Our hair story is a mosaic of types and textures to be loved, celebrated, and respected. My Beautiful Black Hair: 101 Natural Hair Stories from the Sisterhood by author St. Clair Detrick-Jules does just that!
My Beautiful Black Hair is a visual anthology featuring photos and interviews with women of color worldwide. Detrick-Jules’ motivation for this journey began with her younger sister’s experience of being bullied because of her Afro. It proceeded as an uplifting message to empower women and an inspiring love letter to Black women everywhere navigating their relationships to their hair.
The following excerpts from a Washington City Paper summarize why My Beautiful Black Hair deserves a permanent position on your bookshelf.
Natural Black hair continues to be a social and cultural debate with real-life consequences. The book My Beautiful Black Hair: 101 Natural Hair Stories from the Sisterhood is a cultural homage to Black women featuring testimonies of the burdens they’ve dealt with when choosing to wear natural hair. …The book’s collection of 101 photos of Black women’s natural hair, paired with impelling stories on their hair experiences—ranging from social discomfort, discrimination, denied education and employment to self-acceptance—lets the reader witness the repositioning of the natural hair movement, which for years has been overshadowed by Eurocentric beauty standards. The book serves as a platform for Black women to educate the world on the historical importance of their hair traditions.
Read the entire review at Washington City Paper.
St. Clair Detrick-Jules is an award-winning filmmaker, photographer, author, and activist. She captures personal stories and intimate moments centering on Black liberation, immigrant justice, and women’s rights. An Afro-Caribbean artist who remains rooted in her community, St. Clair grounds her work in radical love, joy, and the knowledge that a more just world is possible. Visit her website and follow her social media streams on Twitter and Instagram.
Detrick-Jules discusses My Beautiful Black Hair and cultural misappropriation in this BNC (The Black News Channel) interview.
There are so many accolades for My Beautiful Black Hair, and we just had to include a few in this post.
I had fully expected beautiful photographs, but what I had not expected was that My Beautiful Black Hair was going to be a prayer, a hosanna, a meditation, a testimony, a gentle touch, and a sigh of relief. This book loves on Black women and girls in a way that I have rarely seen. Though this book is obviously set in present-day, something about it seems to span history, making it feel cosmic and magical. This is the book I want to gift every Black woman I know. I feel so incredibly honored and grateful to have been allowed to be a witness. — Robert Jones, Jr., New York Times bestselling author of The Prophets
Read more accolades here.
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
An inspiring message of love and empowerment. — BuzzFeed News
My Beautiful Black Hair is available anywhere books are sold, including Amazon and Chronicle Books.
If you enjoyed this recap of My Beautiful Black Hair: 101 Natural Hair Stories from the Sisterhood, I would welcome your feedback in the comments section of this post. I also remind you to #AskKarlinesSalon about proper care for all types and textures of hair. We’re just a call (561-471-0900) or click away.
Have a fabulous day!
Karline