Even Though I Wrote the Book on Black Hair...

...doesn't mean I know a thing about keeping my children's hair looking good. Just as I have realized that being Black doesn't make me an expert on identity issues for my Mixed kids, being Black also doesn't help me keep my boys' curls shiny and bright. What a blow to my hairstorian ego to admit that I need help in the care and maintenance of my children's hair. Especially since they both have very different textures. One is more tight and frizzy, the other is looser and coarse. Thankfully, I've found helpful hints here on the internet from fellow bloggers like the awesome Teri LaFlesh over at Notes of A Former Mushroom Haired Child.

And this Sunday from 1-3pm I will be attending the Multicultural Youth Hair Workshop at One Salon & Boutique in Mt. Airy. Yes, it's a whole day dedicated to hair products, style and maintenance of Mixed hair. How cool is that? The cost to attend is $15, but you get a goodie bag stocked with product. Full disclosure, I will also be hawking my ?RU t-shirts at the event because they fit in nicely with the multicultural theme, but make no mistake, I'd be there taking notes no matter what.

If you're in the area, and you're looking for suggestions for your kid's hair, come to the salon. For more info call them at 215-242-0113. Trust me, your kids will thank you for getting help, instead of making them walk through life looking like their mother just didn't get it.

Peace.

A Little Bit About My 'Hood...One of the Most Integrated Neighborhoods in America

Hello People,

Please take the time to read about these amazing twin sisters who almost singlehandedly managed to make West Mt. Airy - the Philadelphia neighborhood where I live - one of the most integrated neighborhoods in the United States.

From the Philadelphia Inquirer:

When twin sisters Doris Polsky and Shirley Melvin launched a real estate company in 1965, they had a vision for West Mount Airy, the Northwest Philadelphia community where they lived.

They envisioned a neighborhood where whites and blacks, gays and straights, could live in harmony.

"What we wanted was an integrated community," Polsky said. "We had wonderful neighbors who were right with us."

Their dream has blossomed into a national model.


Sadly, this article was written because one of the twins recently passed, but it is a wonderful retelling of their life's work. And it shows how the actions of a single human being can make a world of difference.

What really strikes me is that these two women, using little more than common sense, compassion, a sense of justice, and a few good potluck dinners, were able to accomplish what arguably the rest of the United States with laws, protests, riots and violence could not and still can not. Why is that do you suppose?

I hope you are inspired by this story, enough to push forward with your own agenda for living in harmony. Me? I'm thinking this would make a very good book...what do you think?

Enjoy the weekend.

Peace!

(photo of twin sisters, Shirley Melvin and Doris Polsky with a dance teacher they hired )