I'm really feeling some kind of way about these girls' heads...VENT/Rant

[Quailbird]

I volunteer my time tutoring at this place and none of the children are over the age of 12 and I'd say about 70-85% (probably more than that) of the girls have relaxed hair. Now, I'm in no way a "natural Nazi" but go by the philosophy that "God gave us the right to choose so who I am to try to take that away," but these little girls don't have that right. Five years old and your edges are already disappearing and your ends are broken and damaged. It makes me sad.
Not to mention the message that sends (and it definitely sends a message and they definitely receive it). I wore my hair in a twist out and one of the other workers asked me "What was going on with my hair?" I replied, "Nothing. This is how I'm wearing it today." When I mentioned it to the other girls that I thought she didn't like my hair (jokingly), they started giggling and saying it was "just kind of big." I laughed with them and told them I love big hair. Two out of the three of them had their hair straight and the one that didn't was the one that made the big comment. Then she said my hair is like that. I told them I loved it and then we kept it moving, but I felt sad that they (none of them is over 6) couldn't appreciate the beauty of the kind of hair that grows out of their scalps just like it does mine. It saddens me.

 

[chevere62]

This is indeed very sad but to be completely honest it is the reality of our culture today. Although the natural movement is popular on the hair boards it is still viewed as a nappy fro by many of our black people which makes me very sad. I would never relax my child's hair that young. I believe a child should have the choice when they are old enough to understand. Not to mention how dangerous it is to put such harsh chemicals on a growing child's scalp. My people my people...

 

[Quailbird]

I know it's the reality. Growing up, for me it wasn't something I really knew a whole lot about, and it wasn't until college that I realized how overwhelmingly popular relaxers were. I've never had one and though my Mom wore her hair straight, she never had one.

 

[Vashti]

The really sad thing about it is that when their mothers run to relax their hair without knowing how to actually care for it while it's relaxed these girls most likely will have traction alopecia, balding, thinning hair that may be irreparably damaged when they become young women.