AfroPunk 2015 Festival Goers Tell Us What Black Beauty Really Means

"It takes a lot of inner strength to walk around in black skin."

If there is any music festival where black men, women, boys and girls can be their carefree, cool and creative selves, it's at AfroPunk Fest.

The annual festival this past weekend attracted thousands of innately stylish people from all backgrounds to Brooklyn's Commodore Barry Park, where they grooved to the sounds of Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Kelis, Lauryn Hill, Gary Clark, Jr. and other big acts.

These proudly pierced, tattooed, braided and Afro-wearing individuals also had the opportunity to express their unique voices freely on "Activism Row," where non-profit organizations set up booths to educate attendees on political, racial and gender equality issues.

Needless to say, it wasn't hard to get the crowd talking. The Huffington Post interviewed festival goers at AfroPunk 2015 on what black beauty really means. Read their remarkably candid responses below.

Black beauty means ...
Chanel Parks / HPMG

Black beauty means: "Doing what everyone wants to do effortlessly. It's not a trend, it's a lifestyle." - Blue, 21, Brooklyn, New York

Chanel Parks / HPMG

Black beauty means: "Natural beauty." - Dani, 22, Maryland

Chanel Parks

Black beauty ... "Is beauty!" - Jesse Boykins III, 30, Chicago, Illinois

Chanel Parks / HPMG

Black beauty means: "Being comfortable in the skin you're in and not being afraid to express yourself in the skin the Creator created you in." - Robyn, 23, Long Island, New York

Chanel Parks / HPMG

Black beauty means: "God." - sHaLiCeeA Earth, 26

Chanel Parks

Black beauty means: "Something that can't be defined but always sought after." - Nnenna, Brooklyn, New York

Chanel Parks / HPMG

Black beauty means: " Owning one's authenticity and wearing it." - Violeta, 29, Detroit

Chanel Parks / HPMG

Black beauty means: "Confident bursting love." - Shoshanna, 29, Bronx, New York

Chanel Parks / HPMG

Black beauty means: "Unconditional love." - Edvin, 22, Brooklyn, New York

Chanel Parks / HPMG

Black beauty means: "It's all encompassing." - Briana, 27, Charlotte, North Carolina

Chanel Parks / HPMG

Black beauty means: "Empowerment." - Rosco, 28, Detroit

Chanel Parks / HPMG

Black beauty means: "Confidence. Stepping out of your comfort zone and taking risks." - Krystal Butler, 28, Washington, D.C.

Chanel Parks / HPMG

Black beauty means: "Lineage, where you come from." - Raynard, 24, Baltimore (pictured left)

Black beauty means: "Inversion of society's standards." - Amy, 28. (pictured right)

Chanel Parks / HPMG

Black beauty means: "Not being ashamed." - Kristen, 18, Maryland

Chanel Parks / HPMG

Black beauty means: "Power." Lauren, 30, Bronx, New York

Chanel Parks / HPMG

Black beauty means: "Self love." - Danielle, 30, Brooklyn, New York

Chanel Parks / HPMG

Black beauty means: "Rich and regal." - Steven Chew, 30, Los Angeles, California

Chanel Parks / HPMG

Black beauty means: "Being able to express yourself without being ashamed." - Jessica, 26, Richmond, Virginia (pictured left)

Black beauty means: "Being free." - Karen, 25, Brooklyn, New York (pictured right)

Chanel Parks / HPMG

Black beauty means: "Being comfortable with what you're born with." - Justice Smith, 20, Los Angeles, California

Chanel Parks / HPMG

Black beauty means: "Melanin." - Ivory, 36, Pasadena, California

Chanel Parks / HPMG

Black beauty means: "Strong. Gold. And forever evolving." - Moon Livingston, 16, New York

Chanel Parks / HPMG

Black beauty means: "Power." - Rhonesha Byng, 26, New York

Chanel Parks / HPMG

Black beauty means: "Heavenly beauty dipped in love" - Ayade, 18, Dallas, Texas

Chanel Parks / HPMG

Black beauty means: "Being comfortable in your own skin." - Delvon, 29, New York

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