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She is no longer enslaved to her hair

O ctober 10, 2011 By Janay Cook Your Capital Bureau

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I overheard my friends chattering about it. Their eyes lit up. They squealed w ith excitement. The tone of their voices rose to a level I had never heard. Everyone w as doing the Big Chop. It became clear to me that I w as about to enter into a new w orld I w ould never leave. My long hair w ould be cut. Oct. 25, 2010. It w as 78 degrees outside but felt like 130. The suns rays pierced through my skin like bee stings. I felt faint. My nerves had finally gotten the best of me. The sidew alk seemed to stretch like a rubber band w ith every step. Sw eat developed over my eyebrow s and upper lip. I remember repeating to myself aloud I can do this, I can do this. After 10 minutes of w alking back and forth outside Clippers barber shop, I finally mustered the courage to step inside. Tw enty minutes later, I w alked out w ith a half of inch of hair. My initial thought w as My mom is going to kill me. My mom tried her hardest to persuade me from doing the big chop. The big chop consists of cutting off the point w here the natural hair and the permed ends meet. She thought I w anted to imitate my cousin w ho cut her hair into a buzz cut. Moreover, her main concern w as the haircut w ould prevent me from receiving any internships or job offers. Cutting off my hair w as the easiest w ay for me to go natural. I had a short cut and it w as hard to blend my natural hair, w hich w as in the back, w ith my permed ends, w hich w ere in the front. Going natural changed my life. Not only did I feel separate from my peers, but I felt free. I became more in tune w ith my mind, body and soul. I improved my eating habits, strengthened my relationship w ith God and accepted the w oman I w as becoming. I felt a sense of pride going natural. I w as done letting society determine that my straight hair w ould get me respect, a good job and a gratifying relationship. After a month (of cutting my hair), I grew it out to about 5 inches (Nov. 2010-May 2011) before cutting my hair a second time. I missed my short hair. I w as an editor for the school new spaper and styling my hair became a nuance. I loved how my hair brought out my facial features. Not to mention, I appreciated the added attention from guys. It w as w onderful to know my face w as the first thing a man saw . My short look also brought out the girl in me. Never before had I w orn make-up or high heels. My journey began once more May 2011 w hen I big chopped a second time. I missed my low cut. Summer w as around the corner and it w as hot enough to w ear it. My family and friends w ere surprised w hen I cut my hair again. Some w ere skeptical because they w anted to see how long my hair could get. How ever, it w as a personal decision to big chop again. Sometimes I w onder how long my hair w ould be; how ever, looking in the mirror is a reminder of w hy I cut it: for me. Oct. 25, 2011 w ill mark my one year natural anniversary! This is the

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day I accepted my natural roots, thus accepting myself. Below is a poem I w rote about my natural hair journey. Im not afrocentric, just natural. I grew tired of being the epitome of my slave masters dream: slim, petite and light skinned. I cut off my perm ends to cease the 21 years of the enslavement of my hair to that evil chemical w e call sodium hydroxide. Causing sistas to lose the only sensible pride w e have left. R.I.P. to the nappy ends that didnt make it into 2011. Im not pro-black, just happily natural. And on October 28, 2010, I w as a born-again virgin. Like Mary I heard my calling from the motherland. And Yemaya w as implanted in my w omb, no sexual relations w ith a man, just my African ancestors reaching from heaven. Their voices pleaded for me to stop running from the truth and accept my kinky roots thus accepting myself. A strong, courageous, intelligent, sincere, outgoing, loving Nubian Goddess. Im not confused, no longer searching for my identity, Im just naturally being me. In the great w ords of Paul Monney W hen your hair is relaxed, the w orld is relaxed. But Im not afraid to be N-A-P-P-Y, nappy. -- Story copy edited by

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