Friday, March 7, 2008
1 Year in Sisterlocks
It's my one-year Sisterlock anniversary. Lockversary? I'm posting a recent picture to show the progress. It's been a great ride. I can't wait to see what the next year will bring.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
A tribute to Grandma Cilla
This is a tribute to a woman whom I've never met. My Great, Great Grandmother Cilla, born a slave circa 1852.
Watching the PBS series "African American Lives 2" has really piqued my interest in genealogy. I'm attempting to learn as much as I can about my family history.
There are a lot of missing leaves and branches in my family tree, but the ones I've uncovered so far are fascinating.
All these years, I never really realized the significance of an old picture in my grandmother's photo album. It's an enlarged black-and-white print of a proud, sable-skinned woman in a plain, angle-length cotton or linen dress and an overcoat, sitting beside her adult daughter, who was similarly dressed.
The older woman's hair was lush and very thick, neatly styled in about three large plaits, likely never having felt the heat of a straightening comb, nor the sting of a relaxer.
I stared at my ancestor this weekend, and for the first time I saw myself. "That's my hair!" I thought. "That's my heritage."
For years I've been a big fan of natural hair, but I never felt prouder or more blessed to have my nappy mane, which always seemed to rebel against any form of straightening, no matter what I did.
Now I know why.
I really wish I could post a picture of Grandma Cilla, but I doubt my 90-year-old grandmother in Ohio would let me borrow a rare photo of her grandmother from the album.
I'd always heard stories about my great great grandmother Cilla -- how she grew up on the plantation, and how, as a little girl too young to work the fields, she was used to help train the slave-catching dogs to follow a scent.
Now, for the first time, I feel an even deeper connection.
I think she'd like these Sisterlocks.
Watching the PBS series "African American Lives 2" has really piqued my interest in genealogy. I'm attempting to learn as much as I can about my family history.
There are a lot of missing leaves and branches in my family tree, but the ones I've uncovered so far are fascinating.
All these years, I never really realized the significance of an old picture in my grandmother's photo album. It's an enlarged black-and-white print of a proud, sable-skinned woman in a plain, angle-length cotton or linen dress and an overcoat, sitting beside her adult daughter, who was similarly dressed.
The older woman's hair was lush and very thick, neatly styled in about three large plaits, likely never having felt the heat of a straightening comb, nor the sting of a relaxer.
I stared at my ancestor this weekend, and for the first time I saw myself. "That's my hair!" I thought. "That's my heritage."
For years I've been a big fan of natural hair, but I never felt prouder or more blessed to have my nappy mane, which always seemed to rebel against any form of straightening, no matter what I did.
Now I know why.
I really wish I could post a picture of Grandma Cilla, but I doubt my 90-year-old grandmother in Ohio would let me borrow a rare photo of her grandmother from the album.
I'd always heard stories about my great great grandmother Cilla -- how she grew up on the plantation, and how, as a little girl too young to work the fields, she was used to help train the slave-catching dogs to follow a scent.
Now, for the first time, I feel an even deeper connection.
I think she'd like these Sisterlocks.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
I've been tagged!
Here goes...
Seven random, quirky facts about yours truly:
1. I wrote the "dawn of the new millennium" cover story for a newspaper on Jan. 1, 2000. I watched the ball drop, noticed that Y2K didn't blow up the world, and knocked out the story.
2. I have a Star Trek uniform somewhere in my closet.
3. I can type my name in upside-down numbers on a calculator.
4. I took eight years of Spanish classes and still like to listen to Latin music. I'd like to pursue a master's in Spanish or Romance languages some day.
5. I love TV documentaries, and the more weird they are, the better. One of my favorite series is "Modern Marvels" on the History Channel. They actually did a one-hour special on cheese. Fascinating.
6. Astronomy is of big interest to me. I used to be secretary of an astronomy club and a card-carrying member of the Planetary Society. http://www.planetary.org/home
7. Once got an autograph from baseball legend Stan Musial -- only to lose it.
I was tagged by
Docs Locks
I tag:
http://sogolocs.blogspot.com
http://ebonygirl-mysisterlocksjourney.blogspot.com
http://my-roots.blogspot.com
http://littlelocs.blogspot.com
http://robinslockshaven.blogspot.com
http://napppatiti.blogspot.com
http://freedomtojustbe.blogspot.com
Tagging Instructions:
1. Post seven random, quirky facts about yourself
2. Link to the person who tagged you.
3. Post the instructions on your blog (done here!).
4. Tag seven random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs. They cannot have been tagged before.
5. You must notify the people you tag by leaving a comment on their blog.
Seven random, quirky facts about yours truly:
1. I wrote the "dawn of the new millennium" cover story for a newspaper on Jan. 1, 2000. I watched the ball drop, noticed that Y2K didn't blow up the world, and knocked out the story.
2. I have a Star Trek uniform somewhere in my closet.
3. I can type my name in upside-down numbers on a calculator.
4. I took eight years of Spanish classes and still like to listen to Latin music. I'd like to pursue a master's in Spanish or Romance languages some day.
5. I love TV documentaries, and the more weird they are, the better. One of my favorite series is "Modern Marvels" on the History Channel. They actually did a one-hour special on cheese. Fascinating.
6. Astronomy is of big interest to me. I used to be secretary of an astronomy club and a card-carrying member of the Planetary Society. http://www.planetary.org/home
7. Once got an autograph from baseball legend Stan Musial -- only to lose it.
I was tagged by
Docs Locks
I tag:
http://sogolocs.blogspot.com
http://ebonygirl-mysisterlocksjourney.blogspot.com
http://my-roots.blogspot.com
http://littlelocs.blogspot.com
http://robinslockshaven.blogspot.com
http://napppatiti.blogspot.com
http://freedomtojustbe.blogspot.com
Tagging Instructions:
1. Post seven random, quirky facts about yourself
2. Link to the person who tagged you.
3. Post the instructions on your blog (done here!).
4. Tag seven random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs. They cannot have been tagged before.
5. You must notify the people you tag by leaving a comment on their blog.
Friday, February 8, 2008
I'm Back!
Been way too long since my last post. Not going to make excuses. Just got lazy.
My locs are 11 months old now. They had a real growth spurt over the summer. I hadn't realized the growth until I did a braid-out style last week and the darn things were hanging past the top of the shoulder in places.
It's a bit weird having something on my neck, but I think I can get used to it!
Here is a new picture. It may be a bit fuzzy because it's from my cell phone.
-AN UPDATE: I wrote in a previous post that I had changed shampoos. Well, my consultant put me back on the Sisterlocks starter shampoo. I'm cool with it, though I miss the abundant suds. I'm still braiding and banding, but I found some ouchless small bands that make the process much more pleasant.
My locs are 11 months old now. They had a real growth spurt over the summer. I hadn't realized the growth until I did a braid-out style last week and the darn things were hanging past the top of the shoulder in places.
It's a bit weird having something on my neck, but I think I can get used to it!
Here is a new picture. It may be a bit fuzzy because it's from my cell phone.
-AN UPDATE: I wrote in a previous post that I had changed shampoos. Well, my consultant put me back on the Sisterlocks starter shampoo. I'm cool with it, though I miss the abundant suds. I'm still braiding and banding, but I found some ouchless small bands that make the process much more pleasant.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
