“Growing up in Indiana, people could be vehemently mean if you were different. Especially people within my own community. I’ve been natural for most of my life with the exception of one year. A memory that has stuck with me throughout life involved someone in middle school telling me that I would look less black if I straightened my hair. I decided to never let hearing things like that impact how I feel about myself or dictate how I wore my hair, however.”
Absolutely! Our hair doesn’t define who we are and it is not indicative of who is and who is not authenticly Black. Blackness is versatile and it encompasses many things at once…that’s what makes us magic.
Hi Leighna, first and foremost thank you for reading and commenting on the blog! We totally agree that our uniqueness as black people makes us magic and cannot easily be defined by one look which is why we’re encouraging these conversations within our community.
Make sure to take a look at our other stories as well!