Natural Women: Our Hair, Our Stories (Sharon J.)

Natural Women: Our Hair, Our Stories

(Sharon J.'s Story)

Background / I'm a Cleveland resident and native. I've worked as a newspaper and magazine reporter, substitute teacher, telemarketer, shoe saleswoman, hotel maid, hotel reservation clerk. I am currently a secretary at a state university and a graduate student pursuing a master's degree in English.

Hairstyle / I wear a short Afro. It's about a half an inch high. I have been wearing my hair natural for almost eight years. At one time, my natural hair reached my shoulders. I often wore twists and twist outs. Last year, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had to undergo chemo therapy and my hair began to fall out. I had thick twists hanging from one or two strands of hair. My sister, who is a hair stylist, shaved my head. I wore a short wig for about five months. My hair is starting to grow back now--a little grayer than before, but that's okay. People told me that my hair might be a different texture than it was prior to the chemo therapy; it would come back "nice" with a soft, wavy texture. I'm happy to say that my hair returned to its nice African texture.

Reason for wearing a "natural" hairstyle / I quit a job around the same time the economy took a nose dive. Rule number 1--don't quit a job if you don't have another one lined up. I couldn't afford to keep up my relaxed hair and it started to break off. Either Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve of 2001, I decided to cut the perm out. It just got good to me, I guess. I wound up with a three-inch Afro. I haven't been to a hair salon since that time. I just can't afford it. Besides, I have always liked natural, African textured hair. I think women who wear natural styles look very modern and stylish.

Support for your natural look / I've gotten mixed responses. I began to wear my hair natural while working as a substitute teacher. One of the students told me I looked like Macy Gray, and she didn't mean it as a compliment. I told her, that's okay, at least Macy Gray can spell. I know I was wrong, but I could resist. Another time I was working in the ticket booth at a theater and these two Black female supervisors called me into the office to tell me they had problems with my grooming. My hair was fairly long and thick. I used to wear a hair band. One of these daughters of Satan told me that my hair style got in her craw, and if I knew how much Black women had to struggle to get ahead that I wouldn't wear my hair that way. I'm happy to say that I do get encouragement from a lot of people that I respect for their fashion sense and pride in being Black.

Response to negative commentary / I usually ignore insults directed at me. I'm braver when it comes to defending other people when they're insulted about their natural hair.

A woman or women with natural hair whose style you admire / Macy Gray, Jill Scott, Michel Martin, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Tracee Ellis Ross and Whoopi Goldberg.

Useful natural hair care tips, styling techniques or products / I got in the habit of washing my hair with baby shampoo daily after my hair fell out. I still do that now that I have hair. I follow that with either Miss Jessie's products or curl activator. My sister works well with natural hair. It's good to find a stylist who knows how to treat your hair.

Advice for women considering a natural hairstyle / Save yourself some money and go natural.

Any blogs, websites, books or print magazines, which deal with the subject of natural hair that you'd like to share or recommend / Missjessies.com is good. It shows before and after pictures featuring twist out styles. MotownGirl.com provides a lot of useful advice on caring for natural hair. Nappturality.com also is great. It helps dispel the myth that African textured hair can't get long. Essence Magazine is a wonderful source of encouragement. It offers lots of options for styling natural hair.

Definition of a natural woman / A natural woman appreciates the way God made her and is not afraid to show it.

"Sharon J.'s Story" is part of an on-going series I created that focuses on African American women who wear their hair au naturel. Check the archives (see sidebar on the right) for past segments, features and profiles. If you'd like to participate in the series, please email me for details (go to my blog's profile page or visit my website for contact information).

Your feedback is always appreciated. Please feel free to leave any questions or comments you might have about "Sharon J.'s Story," the "Natural Women: Our Hair, Our Stories" series or Black hair in general, in the section below marked for comments.

Thank You!

A Bit Of Love . . . For My Cleveland Crew . . .

I guess I started something with my previous post (smile). Late last week, I received an email from Elayne Jackson, my contact at the Warrensville Branch of the Cuyahoga Public Library. Among other things, she informed me that nearly all of the 50 or so copies of After The Dance owned by the Cuyahoga Public Library had been checked out. This past Saturday I checked CPL's online catalog for myself and discovered a grand total of 53 copies of my book had been checked out.

WOW! I can only hope the apparent interest in After The Dance translates into folks showing up for the reading/discussion/signing of the novel scheduled for Saturday, 2pm, July 26, 2008 at the Warrensville Public Library (call 216-464-5280 for more information) as well as the other two promotional events currently planned for my Cleveland visit (Thursday, 7pm, July 24 at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Legacy Village Shopping Center and Friday, 6pm, July 25 at SeneAfrique).

If you live in the Cleveland area and you're in need of an extra incentive to attend the Warrensville Library event, well, check this out--I won't be reading alone. No, stepping forward to read the part of "Carl" (from After The Dance) is none other than Cleveland native, Emanuel Carpenter.

In addition to being an Air Force Veteran and a Capital University graduate, Mr. Carpenter is a talented author in his own right. Little Brown, The Midwest Book Review, Forest Wade Press and African American Literature Book Club (AALBC) have all featured and/or published his work. Regulars of this blog might also recognize Emanuel Carpenter as someone who drops by the "Old School Mix" every now and then in order to contribute a bit of his wisdom and wit.

Elayne and Emanuel are just a few of the Cleveland folks I'd like to extend a heartfelt thanks for their on-going kindness, generosity of spirit and interest in my work. Equally deserving of props and acknowledgement for their tireless efforts on my (and my novel's) behalf, particularly with regards to my/our upcoming Cleveland visit, are folks like Sharon J., RadioGirl, and Mary Oluonye.

One of the best things about this journey has been the opportunity to join forces and or/reconnect with folks who share my joy, delight and reverence for the beauty and the power of the written word. Yes, it's all good, y'all (smile).

GUEST BLOGGER . . . SHARON JEFFERSON . . . (aka the Old School Mix's "Sharon J.") PART III

GHANA 2007

From Sharon Jefferson's

picture collection

My Trip To Ghana (by Sharon Jefferson) . . . continued . . .

Every African-American, no, every American should pay a visit to the slave dungeons at Cape Coast. My cousin Melvin out of Chicago didn't lie when he forewarned me that I would be in tears witnessing where my ancestors were held captive before being sent to the Americas--only six percent came to the United States our tour guide said.

Our group toured a small cave-like room where slavers kept the males, who in some cases had to walk in shackles as far as 200 miles just to get there. American Legacy magazine reports that as many as 500 were crammed in the room, which appeared to me to be about the size of a living room of a moderate size home. Only a beam of light came through a small opening high on one side of the wall. There was an opening on the opposite side of the wall, through which food would be thrown. Boys as young as eight had to fight with men as old as thirty-two over scraps. The dark, damp dungeon served as a dining room, toilet and bedroom for the captives.

They stayed between three weeks to three months, according to American Legacy. The males who were considered "unruly" were sent to the condemned room and left to die. Males were seperated from the females, who endured many of the same indignities. I know some Blacks who are either in denial or ashamed to admit they had slave ancestors. There are some, Blacks and non-Blacks, who see having a slave legacy as a sign of inferiority. I think visiting slave dungeons will help many realzie what strong people Africans in the Disaspora must be to have forebearers who were able to survive the misery of the entire slavery process.

Being in the midst of the Ghanaians was like visiting West Mifflin, Pa.-- where practically everyone in the town is related to me. The Ghanaians look a lot like their cousins here in the United States. Seeing them gave me more of an appreciation for the beauty of dark skin. Ghana seems to have a young demographic. I didn't see many people older than their early 30s. Grown and sexy women, i.e. women 40-plus, were referred to as "mommy." Out of shape, Buddha belly folks, like me were a rarity. They were in great shape without ever seeing the inside of a gym or taking a Pilates class. Our group was often served fruit for dessert. Even the pastries served in the hotel had very litte sugar. Much of the Ghanaian diet is similar to that of Black West Indians. They eat a lot of rice and plantains. The hotel where some of us stayed served a drink similar to ginger beer for breakfast and another place served a delicious goat meat stew.

The areas of Ghana our group visited had a mixture of modern buildings and homes and rural dwellings. One of the villages we visited called Etomdome, had mud huts and straw roofs. Chickens and two-foot tall goats roamed freely. The villagers held a naming ceremony for us. I was given the name Akua, which means born on Wednesday. Our group brought school supplies for the children, who attend classes in a one-room schoolhouse. Teachers don't hand out many perfect attendance awards in the villages; often the children have to miss school to work to help support their families. Before we left the village, our gracious hosts treated us to bananas and coconut juice.

Little boy preparing Fu Fu

Ghana 2007

from Sharon Jefferson's

picture collection

There's a surplus of talented people in Ghana who cannot reach their highest potential because there is no system in place to do so. They've been let down first by their unsanctified British colonizers and later by leaders who have been running the country since Ghana's independence in March of 1957. For example, construction is underway to replace the presidential palace with a new 50 million dollar one, when in my opinion, the money could be better used to improve the country's water and sewage system for example. Still, Ghana remains politically stable. Let's understand that it takes generations to get a nation-state running smoothly. Remember, the United States had a Civil War less than 100 years after our independence.

Besides, Ghana is about to come up. She recently has been blessed with the discovery of 600 million barrels of oil off its shores. Let's pray that Ghana's President John Kufuor's desire to see Ghana become an "African tiger" economically, with all the money the oil will generate, comes true.

One of the highlights of my trips was a vist with King Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofari Panin who leads Akyem Abuakwa--the Eastern Region of Ghana. He held a special reception for our group. He had only recently become king after living several years in the United States. He was hesitant about taking on that role, but his mother insisted that it was his duty to come back home and serve his people.

He spoke eloquently about the relationship that he would like to see developed with Africans and African-Americans. He said "Africa wants your solidarity, not your pity." He related Black Americans' experiences to that of Joseph in the Bible. He was taken from Canaan to be a slave in Egypt. After gaining his freedom he prospered and shared his blessings with his brothers who were facing challenges in their family's motherland.

Just like any family, we help our brothers or sisters out and tomorrow they may have to bail us out. You never know when you might need a cup of oil.

Thanks Sharon for sharing your Ghananian experience with the visitors of the Old School Mix. I'm sure Sharon would be delighted to repond to any questions or comments OSM readers might have about her trip. The following is a link for more information about the National Book Club Conference.

GUEST BLOGGER . . . SHARON JEFFERSON . . . (aka the Old School Mix's "Sharon J.") Part II

"Women carrying nuts"

from Sharon Jefferson's

picture collection

Ghana 2007

MY TRIP TO GHANA

by Sharon Jefferson

The announcement that I was going to Ghana in West Africa garnered some very interesting responses. Most people were positive and understood why I would want to go to a country that could very well be the home of my ancestors. Some thought that I might be doing missionary work or perhaps going on a safari. Others were just downright negative and wanted to know why I would want to go to such a disease-infested place.

When I arrived in the capital Accra, I didn't find people who needed to be ministered to. Nor did I find a nation full of sickly, frail people, where babies walked around with bloated bellies and flies in their eyes. What I found were vibrant, healthy people who weren't afraid to show a deep reverance for God. I spent a glorious week in Ghana this past August as part of the National Book Club Conference. Apart from the book conference, which included a dinner honoring prolific author Bernice L. McFadden for her body of work, most of our time was spent touring villages, shops and historical landmarks in Ghana. Here are are just a few observations I made regarding the country and its people:

The Ghanaians really know how to get their hustle on. It was not unusual to see men and women weaving through Accra's thick early morning traffic carrying heavy baskets, bowls or pots filled with fruit, nuts or water on their heads. I saw a brother walking with a sewing machine on his head, and he carried it with the coolness of a cootie from Cleveland strutting along Kinsman Avenue in a Kangol felt cap.

An entrepreneurial spirit permeates the capital and parts of the country where we traveled. The streets were lined with all types of businesses selling such items as clothing, hand-made furniture and even old appliances. I saw one lot with nothing but old refrigerators. Casket making seems to be big business there. Many of the businesses have some type of Christian reference to God in their title. There might be the Blessed Assurance hair salon on one side of the street and God's Will Be Done restaurant on the other side. Forty percent of the population is Christian and another twelve percent are Muslim, according to information from the Ghanaian embassy in Washington D.C

We shopped at a well-known retail spot called the Art Center where we spent our Ghana Ceis (one amonts to $1.06) on snake-skinned purses, Kente cloth, wooden Ashanti stools and drums. One woman, obviously trying to win salesperson of the month, grabbed my hand before I barely had the chance to exit the bus, sat me down in a chair and attempted to do a hard sell. Unfortunately, she didn't have anything that interested me so I moved on to another section. Haggling over prices is encouraged. It got to be a game for me. At one point, I exhausted myself trying to get the price lowered on a jewelry box I wanted, but to no avail. I was so anxious to get some kind of deal, that when the salesman offered a slight discount on another item I bought, I realized later I probably paid more than I should have.

SEE NEXT POST FOR PART III . . .

(SEE THE PREVIOUS POST FOR PART I)

GUEST BLOGGER . . . SHARON JEFFERSON . . . (aka the Old School Mix's "Sharon J.") Part I

Sharon Jefferson in Ghana

standing next to a bust of

WEB DuBois

While the more boisterous types are barking orders, delegating tasks and trying to convince others of their leadership abilities, inevitably, there is always someone like my friend, Sharon Jefferson, who is somewhere quietly getting the job done.

I've always admired people like Sharon. Were I ten to twenty years younger, I'd say, "When I grow up, I want to be just like her." But the truth is, Sharon doesn't have much on me in the age department (smile). And when it comes to wisdom and the spiritual fortitude required to be not just a "reader" but a "doer" of The Word, well, she has me thoroughly beat.

Throughout my four years of exile in the Cleveland area, Sharon's friendship was, for me, a blessing and then some. As the fierceless moderator of the women's group book club at East View United Church of Christ, Sharon's book selections are what ultimately led me to find my Cleveland area church home. Newspaper notices about the club and the titles they were reading caught my attention and piqued my interest. The way I figured it, any church brave enough to read and discuss books by authors like Toni Morrison (The Bluest Eye), Charles Barkley (I May Be Wrong, But I Doubt It) and Michael Eric Dyson (Is Bill Cosby Right Or Has The Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind?) had to be worthy of at least a visit or two.

Not long after I joined both the church and the book club, I discovered Sharon was also the guiding force behind East View's MLK essay contest, an annual event that awards several sizable monetary scholarships to area students. Being able to participate as a volunteer in this inspirational program was truly one of the highlights of my entire Cleveland experience.

Of course, when I asked Sharon to write a bio for her Old School Mix guest appearance, in keeping with her humble ways, she wrote: "Sharon Jefferson is a writer living in Cleveland. When she's not daydreaming about another trip to an exotic locale, she is doing what she hopes will be the last re-write on her novel and studying creative writing at Cleveland State University." But I would be remiss if I didn't add that Sharon's work has also appeared in the pages of the Cleveland Call & Post and Essence Magazine (Oct. 1990).

Coming next (part II of this post) is a piece Sharon wrote, per my request, about the trip she recently took to Ghana in conjunction with the National Book Club Conference.