Rachel Jeantel is a pretty Black girl like many others I see on a regular basis. She looks Black, speaks Black English and relates to law enforcement the way that most Black folks do. But because she is a reflection of a significant portion of the masses of Black America—she forces us to confront the fact that many of us are ashamed of certain parts of who we are. Rachel … [Read more...]
Book Release Recap – THANK YOU!
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Ladies & Gentleman I simply cannot thank you enough! I am still exhausted from this weekend but so eternally grateful. The book release was a fantastic experience and I am quite frankly still on a natural high. In fact—the entire weekend was one huge blessing. On Saturday I was surrounded by sista-friends and family as we celebrated the baby shower for my little one, … [Read more...]
Slanted Eyes & Afro Puffs Banned at School (aka Black Hair is a Civil Right)
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Heard about Lorain Horizon Science Academy - the Ohio school that banned Afro puffs and small braided hairstyles? Evidently they only wanted hairstyles that look “natural, clean and well-groomed.” Hang on—I’m going to get to that in a second. But I also heard about a neighboring school that took it a step further and banned slanted eyes. Evidently, according to the school … [Read more...]
Black, Latina & Wearing Natural Hair
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When I was in college, thanks to one of my most dynamic professors, Dr. Laurence Prescott, I developed a special interest in the role of race in Latin American culture. So much so that I decided to dual major in Africana studies and Spanish language. In order to graduate as part of the honors college I had to write a thesis and decided to zero in on this topic. Since I planned … [Read more...]
Want Mixed Girl Natural Hair Like Tracee Ellis Ross?
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We’ve all seen this image circulating on natural hair group facebook pages, instagram accounts and twitter: And if you’re like me – one of your first reactions was probably to laugh. To the point of howling. But I have to admit that after I laughed I felt…off. I’ve debated with whether or not to forward or “like” the image. After all – who doesn’t like a good “natural … [Read more...]