My Beautiful Black Hair: 101 Natural Hair Stories from the Sisterhood

by St. Clair Detrick-Jules

Overview

A collection of empowering stories and captivating photos, My Beautiful Black Hair celebrates an aspect of Black femininity—natural hair—and embraces it as a central part of Black womanhood.

"A powerful celebration of self-acceptance and sisterhood." – Kirkus Review

My Beautiful Black Hair is a book about Black women embracing their natural hair. One hundred and one Black women share their stories of learning to love their natural hair and the immense power in that self-love.

St. Clair Detrick-Jules was inspired to write the book when her little sister, Khloe, came home from preschool where a classmate had told her that her hair was ugly. St. Clair wanted to send a message to Khloe and young Black women everywhere that their hair is beautiful just the way it is.

The stories she captured reveal both the depth of the physical and emotional damage done to many women by relaxing their hair and trying to make it look "acceptable," and the incredible resilience, self-love, and acceptance they gained by learning to embrace their hair and free themselves from Eurocentric beauty standards.

Accompanied by beautiful and intimate photographs of each woman, the book is an encouraging voice for young Black women and the adults who remember their own journeys to self-acceptance.

WRITTEN BY BLACK WOMEN, FOR BLACK WOMEN: With powerful interviews and vivid photographs, this book offers an uplifting message to empower any woman looking to love herself just the way she is. It is a love letter to Black women everywhere navigating their relationships to their own hair.

TIMELY TOPIC: My Beautiful Black Hair celebrates Black women's ability to embrace their natural hair and let go of toxic thinking and processes around manipulating it.

UNIQUE TAKE ON FEMINISM: This book offers an uplifting message to empower any woman looking to love herself just the way she is as well as a love letter to Black women everywhere navigating their relationships to their own hair.

Perfect for: Black and Afro-Latinx women from their 20s to 40s, Black and Afro-Latinx parents with young children, fans of women's empowerment stories

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781797212197
Publisher:	Chronicle Books LLC
Publication date:	09/28/2021
Pages:	255
Sales rank:	656,607
Product dimensions:	7.30(w) x 9.40(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

St. Clair Detrick-Jules is an award-winning Afro-Caribbean filmmaker and photographer, whose work focuses on immigrant justice, women's rights, and Black liberation. She is the director and producer of DACAMENTED, a documentary featuring nine DACA recipients and their struggles to deal with the Trump administration. She lives in Washington, DC.

Table of Contents

Foreword Alexandra Elle 10

A Brief History of Our Hair Story Dr. Afiya M. Mbilishaka 12

Introduction 16

Letter from St. Clair 23

"The Big Chop" / Going Natural 24

Attayah Douglas 27

Christine Pembroke 28

Dina Harry, Danisha Almonte Luciano, and Catherine Lantigua 30

Alexis Taylor 35

Letter from Dzifa 36

Lattesha Webb 39

Carmaya Humble 40

Lissette De Jesus 43

Pharice Brown 44

Ebony Farmer-Mangum 46

Letter from Dajae 49

Giovanna Harris 50

Hassiet Asberom 53

Embracing Blackness 54

Keyla Ynoa 57

Angie Shepherd 58

Franceses Polanco 60

Letter from Hassiet 62

Elise Bryant 65

Asha Hadiya 67

Alexis Vazquez 68

Perla Montas 71

Phylicia A. Cotton 72

Letter from Danyeli 75

Briana Walker 77

Michele Edwards 78

Kendra Woolridge 81

Albamarina Nahar 82

Hair as Identity 84

Brigid Carmichael 87

Elana Nelson 88

Dajae Scott 91

Kennedy Jennings 92

Letter from Albamarina 94

Maia Smith 97

Danyeli Rodriguez Del Orbe 98

Tiffany Warner 101

Micailah Guthrie 102

Bethann Mwombela 104

Letter from Asha 107

Nin Maluka Jackson 109

Verica Williams 110

Nadia Harper 113

Self-Love / Self-Discovery 114

Mariame Fofana 117

Letter from Elise 119

Maya Garnett 120

Josie Jackson 123

Zahra Ahmed 124

Sara Prendergast 127

Krishaun Smith 128

Dai Parker 131

Analee Jimenez 133

Imahia Stanford 134

Patricia Albert 137

Letter from Ellin 138

Celai West 141

Sisterhood 142

Rebecca and Laura Funderburk 145

Avant Griffith and Afra M. Abdullah 146

Ellin Phiri 148

Letter from Dajah 151

Tia Johnson 153

Leeann Jimenez 154

Lesly Afranie and Maya Finoh 158

Jasmine Perez 159

Maya Fleming 161

Letter from Malika 162

Kayla White 166

Alexis Palmer 167

Germania Martinez and Emani Hill 168

Mothers and Daughters 170

Karyn-Siobhan Robinson and Siobhan Robinson-Marshall 174

Sihnuu Hetep and Yazi Berg 177

Letter from Nin 181

Briana Velazquez 182

Rashida Holt 185

Michelle Mutisya 186

Sabrina and Naomi Prather 190

Alena Blaise, Amanda Barclay, and Kilala Vincent 192

Sally Ventura 194

Johanna Figueroa 197

Letter from Michele 198

Breanna Brummett-Swayze 200

Kaelyn Stewart, Ruth Benson, and Rochelle Rice 202

White Spaces 204

Nimesha Gerlus 207

Dzifa J. Avalime 208

Kamarah Noel 210

Helga Yari Paris-Morales 213

Malika Benton 215

Ebony Walters 216

Letter from Maya 219

Ashley Nicholson 220

Dajah Massey 223

Letter from Rosa 224

De'Nea Barton 227

Christie Hoyte Hayes 228

Liberation 230

Adeola Adebamowo 232

Candy Schibli 235

Brandi Clarke 236

Hannah M. Childress 238

Adam Mbai 240

Sage Sarai 243

Zoey Needham 245

Ebony Sturdivant 246

Bianca Martinez 248

Rosa Baez 251

Letter from Keyla 253

Thanks 255

Editorial Reviews

An inspiring message of love and empowerment.” -BuzzFeed News

“A powerful celebration of self-acceptance and sisterhood.”-Kirkus Reviews

“St. Clair’s efforts to empower her kid sister through My Beautiful Black Hair is one of the best examples of sibling love I’ve ever seen. The photographs and interviews embody the strength and struggle of Black girls everywhere. It is an excellent piece for our very unique hair experiences.” -Keturah A. Bobo, New York Times bestselling illustrator of I Am Enough

“This book has reminded me that the complexities of Black hair have yet to be detangled strand by strand. Through these narratives, more people will see their value, strength, and uniqueness, and will gain the courage to live boldly and beautifully-just as our Creator imagined.” -Daphne Lee, Dance Theatre of Harlem

“This is the book I want to gift every Black woman I know.” -Robert Jones, Jr., New York Times bestselling author of The Prophets

"My Beautiful Black Hair is a divine example of courage, self-love, acceptance, and diversity. It's a stunning collection that everyone needs to sit with, explore, and share with the little black girl in their life." -from the foreword by Alex Elle, author of After the Rain

“There is a shared story in Black women’s hair that tends to hold both a bit of joy and, at times, despair. My Beautiful Black Hair is a love letter to all Black women who are navigating the glorious landscape of our crowns. Through this brilliant collection of wisdom, vulnerability, affirmation, and deep, deep affection, St. Clair not only reminds her little sister how glorious her hair is, but she offers an illuminated narrative for all Black women to sit back and feel seen and celebrated.”— RACHEL CARGLE

Public academic, writer, and lecturer

“This is a community’s love letter to [the author’s younger sister], but it is also a self-reflective love note, an effort to agitate social constructs that have told all Black women that the bodies we are born into are not enough. The images are glorious, the anecdotes at times tender, at times seething. The entire book is powerful.”— ELIZABETH ACEVEDO New York Times bestselling author of The Poet X and Clap When You Land

From the Publisher