Hair Care As A Form Of Resistance
I am sure you are well aware of the revolution we are entering, by this point. Black folks seemed to hit their tolerance threshold when George Floyd was murdered. Almost overnight his face became the visual of the civil unrest and the long desire for change in our country. Miraculously we have major companies acknowledging that black lives in fact matter (*hard eye roll and a sarcastic "Welcome to the party, guys!"), and individuals in our leadership doubling down on their commitment to equality and justice. Many cities are feeling the intense pressure from protests and ground roots organizations. The world has even jumped in our revolt by protesting on every continent. Everybody is tuned into the inequality and need for change here in the US.
Then there are some of us like me, that can't quite find their place in this whole fight. I am the mom of a black boy. I feel a deep need to be apart of the change because quite literally society as we know it, is life threatening for my son. I am A MOM OF A BLACK BOY! I can't be in the streets protesting and taking the risk of not being able to come home and continue raising him. I am just as vulnerable to police violence as Sandra Bland, or any of the other victims that look like me. If a traffic stop could be my end, I really do not think the streets are the best place for my activism.
I really want to be active in the movement, but not in any more danger than I already am in my everyday black life. I looked at history, I mean let's be real, this is by far not a new fight, for some alternatives. I realized that Angela Davis and her fro were the visual of the fight in the 60's, and hair styling was one of the first cultural identitiies striped from my African ancestors when they were brought to America to become slaves. If her fro represented her dedication to her activism, and their hairstyles were stripped as a form of asserting control, then hair is possibly an important part to our change. Although, I am not seeing a single style. like a fro, as a visual in 2020, nor are we still identified by our styles like our ancestors. But there is still some power left in our hair! I wanted in on that! That is totally my lane!
I decided to use my small but mighty platform to exalt black excellence and beauty and double down on educating parents of black girls. If I can help a mom of a black girl to see her daughter's natural beauty and also feel confident in caring for and uplifting her, I am literally changing her life! If I am changing her life, I am changing the future! Whhhhattttt?!!! Can I really be adding to the revolution in such a quiet and beautiful way? I would say, YES, I think I am! I have gotten many emails and messages from parents I have never met, who say their eyes have been opened, and they are feeling empowered to seek out more education and make changes too, just from my little social media. I have even been contacted by people who are not parents, but they just want to learn more. So that means I am causing a wave of action. OH SNAP!!
Listen, I am not here to brag, but I was very excited to learn that I was having a say so in our future through hair care education. More importantly, I wanted you to see that we all have a place or job to do in making our world a better place for everyone. The protestors, politicians, media moguls, and even the looters have their jobs, but we as parents are raising the next generation. We have the next baton holders in our house, and quite possibly right in our face lol, all day everyday. We are able to do a lot right from home if we dedicate ourselves to being the most informed, loving, protective, and ethical parents we can be. If I take all of my son into consideration as I parent him, I am building a better black man to send out into this world. If I honor his skin, his hair, his intellect, his sense of humour, and emotional needs I am modeling for him how he should treat the people that are in his life. If I continue to help other parents do the same, they too are modeling these awesome traits for their kids. Very soon we will have a whole new generation of change makers!
Do You Want To Be Apart Of The Change?
Here’s some Ideas:
Buy Black:
BSJ Coaching- personal financial
Brandon Scott Reality- DC area
Donate To Grass Roots Organizations:
Learn:
