Have you ever had someone ask you, “Can I touch your hair?‘ Or better yet, have you had someone reach up to your freshly permed, pressed, braided, coiffed, twisted, weaved, or blown-out afro-puff to rub their grubby little finger tips through your carefully styled tresses? Well, I have. Anyone who knows me knows I have rocked the ‘fro to braids to weaves to twists to perms and every derivation of everything in between. And, I have had people of all races ask or un-invitedly reach into my hair. Well, needless to say, that has gotten old for me. But, for Antonia Opiah, founder of Un-ruly.com, the curiosity drove her to create the public art exhibit “You Can Touch My Hair” in New York City. The public display of real-life curly and kinky haired women, which debuted last week, has been met with mixed reviews. So, I guess it’s time to offer my own. [Read more…]
“You Can Touch My Hair” Exhibit: A Setback for Black Women?
New Documentary ‘Imagine A Future: My Black Is Beautiful’ Promotes Self-Worth for Young Black Women
Recently, we learn
ed of a new documentary targeting young black women called “Imagine a Future: My Black Is Beautiful.” Sponsored by the big name consumer products company, Proctor & Gamble, the documentary seeks to investigate the issues young black women face with insecurities and self-worth. Working in concert with Beverly Bond and her nonprofit Black Girls Rock!, an organization dedicated to uplifting young black girls in the Brooklyn area, P&G’s My Black is Beautiful (MBIB) campaign has taken on the daunting task of reaching girls nationwide with their message of empowerment. [Read more…]
Who’s Shining? Melissa Harris-Perry is…
Dr. Melissa Harris-Perry, acclaimed author, columnist, MSNBC host, and professor, is no stranger to The Worth Campaign. In fact, it was her book, Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America, that inspired our founder to create this organization. Her courage to deal with and make plain the issues facing black women and girls is one worth noting. Because of this, she is the newest addition to The Worth Campaign’s panel of “Shining” women of color. [Read more…]
Who’s Shining? “Curly Nikki” Walton is…
Have you heard of the online hair blogging sensation Nikki “Curly Nikki” Walton? Well, if you haven’t, you have been out of the loop on all things black hair for at least five years.
Nikki Walton is a best-selling author, blogger, psychotherapist, mommy, and hairlista who started her blog site CurlyNikki.com in October 2008 as a response to a lack of online presence for kinky/curly hair texture experts and advice. She coined the motto “If You’re Not Feeling Your Hair, You’re Not Feeling Yourself…” And, here at The Worth Campaign, we think this young lady is definitely representing all four of the Themes of Worth: Giving, Thriving, Growing, and Shining. [Read more…]
Worth 104: Know Your Worth…Then Live it
What does this quote mean to you? Do you believe it? After reading Worth 101, 102, and 103, do you actually believe that your worth is determined just by the mere you-ness in your veins?
This final installment of the introduction to The Worth Campaign is really about you understanding you. There are no lessons from me here. You are the pilot of your own Worth Campaign just as I am the pilot of mine. There is no single method to understanding your worth and living it. But, I have a few observations that I have made as I have navigated my own journey. [Read more…]
Worth 103: When Shaming Becomes Action
Welcome to Worth 103: When Shaming Becomes Action. This piece was originally written on Water Cooler Convos addressing some of the messages manifested in real-life and written about by Melissa Harris-Perry in Sister Citizen.
The purpose of this installment is to illustrate how the theme of shame in interwoven into the lives of women of color. Additionally, shame, in some cases, is used to punish women for socially-identified stereotypical behavior whether it is truly present or not.
Have you ever watched butter melt? It is actually quite interesting. There are several options when melting butter you know. One, you can simply leave it out on the counter and let it rest for a few minutes or hours depending on whether it was in the freezer or fridge. Two, you can melt it on the stovetop. Or, three, you can just pop it in the microwave and hit the “melt” button. I melted some butter this weekend while making my kids a batch of pancakes. And, as I watched the tall chunk of dairy goodness become swallowed up by the plastic measuring cup, I felt myself drift away a bit. [Read more…]
