Gotta be honest with you guys, I haven’t really felt up to blogging in light of what’s going on in Haiti. For those who don’t know, I’m half Haitian, and it’s hard to see how heartbroken my father. My family there is all accounted for, but we’re starting to hear of Haitian-American friends who weren’t so lucky.
The issue of natural hair goes deep. But some things go so much deeper.
Don’t get me wrong, I love blogging about natural hair but a lot of times we act as though hair dictates more than it actually does.
Natural hair doesn’t make you a better person. It doesn’t make you kinder or more gracious. I’ve met mean naturals, I’ve had to delete comments left on this blog by mean naturals, and — it’s so stupid that I even have to SAY this — but some of the most sincere and authentic people in my life are relaxed.
Sometimes the crusade we go on against relaxers (or chicks that we feel ‘aren’t natural enough’), and the vanity we indulge in to get that ‘perfect regimen’ or that ‘perfect twist-out’ can blind us from what’s going on in the broader black culture.
Yes natural hair is an important piece of us accepting ourselves, but the issue becomes very pale when you compare it to chronic poverty, lack of education, disease and struggle in countries like Haiti (which has officially been declared a failed state), in countries like Somalia, in countries like Cote d’Ivoire. Even closer to home, many inner cities right here in the United States look like third-world neighborhoods.
So I just want to open up the comment box right now and ask, what is your wish for black woman? What is your wish for the broader black community? What is your wish for the world?
And those of you who do outreach, volunteering, ministry, service, etc, please share about that.
I want to know what you’re about when you’re not talking about hair.
**UPDATE**
Hey guys, I left a comment below to clarify this post. In a nutshell, I do still believe natural hair is still very important:
Hey guys,
I just want to cut in here.
First off, I was kind of in the zone when I wrote this post, so I’m sorry if it sounds harsh. I chaulk it up to the pain I’ve felt over the past few days, with the tragedy hitting so close to home for me.
I must say though that I’ve been really heartened by the overwhelming support from American citizins. “Help Haiti” was a top trending topic on Twitter yesterday. It almost made me want to cry. I remember a time when Haitian tragedies barely made an impression on American media. It seems the tide is turning and this is a great testament to our inclusion of minorities in mainstream discussion, and our feelings on the value of minority life.
In regards to hair, I didn’t mean to say that natural hair is insignificant. It is. It’s no secret that I do believe that embracing natural hair is a symbol of embracing an African aesthetic — the very thing that the mainstream (and decidedly eurocentric) culture, more often than not encourages us NOT to do.
But I have also seen ways in which we make natural hair insignificant.
The little nit-picking we do, pitting curlies against kinkies (not overtly, in very subtle ways) is disturbing to me.
I’m sorry to use such strong langauge, but it is. The fact that curly style icons don’t get the same amount of support as kinky on BGLH. The way we look at women who use weaves to transition to natural hair as ‘less than’ those of us who did the big chop. Just the other day I had to delete a comment left by someone ranting about a style icon’s “ugly fake contacts”.
These things are shallow and inconsequential.
And these are the things that prevent me from feeling as though natural hair is an automatic ticket to kindness and graciousness. It isn’t.
At its best, natural hair can lead us into introspection. It can lead us to question beauty standards and ideals. And this SHOULD plug us into a greater consciousness of what it means to be black today.
But at its worst natural hair can become a bitter campaign. It can disintegrate into Hair Nazism. It can be an inconsequential vanity. And these things don’t do anything but gratify the individuals who participate in them.
I love BGLH. I love the blog and what it stands for. But I would encourage everyone who subscribes to this site to use it as a jumping off point for thinking more deeply and critically about black culture in America and the world today.
Don’t let it end with natural hair. Let it guide you into something deeper.
~Leila
And if you haven’t already donated for relief in Haiti, please do so now…
RED CROSS
UNICEF
