"A Semi-New Look"

Ok, I was hesistant about posting these pictures because you can't see my hair as closely as I would like, but I figured, "what the heck, this is a hair blog and all of the pictures can't be perfect but at least visible." I tried something new this weekend when I washed my hair. I did a two-strand twist and instead of rolling the ends I put little rubber-bands. Also, when I usually do a two-strand twist I end up with at least 30-40 twist therefore it gives a tighter curl but this time I did much larger twist and I ended up with about 12-15 twist.

I do like the looser curl and I like the way it hangs, the only thing is I have to do it again this weekend because it doesn't last as long as the tighter curls, go figure :) I have so much hair and it is very thick (not complaining, I know I am blessed) so I am trying to find easier ways to have the curly look without taking 2 hours to twist/roll my hair. This took me less than an hour after I washed my hair.

"I've Been Tagged"

Okay, I have been tagged by my blogging buddy Cheleskilove. So I have to tell five things about myself that you don't already know............................(((((Thinking)))).....(((((Thinking))))) okay, here it goes.....

1} In highschool I was a major athlete, I love sports! But it was also important to me to be feminine which was hard because I grew up more of a tomboy, but somehow I learned to master being rough and tough on the volleyball & basketball court and track field and then be a lady off of the field or court.

In highschool I was voted "Most Athletic and "Best All Around" (for my athleticism, grades, personality, and extracurricula activities).

Left- Me and Johnny posing for the yearbook picture for "Best All Around."

2} In highschool I am glad I got the opportunity to be a "Student Athlete" because not only was I able to get an athletic scholarship but a partial academic scholarship as well (otherwise I am not sure if I would have been able to attend college because my family was very poor). Being an Athlete truly brought meaning to my life, I learned leadership, teamwork, organization, assertiveness, hardwork, and determination. I know being an athlete made me the person I am today because the skills I learned as an athlete, I have taken everywhere with me.

3} I have a crippling fear of dogs!!!! I have always had a fear of dogs all of my life. This is one of the reasons I would like to get a dog so that I can learn to become more comfortable around dogs.

4} When I went to College, I attended a predominately white University. When I got to the school there were only 7 other African Americans. Out of the seven, three were women. So the first thing I thought was, "who in the heck am I going to date?.....this is going to be a lonnggg 4 years." I never considered dating anyone other than Black men because my highschool was predominately Black and I grew up in pretty much an all Black neighborhood.

Well I am happy to say that I stepped outside of my little world and had a ball dating men from other back grounds (probably had too much fun-smile). At my University, in the 90s, there had never been a Black woman date a White man, so I sort of started a trend.....well we had some major resistance at first, but after people got over themselves others were willing to explore. And I am happy to say that many marriages were started because of me going against the grain.

I must say, that University changed my life! I opened myself up to a whole new world with new friends, extended family, and great opportunities. Diversity for me is necessary to grow and be a well-rounded individual.

5} My husband and I met in church. We knew eachother for about one year and within 6 months we dated, were engaged and got married. We planned our wedding in 30 days. I remember it was on Christmas day and we were at my moms house and I told her that we decided to have the Pastor marry us and not have an actual wedding and she said, "oh no you will not, I have been waiting a long time to see my baby walk down the aisle," and after mama spoke we began planning. My husband also told me, that I would regret not having a wedding to be able to go back and reminisce. I am glad I listened to mama and my honey. Our wedding ended up being beautiful! Six years later I am still glad I had a wedding and married my honey.

WOW!!!!! I really enjoyed that! I hope you all enjoyed it!!!!
The 3 people I TAG are.....1. Aundrea 2. Carole 3. Jeri

"Chosen Vessel's Up-Do"

Ok, I have been trying different styles and this is the second up-do that I am pretty comfortable wearing outside the house. As you can see, I am due for a retightening but my appointment is not for another 2 weeks. It is weird because sometimes getting my hair retightened every 6 weeks is fine while other times my hair grows so fast I could actually go in 4 weeks.

How often do you get your locks retightened?

In Honor of Black History Month

The Buzz Black History Quiz
By Gordon Hurd and Vera HC Chan
Wed, January 31, 2007, 4:22 pm PST
Maya Angelou

Every February well-known African American figures soar in Buzz. Over the last week, we've started to see increases in queries for Thurgood Marshall, Benjamin Banneker, and Maya Angelou, to name just a few.
But what we dig about African American History Month is unearthing information about lesser-known figures. To help ring in a month-long pursuit of knowledge, we present you with the Buzz Log's First Annual Black History Quiz. Our little test features folks who aren't necessarily top of mind, but who pop up up every year around this time. Enjoy...

Question #1: Bessie Coleman left behind Jim Crow and race riots in Chicago to learn how to fly in France. What didn't the first black pilot do in her short 34 years? a. Daughter of a sharecropper, she helped the family out during the cotton harvest. b. She supported herself as a beautician in 1920s Chicago. c. She lied about her age on her passport. d. She opened up a pilot school for blacks.

Answer: d. Queen Bess, as she was known, intended to open up a pilot school, but died tragically before she could do so, although her namesake does live on.

Question #2: As we still bask in the glow of Serena's triumph over Maria, we look back at a pioneering swinger, Althea Gibson. Which statement below about the all-around athlete is true? a. The feisty Harlem native picked up tennis in an exclusive girls' school in the upper East Side. b. She was knighted for being first black player to win at Wimbledon. c. Her patron was the same man who helped tennis great Arthur Ashe. d. She also became the first black woman to earn an LPGA card, then tried to break into the PGA—40 years before Michelle Wie's attempt.

Answer: c. Dr. Walter Johnson coached Althea and mentored Arthur. Althea did win Wimbledon and was an LPGA first, but no dame honors (women don't get knighted) or men's golf for her.

Question #3: Which African-American artist made his name with a series of vivid paintings called "The Migration of the Negro"?a. Romare Beardonb. Jacob Lawrenced. John James Audubonc. Archibald MotleyAnswer: b. Jacob Lawrence, who died in 2000, produced a number of painting series around social themes. Yes, Audubon was a trick answer.
Question #4: Prolific inventor Garrett Morgan held a number of fascinating patents including the following:a. Peanut butter and gas tanksb. Heated toothbrush and sewing machinec. Gas mask and traffic signalsd. Permanent hair dye and crosswalks

Answer: c. Garrett Morgan, a successful businessman, newspaperman, and inventor held patents for a smoke protection device and a traffic signal, among other inventions. He wasn't the first person to invent these devices, but found ways throughout his life to experiment and improve upon existing designs.

Question #5: Entrepeneur Madam C.J. Walker created a larger-than-life persona, which sparked many myths. Which of the statements below is true?a. She invented the straightening comb. b. Her beauty products made her American's first black millionaire. c. She created a special line when she found her products proved surprisingly popular with drag queens. d. She obtained the Walker surname from husband number three, but the marriage only lasted six years.

Answer: d. As for her millionaire status, her "official" source notes that depends on whether one combines adds personal and business assets.

*Once upon a time, a man named Malcolm X use to try to shake so-called Negroes out of the doldrums by asking, “What was your name? And where did it go? Where did you lose it? Who took it? And where is your history?” X’s aim was to interest black people in their past in a positive fashion in order to feel proud rather than shame or embarrassment about the stigma of slavery.

Most African-Americans still know precious little of their ancestral lineage. Generally, they can trace their roots back to around the end of slavery, at which point they hit a dead end. By design, that sinister system of exploitation divorced its victims from any connection to their family trees by deliberately destroying black family structure.

Legally considered property instead of human, slaves were treated like beasts of burden and forced to mate indiscriminately at the whim of their masters, ala thoroughbred horses or prize cattle. And because offspring were often sold at auction to the highest bidder, this means that the average African-American family tree is a hopelessly-tangled mess.

A familiar refrain in the black community is to claim to be partially of European or Cherokee extraction, though this could rarely be substantiated, since Indians are pretty much extinct and probably the last thing a white person is going to admit is being descended from slave owners who slept with his chattel. For this reason, African-American Lives turned-out to be a fascinating and very-revealing TV program.

Narrated by Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., this four-part PBS series follows the extraordinary efforts of nine notables to find their roots. Besides Gates, the others partaking in this serious search for self include talk show host Oprah Winfrey , televangelist Bishop T.D. Jakes, comedian Chris Tucker, neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson, Quincy Jones, astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison, Dr. Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot and Oscar-winning actress/comedienne Whoopi Goldberg.

While the entire show is excellent, segments 3 and 4 are not to be missed. Courtesy of DNA evidence, Gates is certainly surprised to learn that more of his ancestors came from Ireland and France than from Africa. By contrast, Bishop Jakes’ is enabled to pinpoint his forefathers’ point of departure from Africa. Upon his travel return, he is greeted by a long-lost relative with, “Welcome home!”

A visibly-moved Jakes responds, “You’re strangely familiar to me. I swear I know you, but I can remember where from.” As he explains the experience, “I can’t really describe what it was like for me to get off a plane and have somebody say ‘Welcome Home!’ and try to process it, and ask myself, ‘Is this true? Is this home?’ It‘s like a set of twins who were separated at birth and raised in two different parts of the world meeting for the first time. And for the first time in my life, I wondered what I would have been, had my ancestors not been enslaved.”

Others are equally eloquent and emotional during the revelation of their sub-Saharan roots, particularly Oprah, Quincy, Chris and Ben. Whoopi, by comparison, is relatively blasé and has a tendency to joke, but then I don’t think it comes as a shock that she’s not really Jewish. Some subjects who figured they had Native-American genes actually did, while some, to their amazement, didn’t. Most had European skeletons in their closet, but to varying degrees.

In sum, African-American Lives is an alternatively intimate and informative return-to-roots saga of nine outstanding individuals made possible through an unprecedented combination of DNA, genealogy and oral tradition.

Note: African-American Lives will air on PBS during Black History Month. Check local listings for times in your area.

"My Song" by Carole

Denver's Premier Loctician Carole Pearson wrote a piece called "My Song" that speaks on the struggles we face in our society regarding natural hair. It is a powerful and inspirational piece that I wanted to share with you all.

Please take the time to watch the video, you will be blessed. As Carole says in "My Song" just remember YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL JUST AS YOU ARE!

Click here: My Song - Live at The Speakout

Visit Carole's blog for a great "Natural Hair Experience"

http://coilsncurls.com/blog/

Thank you Carole for sharing your heart with all of us!

"A GIRL LIKE ME"

Carole Pearson, my new blog buddy, who created the video, "How to wash your locks" shared this POWERFUL documentary with me. It is a video that gets to the very heart of how some black children and even adults still see themselves as ugly, bad etc. Please set aside 7 minutes to watch the video. Please share this with your friends, family and whomever else you can get this video out to.

If you haven’t seen this yet, please take 7 minutes to watch how powerfully the point is made. I agree with Carole, that, for me, the hardest part to watch is when one of the little girls, after declaring that the black doll is “bad”, was asked, “what doll looks like her?" The way she hesitates to push the black doll forward, and the look of almost shame at the acknowledgement of what the whole thing means is almost unbearable. Here is the video.

Click on this link and watch the news clip about the documentary. “A young student’s documentary leaving audiences stunned Kiri Davis is a young filmmaker whose high school documentary has left audiences at film festivals across the country stunned — and has re-ignited a powerful debate over race.”
(Thank you Carole for sharing this powerful video with me!)

"My First Sisterlock Inspiration"

My first Sisterlock Inspiration!This is the first woman I ever saw with Sisterlocks. When I saw her I was always so fascinated by her hair but I had no idea what is was. When I was fed up with my permed hair and all of its expensive ways I finally asked her about her hair. She shared information with me about Sisterlocks. She informed me that I could style, color, or do pretty much all of the same things I did when I had a perm but with my own natural hair in all of its beautiful glory. I was fascinated and from that point I began to research Sisterlocks further; 3.5 years later I am so happy that I made the decision to get Sisterlcoks.

She is on the front of the Sisterlock Book "Tapestry of Dreams" in the bottom right corner. Dr. Joanne Cornwell did her locks over 8 years ago.

"In Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr."

Please do not forget to take a moment to reflect on King's life, legacy, and influence. He would have been 78 years old Monday, January 15th.

Click the link to listen to a rare and powerful excerpt from one of the most influential men of the century: http://www.thekingcenter.org/

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love, 1963

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT HAS BEEN 3.5 YEARS"

I can't believe it has been 3 1/2 years that I have had my locks. I love them more and more each day. In these photo's this is me with my infamous roller-set (I am so addicted to the roller-set and twist-out). Thanks for visiting my blog and celebrating my 3 1/2 year Sisterlock anniversary with me.

Oh by the way my husband told me to stop taking pictures of myself and let him take the pictures and I told him I am so excited sometimes to get pictures posted on my blog that I can't wait for him to come home ((((Laughs))). But to get him more involved with my love of blogging I may have him start taking the pictures and I have to learn to be patient.

"How to wash your Locks"

Click on the link below to see a step by step demonstration by Colorado's Premier Loctician, Carole Pearson, on how to wash your locks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IilWkQPs5hk

Please tell me, was the video helpful?

Carole's website: http://www.coilsncurls.com/index.html