Happy to be Nappy

If I hear one more supposedly intelligent, educated Black person say that someone has “good” hair I think I’m going to scream. “Good” hair, of course, being hair that is straight. In light of the Don Imus “nappy-headed ho’s” comment, to hear Black people not appreciate their own natural hair is all the more frustrating. Most of the time, the people I hear making such statements are parents so it’s very likely they’re passing that negativity and self-hatred on to their children. My hair is nappy…coarse…kinky…and I am proud of it. Before I locked it, the strength of my hair allowed me to inflict seemingly limitless trauma to it from coloring it from jet black to honey blonde; straightening it with an old school straightening comb heated on the stove; perming it (lye and no-lye); jheri curling it; used the afro blow-out kit; braiding it; weaving it (sewn in and bonding glue); and cutting it so short you could see what was on my mind. My nappy, coarse, kinky hair has to be “good” to survive all that. It’s 2007, how much longer will it take Black people to wake up and truly love themselves? “No one can make you feel inferior without your permission.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt