Congratulations to Ayanna Nzinga Williams (center), founder/CEO of the Curls Gone Wild® conference at the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign). The conference was jam packed to overflowing, and free goodie bags with hair products were had by all! Ayanna has introduced a new level of discussion into the natural hair movement. It's about freedom, self-esteem, self-empowerment and, most important, fun. To paraphrase Beyoncé, sistas run the world! Our future is in good hands!
Where have I been? Lloimincia Hall competed in February 2013 and earned a perfect score of 10, but hey, better late than never. Watching this, I just can't stop smiling. She is clearly doing her own thang, and doing it to perfection.
From the YouTube description: "LSU sophomore gymnast Lloimincia Hall earned a perfect 10.0 score on floor exercise at Missouri on 2/8/13. It was the first 10 of Hall's career and the first 10 for an LSU gymnast since Ashleigh Clare-Kearney did it on vault during the 2009 season."
And isn't it just wonderful how her teammates and the crowd supported her? There's hope, I tell ya, there's hope!
Ayanna Nzinga, my daughter and U. of Illinois econ/sustainability senior, interviewed her fellow Illini students about their natural hair raising experiences. Enjoy!
Love your body exactly as it is right now: pillowy, pudgy,
saggy, floppy, billowy, fleshy. Loving your body puts you in the right frame of
mind to achieve the body you want. Throughout the day, say these simple,
powerful words: “I love my body as is.” Now that you love your body, you have
developed a strong foundation for creating the new and improved body you want. But never forget, "I love my body as is."
Live and let live, that's my motto – at least I try not to judge. I'm not always successful, but I try. Who am I to think I'm always right, anyway? Besides, being constipated with grudges and judgmentalism clogs the spirit and backs you up with negative emotions, stress, and illness. I want none of that.
Are you with me? Need an antidote to runaway judgmentalism? I give you En Vogue...
Prejudice, wrote a song about it.
Like to hear it? Here it go.
I wear tight clothing, high heeled shoes
It doesn't mean that I'm a prostitute, no no
I like rap music, wear hip hop clothes
That doesn't mean that I'm out sellin' dope no no
Oh my forgive me for having straight hair, no
It doesn't mean there's another blood in my heir
yeah yeah
I might date another race or color
It doesn't mean I don't like my strong black
brothers.
Why oh why must it be this way
Before you can read me you gotta learn how to see
me, I said
Free your mind and the rest will follow
Be color blind, don't be so shallow.
Free your mind and the rest will follow
Be color blind, don't be so shallow
So I'm a sistah
Buy things with cash
That really doesn't mean that all my credit's bad,
oooh
So why dispute me and waste my time
Because you really think the price is high for me
I can't look without being watched, and oh
You rang my buy before I made up my mind, OW!
Oh now attitude, why even bother
I can't change your mind, you can't change my color
Why oh why must it be this way?
Before you can read me you gotta learn how to see
me, I said
Free your mind and the rest will follow
Be color blind, don't be so shallow…
Why oh why must it be this way?
Before you can read me you gotta learn how to see
me, I said
Free your mind and the rest will follow
Be color blind, don’t be so shallow… FREE YOUR MIND!
