Sisterlock Adoration Update- 3 week anniversary!

Today is my three week lock anniversary. I still adore my sisterlocks, although it almost killed me to wait three weeks to wash my hair(but I made it Gigi!) . I decided to take a few photos of my freshly washed hair since my baby sisterlocks were looking particularly grown up to me. I completely forget to take a photo of my hair braided and banded. I'll have to do that next time.

Still Trying to Kick the Kink:The debate about the future of African American hairstyles is flaring up again

Hey guys,

My fiance sent me this article which piggybacks on a post that AllyH20 wrote back in February or so about the ban of "black hairdos" such as braids, or dreads at black institutions/corporations such as Hampton University (business program) or Black Enterprise. It's a good read. Should we be planning a protest or better yet a boycott of some type?!!!! This is crazy.

See an abstract from the article below...

July 12 2006
WHEN I WAS young, one of the first things I learned about myself was that I had "good" hair. It was curly and close enough to the texture of a white person's hair to not need pressing, hot-combing, greasing or some other method of straightening that extremely curly black hair — also known as kinky or "bad" hair — needed before it could venture out in public. Yet even my hair was not quite good enough. The complete article can be viewed at:http://www.latimes.com/news/columnists/la-oe-kaplan12jul12,1,672823.column?coll=la-news-columns Visit latimes.com at http://www.latimes.com

Remembering 9/11- 5th year Anniversary

Today is Sept. 11, 2006- five years after the worst terrorist attacks in U.S. history. Like most Americans, I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing on that ill-fated day. I also remember how America was affected the weeks and months following the attacks. As I commemorate this day, I send my thoughts and prayers out to all those who lost loved ones in the attacks, to the leadership of our country and to the troops who are forced to fight a war where there can be no true victory. The day also gives me cause to pause and reflect on my life since that day as well as the present state of America. 9/11 was a life changing event for most. From that day forward, I vowed I was going to be a better person. I also decided to no longer put off my life goals because life truly is way too short...As the reasons behind the 9/11 tragedy unfolded, I started looking at the way other countries viewed the U.S. Suddenly I conceived the reality that plights such as poverty, oppression and lack of education or fundamentalism (of any kind) could embitter a people enough to encourage other attacks similar to these we’d recently experienced.

The "Global War on Terror" has brought a level of consciousness to our country that our previous isolationist attitudes allowed us to suppress. Unlike tragedies such as starvation in Ethiopia/ Somalia and genocide in Rwanda, all of a sudden after 9/11, the world outside the U.S. actually held significance for the average American. Because we had a relative fighting in Afghanistan or Iraq or we were concerned about the next possible terrorists attacks, this situation affected us in ways that starvation and genocide somewhere in Africa couldn't. This HATE against America was/is a threat to the American way of life.

I wish I could take the passion that most Americans feel about 9/11 and apply to the apathy that we feel as we let millions be murdered in Darfur, even after the United Nations embattled war cry of "Never Again!" BUT, I digress... My point is simply that our lesson from 9/11 should be that we Americans must work to right our country's global and domestic wrongs and strive to be better neighbors in the global community. Then I believe that we'll actually be able to shift the tide of hatred for our country towards love (or at least tolerance), and we may actually be able to achieve the goal of changing "hearts and minds" across the Middle East and world.

My Hair Prior to Sisterlocks

I've been asked what my hair looked prior to Sisterlocks, so I thought I show you all the transitions my hair has gone through over the last few years. It's amazing how different I look in the various styles. I have to scan long hair pics, so I'll add those tomorrow.

Haiti's Poverty

Many of my friends know that for me the biggest tragedy about the mass kidnapping, murder, and enslavement of millions of Africans during the transatlantic slave trade is the lost identities of millions of African-Americans. Specifically, I can trace my roots about as far east as North Carolina. Therefore, I have long adopted the nickname of "An African with no home." Some years ago, I decided that rather than lament my lack of history, I'd rediscover it in my heart through a lifetime of travels thoughout the African continent and African Diaspora. Since then, I've traveled to South Africa, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Kenya, Haiti and Jamaica. During my most recent trips to Haiti and Jamaica, I was both pleased and saddened by the unbelievable parallels of Motherland and her Caribbean diaspora. I was fascinated by the inextricably linked cultures and disgusted by the overwhelming poverty in lands so beautiful and rich with natural resources that continue to be raped and pillaged by those who neither add value or have a rightful claim.

I was invited to visit Haiti for 2 weeks in early August with my graduate school roommate Janouska whose family is Haitian. Her family is from a very small town called Tiburon, located on the Southern coast of Haiti about 8-10 hours from the capital Port-Au-Prince (due to the awful road conditions). During a visit to another town near Tiburon, I caught a glimpse of something that broke my heart. It was a cute little boy dragging along his truck. However, take a second look at the truck in the pictures posted. It's actually a homemade truck made from one of those cans in which the US sends international food aid. I took these pictures initially to show my nieces and nephews how fortunate they are. However, when Janouska and I talked about it later, she had a totally different take on the situation. She expressed pride in the ingenuity of a kid who didn't have the luxury of store bought toys. How creative must this kid be to make this truck. Should we be looking at taking our kids "back to the basics" like this? What do you guys think? Creative kid of whom we should all be proud or outrage about the type of poverty that necessitates homemade toys????

Photos of Locks

Photo 1. Tights curls
Photo 2. Loose freestyle
Photo 3. View from above

August 31, 2006 My Sisterlock Birthday

Day 1 Photos
IT FINALLY HAPPENED! I did it. After waiting for two months for my appointment, I am sisterlocked! I can't stop looking at my hair. I can't stop running my fingers though it. Perhaps I'm being a little overzealous (given my fiance's non-enthusiastic response to the locks); however I don't care. I'm really excited, and I can't wait to share my excitement with some folks who will be equally excited for me. That may be my mother (who is natural and thinking about locks) or my identical twin sister who still needs to be converted to the natural world. Please stay tuned for the play-by-play on my locks as they mature. I plan on sharing my experiences, my lessons, and my exploration through this cool new Sisterlock community.

Sister-in-Locks Inspiration- July 2006

I remember the day like it was yesterday. I was in the Banana Republic outlet store in Allen, TX a few days before July 4 th brousing through the clearance racks when something or actually someone caught my eye. It was a set of the most gorgeous locks I'd ever seen on the head of a beautiful women I've since come to know as Sister-in-lock. I shyly stared from afar trying to get a better look at the lovely locks. Soon, I realized that wasn't gonna do it, so I boldly approached the woman. First, I complimented her hair and then asked who did it. She immediately launched into a spiel about Sisterlocks, inviting me to visit her blog. She gave me her card and encouraged me to stay in touch. That evening, I spent several hours reading through her blog laughing and learning all about the Sisterlock system as well as the spirited community of women who had all embraced Sisterlocks. I e-mailed her that very evening to let her know that I'd decided to be Sisterlocked, and she immediately e-mailed me back with the most positive and encouraging message. She also recommended Gigi my wonderful certified Sisterlock consultant, whom I adore! I dedicate this post to Sister-in-Lock because it was her radiant beauty and warm spirit that inspired me to move forward with my Sisterlocks.