A Hair Texture Lecture

A Hair Texture Lecture

Texture has always played a role in the colored women’s conversation of hair. Our hair texture classifies our roots and gives us an idea of our ethnic background. Your hair texture tells your history, like a history book. If someone says they have Indian, Spanish, Asian, or White in their family, the first place you look is their hair.

You have good hair! What does this mean? There is no such thing as good hair, just like there is no such thing as “Black”. In order to understand why certain things have become a factor in our community, we must understand our history. The “Black” race is a group of people who were misplaced throughout history. Africa was not the only place white explorer’s generated slaves.

We were taken from Espi

nola (Haitians and Dominicans), Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, and places in South America. These races of color come in many different shades ranging from light brown to dark brown. Light skin did not start with the mixture of the Caucasian race. We were seen as the same as the Africans because we had similar complexions and features. This was the beginning of the “Black” race.

So yes, “Black” people are people of a mixed race so our hair texture varies. The girl or woman with curly hair may have a Spanish background. The girl or woman with wavy, straight, or thick textured hair may have a Native American or Mexican background.

So, when you see your sister with curls, waves, or straight hair recognize her cultural roots. We need to use better words to describe the condition of our hair. Instead of kinky, we should say, “I need to detangle my hair.” Instead of saying nappy, we should say, “My hair is very thick.” We must learn how to speak positively about hair and its appearance among ourselves and others. We must change the way we view ourselves, so that our natural appearance is respected by the other nations.

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