing woman is a perfect woman. When you are focused on the inward parts you can only produce growth for yourself and everyone around you. The function of an Ezer is walking and conquering in your purpose, being a wildfire of growth all the while.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Spoken words and poetry will always have a special place in my heart. Over the past 4 years, I’ve been blessed to perform my own poems at The Black Academy of Arts and Letters for their 44th season of Poetry and Jazz last October, speak at an NAACP fundraiser for Christain Taylor’s family after he was killed by an Arlington police officer in 2015. I was even selected to judge multiple academic poetry performances and competitions. Even with all this praise for my words I’m still the proudest of the way I’ve created space for artists like myself. Beyond the realm of creating Azar Ezer; a bomb scalp and beard serum and being Samaria Bronte the poet, I created “The Black Enigma” about four years ago. This is a place where artists and those who appreciate art can come together in an intimate space to buy art, hear poetry and monologues, and really have the opportunity to understand why artists create. This is a place that stays artist-centered because an artist created it. It wasn’t easy, but the passion behind this brand kept me going. My first showcase sold out, but we were shut down by the fire marshal because of capacity violations, in a predominantly non-black neighborhood in Dallas. I didn’t account for the success of this event, but the people and artists recognized the event as something they wanted and needed. I didn’t understand much about business after some shows I didn’t make money, and to pay the artist performing, some nights went into the negatives profit-wise. I was so focused on the feeling of love and support I could give an artist that the money did not matter to me. Which sounds beautiful right, but it was not a business smart mindset. 2020 rolled around and covid came and knocked everything over; The Art Showcase was one of its victims. I had to cancel all shows planned for 2020. This taught me to stay resilient but also recognize that not all events can be done virtually because some things are about the experience and The Black Enigma is one of those intimate and personal events. The purpose behind The Black Enigma is to remind the artist that they are worthy of being paid for their craft, their courage, their bravery to display how they see and feel the world. The Black Enigma has taught me that if you lead with your heart, the right people will follow, and even if you don’t see recognition, trust in believe they felt the effort. When it’s all said and done I want people to know that whatever Samaria Bronte puts her hands on it is created with love and the desire to provide more than a product or an event. The goal and the mission are to change lives, mindsets and send the message that “we are greater than what we see” The brand Azar Ezer is about teaching all women and men how the two create a powerful balance when both functions are understood. Azar Ezer is refocusing the conversation of womanhood and partnership and The Black Enigma is about community, a community that honestly wants to hear your thoughts and see your vision.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

If any of my friends are visiting they know I spend the majority of my outings EATING and at food spots. I would take them to the best Cubano, Caribbean, and cajun places to eat starting with… *MeLatte Café – inside of Plaza of the Americas – Cuban Owned
I use to eat here religiously when I worked downtown

*The Caribbean Cabbana – inside of Dallas Farmers Market – Caribbean/Black Owned
*Havana Cafe-Mojito Bar – Cuban Owned (small business)
*Mickles Cajun Kitchen – Black Owned
*Bam’s Vegan – Black Owned

For some laid-back drinking and snacking we’d hit up…
*Blue Sushi
*Southern Classic Daiquiri Factory
*Jinya Ramen
*Checkered Past Winery – Wine Pub & Wine Tasting
*Double wide or single wide
*Bryan Street Tavern
*OT Tavern

I love hiking so hitting up Cedar Ridge Preserve is a must to take in that beautiful view from the top.

A few visits to Pan-African Connection are definite!

Back to the food list; Best Elotes in Dallas – FUEL CITY

Great taco spots
*La Ventana
*Fuel City
*Tacos and Tequila

Open Mics
*Black Canvas
*Heroes Lounge
*Checked Pass Winery

Bishop Arts District to visit their galleries

Sweets
*Cake Bar – Black Owned
*Milk and Cream

Brunch spots
*Pangea – Black Owned
*Bread Winners
*Public School 214
*Heroes Lounge
*Kitchen & Kocktails – Black Owned

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Well, first and foremost all praises to Abba Yah and the rediscovering of the bible. Without reading this book properly, I would have never understood what Ezer “help meet” truly means.

People: Shakalya Coats, Alex Jimmar, Brionna Jones, and Tyrone Betters were the first people to try my products, and encourage me to sell my serums. Kiah Chism my sister who helped me understand that business and purpose can easily align but you better charge what you’re worth. Jasmine Fain, my sister, let me send her docs and talk her ear off about the vision for Azar Ezer while also sending helpful resources, and my mama, of course, was one of my first test subjects.

Website: www.azarezer.com

Instagram: azarezerbrand, theblckenigma

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samaria-brown-75130283

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mariaiseeya

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/samaria.b.brown/

Image Credits
Adlen Jehari