JULY EDITION

JULY 2020 | VOL. IV

BLK LVS MTR This volume is dedicated to the Black Community and those who lost their lives due to racial injustice. We aspire to uplift the Black Excellence we have in our community.

Nina Warner is a 31 year old army wife, mother of... well, two and half (she is expecting!). She grew up moving and traveling all over the world.

She thrives in that lifestyle and is regularly seeks a new adventure.

Although family, food and photography are her passions, Nina keeps herself open to new learning experiences. She refers to herself as a serial hobbyist. When she finds something she is interested in, she becomes obsessed with it and educates herself on every tiny detail about it. One example is the time she dedicated to learn the art of bread making and never leaving her kitchen without being covered in flour from head to toe! Her family is at the center of everything that she does. Nina is constantly inspired to try new things because of the positive impact she feels it will have on her family as a whole. "They make me who I am and I’m always searching for ways to give back to the people I love so much.", Nina mentions. Read more about Nina here in this volume of The Curly Paper. (page 7) THE CURLY PAPER | 1

BREONNA TAYLOR

TABLE OF CONTENTS

12

ROSE'S BIG CHOP

21 ARIANNA CHATS WITH US ABOUT POST PARTUM HAIRLOSS

4

7

Editor's Note

Meet our Editor in Chief and our Managing Editor.

NINA WARNER

BEAUTY, FAMILY, INJUSTICE

7

NINA TOUCHES ON MANY TOPICS THAT HIT HOME

19 #OhMycurls!

Nae shares her hair transformation

21

curl chat Arianna Guzman chats with us

24 the juice 12

big chop!

Rose's big chop

Exploitation in the Black Community.

28 CURLY KIDS CORNER 15

18

dear curly paper,

Check out Brooke's Girls !Â

Pensive in PA

curly of the month See who made it on our Picture Frame this month!

29 classifieds

Services, Events, Model Search, etc.

Meet our Chief Editor

a l l e B

Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Bella's family later moved to the states and her late father was stationed in Tacoma,

Washington. They later moved to New Jersey where Bella spends most of her life. Bella is a mom of four. Married for almost 20 years. She has a Masters of Science in Psychology degree. Bella has been a passionate member of the curly hair community for about three years now and is excited about learning new things, as well as excited about teaching others, not only about hair-related topics, but also about life experiences.

THE CURLY PAPER | 4

Meet our Managing Editor

y m m E

New Jersey native, Emmy

(@negra.latina) is the proud mother of three children and wife to an unbelievably creative husband who she credits for most of her successes. She’s been in business management for 10 years. She currently plays the role of Senior Manager for a fortune 100. Sharing her curly hair journey and embracing her Afro Latina background, Emmy is excited to share her experience in art, culture and beauty. Her passion to bring awareness to minorities and how to overcome obstacles and uplift one another is the key that brought this newspaper to life.

THE CURLY PAPER | 5

WWW.SPICEGROVEROSELLE.COM

NINA CHAT'S WITH THE CURLY PAPER How have you’ve been coping with the pandemic and having to care for your children?

We take it one day at a time. Some days we get lost in crafts and schoolwork. Other days we watch movies or shows almost the entire time. It’s more about tuning in and finding what works for us in the moment. When it’s nice outside we are taking in the fresh air as much as possible while still remaining safe and practicing social distancing.

THE CURLY PAPER | 7

What has your experience as an Army wife been like ?

What challenges does it bring to you?

I was born to two army soldiers. My mom was an army nurse and my father a Blackhawk mechanic. I was made for this life, but that being said it’s still hard at times.

My husband Shawn and I are incredible partners.

We’ve always worked together so well. I credit our growth over the years for making this life work for us and our children.

Shawn’s job is incredibly demanding. He works almost every holiday and some weekends. At any given time he’s got to go in and handle business. Not only is he responsible for his family, but for his soldiers as well.

That can also be a hard dynamic, but he is a natural born leader and makes it a point to help others be their best. It’s was keeps me pushing at home. He’s an incredible motivator.

THE CURLY PAPER | 8

We absolutely love your photos. What is your inspiration behind the beautiful shots?

My family! They’re the reason I even took photography up to begin with. Being a military wife we move often and it’s hard finding a photographer that always meshes with our style. So, I decided I would take on the job of documenting our life and travels.

BEAUTY WITH NINA How do you care for your curls?

Do you have a curly hairstylist you'd like to recommend?

I have what would be considered a softer curl texture. I typically use one product at a time in the hopes of not weighing down my curls, but simply enhancing the natural bounce. I’ve recently been to Joe Miguel and adore him! He is such an incredible educator and my hair has never looked better.

Under his instruction, I diffuse after every wash or co wash to keep from water damage. I let my curls out now more than ever and for the first time, I think ever, I feel confident with my natural hair.

THE CURLY PAPER | 9

You have beautiful skin, what are your go to skin care tips and products?

OSEA

MALIBU

I live and breath for their skincare! I use it exclusively and love every single thing it does for my skin and the way it makes me feel when using their products. A little bit of an investment but everything lasts me almost half the year if not longer.

I see you love to bake, we would love one of your favorite recipes!

“Never left the kitchen without being covered in flower from head to toe!”

Warnerful Banana Nut Bread The Ingredients 1/4 cup salted butter (room temp) 1/4 cup olive oil 1 cup brown sugar 2 whole bananas mashed 2 large eggs (room temp) 1/4 cup milk1 tsp almond extract (or vanilla) 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp cardamom (optional) 1/2 cup chopped walnuts Preheat oven to 325F In a light colored loaf pan grease with oil or butter. I typically choose butter.

In a large mixing bowl combine all wet ingredients as well as your brown sugar.

Once combined add in all dry ingredients (except walnuts). Be sure smooth out any lumps and scrape the sides well to insure everything is blended.

Fold in walnuts to your mixture.

Pour into loaf pan and place in your preheated oven for 50-60 minutes or until fully baked through. I typically do a toothpick test here.

Once finished place on a wire rack to cool for at least 15 minutes before removing loaf from the pan.

Slice up and enjoy.

FINAL CHAT WITH NINA WARNER.

HOW DO YOU CELEBRATE A COUNTRY'S FREEDOM WHEN NOT EVERYONE IN THAT COUNTRY IS FREE? That is the question I repeatedly asked myself in the days leading up to this past 4th of July and still the question stays with me weeks later. When the Declaration of Independence was drafted, Native Americans, African Americans and women were not included. It seemed to be a declaration for some rather than many. The ironic part of it all is the people creating this document were searching for relief from what they felt was persecution of who they were and their beliefs. All the while condemning others to the very thing they were running away from.

Not only did they condemn but they worsened the treatment to every single person of color (POC) they came in contact with. Again I ask: how do we celebrate these people and their so-called idea of freedom?

As I mentioned earlier, I was born to dual military parents both serving in the U.S Army.

The pride my parents felt and continue to feel for their service to this country is easily seen.

My father wakes up every morning to raise his flag on his front porch and every evening just like clockwork he rolls it up again to bring in the house for the night. Growing up, the 4th of July was a grand affair. We often lived on military bases where we participated in community activities like concerts, barbecues and fireworks. Celebrating this day on a military base as a child instilled the same pride in me as it did my parents.

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Being raised on a military based made me feel a certain amount of safety. I attended military DoD schools all the way through middle school with other children of all races and parents from every walk of life.

Race was not something that came up as we were all essentially transplants from other places. When I look back now I always wonder if it was the naiveté of being a child or was I just blind to what became so blatantly obvious later in life. When I was 22 I watched my then boyfriend (a Salvadorian man) get racially profiled and then arrested for a DUI without being given a breathalyzer or field sobriety test. He was our DD that night and being that everyone of us riding in the vehicle was a POC, we were probably an easy target. They had no reason to pull us over. In fact, we were parked and all getting out of the car. That night will never make sense to me but the one thing that did was the realization that black and brown people were treated differently in this country. Some time after that night I was managing a night club for a black owner.

FINAL CHAT WITH NINA WARNER.

HOW DO YOU CELEBRATE A COUNTRY'S FREEDOM WHEN NOT EVERYONE IN THAT COUNTRY IS FREE? The so called “ABC Board” barged in one evening before opening and in appearance they resembled more of a police SWAT team. I could not understand why they came fully armed and wearing bulletproof vests. They were aggressive in their manner and the way in which they spoke to us. I can remember looking around at all the black people in the building not even flinching. This kind of treatment was almost all too familiar for them. Once the board reviewed receipts, licenses and our liquor storage they left almost as swiftly as they had come. In my 15 years of working in the bar and restaurant industry I still have never seen anything like that night in a white-owned establishment.

It began to dawn on me all of times I had been blind to the way I was treated and to the treatment of those around me. My entire life the number one question I had been asked, maybe even more than my name, was: “what are you?” When I was first asked, I remember looking at the person strangely not exactly sure their intention. In my mind I was a human being like everyone else but that was not what they were asking. I remember the day I brought this question home to my mom. You could see the look change in her eyes. She began to explain what exactly I was being asked in a far more eloquent way.

“They’re asking your ethnicity” she said, “they want to know your nationality” and then she proceeded to explain what those words meant. I believe the only thing my mom was more proud of more than her ability as a mother and service was her strong Native American heritage.

My mother’s parents were both of the North Carolina tribe Haliwa-Saponi and even though much of life was spent away from my family while my parents served in the military, my mother always made it a point to keep me connected to our people. Through symbols of our tribe adorned in our home or a pow wow to take part in, regardless of where we were stationed at the time. She made sure that I was always plugged into my culture. My father, having grown up in the military himself, was not quite as tapped into his Panamanian and French heritage but he was never reluctant to share any part of himself that my grandparents had shared with or taught him.

When I look back on all those times with my parents, I believe it wasn’t just the ability to serve their country that created such a deep and long lasting pride, but rather the sacrifices they had made in order to provide me with the opportunities to thrive in a country that was not built with us in mind. Now when I think about who I am and who I come from it is not about striving for an antiquated idea of freedom but instead the resilience of so many before me to keep fighting and striving forward towards a freedom greater than any of our ancestors could have possibly dreamed.

THE CURLY PAPER | 12

WWW.ALECIASNOW.COM

BIG CHOP! ROSE SHARES HER

BIG CHOP STORY WITH US!

THE CURLY PAPER | 14

My name is Rose, and I'm from Puerto Rico, currently living in Riverview FL. Since childhood, I was constantly bullied in school. A major reason was because my hair was curly and another reason was I didn't know how to take care of it. My mom and grandmother would try to help me style my hair in different ways but I never liked it. Growing up, the trend was having straight hair to imitate the perception of what most people would call "good hair". I still remember some of the names I was called in school, like "Pelo Kinky" "Pechu Pop" (is like a type of chicken nugget of a local restaurant in PR) "Matojo" amongst other names, which all related back to Kinky/ Big curly hair.

Before going natural, I did some damage to my hair! I started using relaxers at the age of 15, I damaged my curls with hair dyes, and tons of heat damage from straightening my hair. I used relaxers routinely for 15 years. I was struggling during all of these years because my hair was so unhealthy. I kept having to cut it every 3 months because the amount of damage was constantly splitting my ends. Last summer, I decided to begin taking care of my hair and try to get it back to life. Although I wanted to just be a natural curly, and witnessing my best friend transition and go through the process, it was a struggle to actually stick to the natural hair journey. I started watching videos of the natural hair community, and YouTube videos. I began saving tips for Curly Hair on Pinterest. I would save them for when I'm ready, but the damaged continued on....

At a specific point in time of my life, I told my mom "Take the relaxer because I'm not going to reapply again!". That was my first step to stopping the damage.

Although I was still using the flat iron every 3 months , which I regret dearly because I still till this day see damage to my curl pattern because of the flat iron, I began my transition

THE CURLY PAPER | 15

in full and started deep conditioning weekly and doing protective styles to avoid running back to the flat iron.

This past November I decided that for my 30th birthday, I wanted to do a big chop! I actually had a friend of mine cut my hair. Let me tell you, it didn't look pretty. But I definitely felt free and I can be finally be myself again. My grandmother passed away in February and I visited Puerto Rico for her funeral. Before coming back to Tampa, my mom's best friend, which was the same person who relaxed my hair for many years, actually fix my hair cut by taking away the remaining of the relaxed ends I still had. Since that last trim, I've been taking care of it more than I have ever done in the past. I'm so surprised how much it has grown in 6 months. My washday consists of avoiding sulfates, deep conditioning every week, oil treatments, protein treatments once a month, and protective styles if I have a busy week.

If I have the chance to meet my younger self, I would tell her to just be you and that all types of hair are good. I would show myself how to manage it and embrace it as I'm doing right now. The transition was not easy but it was manageable. I learn so much about my hair, what it needs, what things to avoid apart of the heat and I just enjoy this process. My next goal is to let it grow to over my shoulders and in a few months, I will do a little trim to the crown because is getting longer and needs more shape. I can't see myself turning back to straight hair. I would wear a wig instead. I've been able to embrace my hair so much and see it at the healthiest its ever been, I can't even think about touching that flat iron again!

THE CURLY PAPER | 16

ELIJAH MCCLAIN

10 Black Owned Businesses for your

Dear Curly . . . r e p Pa

curly needs.

RIGHTEOUS ROOTS OIL

TGIN

Anonymous curlies

letters

about

sent

questions

The

Curly

from

&

your

concerns

fellow

Communty

KINKY-CURLY

Dear The Curly Paper, I’ve been on Instagram sharing my curly hair journey and meeting new people for about 3 years. Most of my experiences have been good. I haven’t been too active on IG lately, but I do check in when I can. Since the protests have been taking place, I noticed more people speaking up about the African-American community but I saw that some stayed silent or only posted Bible verses. I may not have the right to say this because I haven’t been active or said or done much, but I feel like some people should be saying more to support the African American Community. I’m not religious or even go to church, but I believe in God or a higher power.

I think that the higher power would like for us to love one another and do the right thing. There’s a girl that I follow who I used to like but she has been very judgmental and has not said a word about the African American community. All I see from her are condemning Bible verses in her stories and shade on her posts. It’s hard to not notice. I know she is open about her faith but I think she is taking it too far and wanted to know if you think I should just ignore her, unfollow her, or what...

Sincerely,

Pensive in Pennsylvania THE CURLY PAPER | 18

EDEN BODYWORKS

within

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CAMILLE ROSE NATURALS

DESIGN ESSENTIALS

THE DOUX

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UNCLE FUNKY'S DAUGHTER

Dear Curly Paper... ..CONTINUATION

Dear Pensive in Pennsylvania, The first thing that caught my attention was that you stated how you are not very active on Instagram, but you noticed how certain people are speaking up and others are remaining quiet or doing other things. It seems as though you do have some time to drop a post in support of the Black Community (or even a hair post), but if I read your email correctly, you have not. Yet, you have the time to notice who is doing what. My question is, why haven’t you felt compelled to speak up yourself ? I think that speaking about who is doing what carries little weight when all you are doing is observing people’s activities (that is not to say that you are not doing other things in real life to help, but you didn’t mention that). I’m going off of what you shared. The reality is that everyone is entitled to share what they want and how they want and we don’t have to agree with it. I, personally, cannot wrap my head around the fact of how someone sees (or maybe they didn’t take the time to see) a video of a man being murdered in broad daylight and not address it (at least once) and act as though everyone else speaking in support of the Black Community is wrong.

He’s not the first of the last; there have been countless victims of police brutality or brutality against citizens who think they can take the law into their own hands. To get to the root of everything happening today, we have to look at history and when we do that we are told to stop dwelling in the past, but the past sadly is not long ago when it comes to the oppression that the Black Community faces.

If you consider this person, who prompted you to reach out to us, a friend, then yes I would suggest you speak to them and let them know how you feel. If they are simply an acquaintance and you are good with unfollowing them, then do so. If you can mute her and ignore her, then do that. The truth is that I really can’t tell you what to do. We each have to do what we feel is right, for our sanity and for our purpose. I am open to listen to why other people feel the way that they do, but when others have no interest in knowing why I feel the way that I do, then I will move on. Sometimes it doesn’t take a whole conversation to do that. Sometimes we just know and I feel as though you already have your answer.

-The Curly Paper THE CURLY PAPER | 19

CURLY OF THE MONTH FOLLOW @ANJUCEY ON INSTAGRAM

THE CURLY PAPER | 21

AHMAUD ARBERY

#OhMyCurls!

When your curls get damaged from mistakes you've made, bad haircuts, hair dyes, hair products, food, etc.

The Curly Karaoke!

FREEDOM

by: Beyonce Feat. Kendrick Lamar When I was a child, my mom would braid my hair nine times out of ten. Every once in a while, she styled my hair with two curly puffs! I believe it was middle school when I began pressing my hair and I got it done every two weeks like clockwork. Eventually, I got bored with it. It was always the same pressed-hair and I couldn’t really do anything else with it. I began my natural hair journey on January 5, 2018 (wow, that’s over two years ago). I knew that I wanted to transition for a year, big chop later, and that’s what I did. The year I transitioned, I learned a lot about my hair and myself. Within that time, I started my Instagram page because I wanted to track and see my progress by way of photos, which is something that I suggest to anyone who is considering transitioning or is in the middle of doing so. You don’t necessarily have to do this to become an influencer or a blogger. You can just keep your photos in a folder on your phone to look back on later so that you can see the changes, especially early in your journey when some people feel as though they may not notice any changes. Tracking the journey with photos, videos and with my captions allowed me to go back and know exactly how I felt and which products I was using at the time. When I look at my old content now, I truly understand why I decided to be on this journey ! I took my time with the process.

THE CURLY PAPER | 23

"Cuz I need freedom too!"

TAG US SINGING THIS SONG!

#OhMyCurls!

continuation..

For the first six months, I used the same products. Because this was such a change for my hair, I didn’t want to complicate things by testing out too many products on my damaged hair. For the most part, I am still this way now that I am fully natural. I enjoy trying new products, but like my grandma says, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” I definitely didn’t expect transitioning to have as much of a learning curve as it did. One does not realize how damaged one’s hair is until you wet it and you see that line of demarcation. While I experienced frustration, I also experienced so much support from other naturals on Instagram, from my friends and family, and from strangers on the street. I give props to those who went natural & documented their progress on Instagram & YouTube before it became popular. How Sway? I would not have known what to do at all if it were not for tutorials and product recommendations. My advice to you if you are transitioning is to find some curlies you trust, ask them questions, and watch their videos. I’m so much more confident, not only because of my hair, but because I’ve seen so many beautiful people in this community, people who are beautiful inside and out, who encourage that confidence and encourage me to be myself, love myself, unapologetically and unconditionally.

-Nae Xo

THE CURLY PAPER | 24

PFC. VANESSA GUILLEN

CURL CHAT WITH SPECIAL GUEST

ARIanna guzman

THE CURLY PAPER | 26

Ari - @abeautyanalyst How Postpartum Hair Loss Unintentionally Motivated My Transition Five years ago, I gave birth to the coolest kid! For me, becoming a first-time mom was an intense experience coupled with TONS of weird changes.

Don’t get me wrong, becoming a Mom was amazing.

However, at the time, I was having difficulty getting accustomed to change. It took me about three months after the birth of my child to feel seminormal. Then, just when I thought I had a grasp in this motherhood thing, my long, luxurious, pregnancy locks were breaking off in heaps. I thought I was losing my mind. No one ever thought to mention that hair loss is one of the perks of Postpartum. As if it weren’t enough having leaky breasts, extra weight, sleep deprivation, anxiety, depression etc. I had NO EDGES. My hair was dry, brittle and unable to curl. Furthermore, on multiple occasions, I clogged the shower drain. Talk about SUPER WEIRD. Once the first 40 days of my postpartum period were over, I ran to my Dominican hairstylist and cut my hair into a bob. I thought that this would solve the hair loss issue, but it just kept falling out. Eventually, I did what people would do in this situation and went to Google. I also discussed this with my doctor. Turns out Postpartum hair loss aka Telogen Effluvium (alopecia)1 is common and its triggered by a decline in hormones that elevate during pregnancy.

CURL CHAT

The hair does grow back although it feels like FOREVER. That day, after spending hours staring at my disheveled bob and nonexistent edges, I became fed up. I began to research solutions on how to recover from hair loss quickly. Although I knew it was going to take some time, I was on a mission and was willing to try anything. The women in my family provided tons of Dominican remedies that aid in hair growth. I continued drinking my prenatal vitamins, drank a lot of water and deep conditioned twice a week.

I did see a change but not like I thought because I was still relying on heat tools. After a few weeks into my hair loss recovery journey, I found a YouTube video from SunKissAlba on how to recover your hair from heat damage and the rest was history.

Fast forward to 2020 my hair is healthy, strong and VERY CURLY! From that point, my hair took about 3-4 months to look fuller. When I began to transition from heat damage, it took a full year to notice a difference. Since then, I have learned so much about hair and continue to learn.Therefore, if you are experiencing Postpartum hair loss, I have attached some tips I would like to share regarding recovery. As always, consult with a medical professional to confirm that there are no underlying medical issues. Be sure to read all the ingredients you use to make sure you are not allergic to anything especially, if you are breastfeeding.

THE CURLY PAPER | 27

CURL CHAT Tip #1- Do not freak out!Postpartum hair loss is normal!Here's the Science:Each strand of hair you have is going through different stages of the growth cycle. Most strands are in the anagen (growing) stage while some are in the telogen (resting) stage. The strands in the resting stage are the ones that make up the 100 or so hair strands that the average person sheds daily. Once the resting period is done, the hair falls out, and new hair grows in. During pregnancy, estrogen levels increase and extend the growing stage. This causes a pregnant woman’s hair often to look full and luxurious. Once a woman delivers her baby however, those hormone levels decline rapidly and so does all that extra hair. It will take about 3-6 months to grow back.

Tip #2- Eat a balanced diet with the right nutrients! Foods rich in iron, protein, zinc, collagen, vitamin A, vitamin C etc. can help promote hair growth. You can also add a prenatal vitamin to your meals.

Tip #3- Stay hydrated! Try to drink 8 to 10 glass of water, it's good for your hair as well as your skin!

Tip #4- Regular scalp massages with a carrier oil such as jojoba can help stimulate the hair follicles and encourage growth.

Tip #5- Deep condition at least once a week. If you can break away from your newborn baby for 10 minutes to shower, deep condition while you are in there.

Tip #6- Try hairstyles with the lowest manipulation possible that way you are not tugging at the root. Also, head wraps are also a lifesaver!

Tip #7- No Heat or Hair Color, just until your hormones level out and you are not shedding as excessively.

Tip #8- A big chop may be easier! It may sound daunting, but I did this last year and it was super liberating, Of course this is optional.

WHEN IN DOUBT ALWAYS RESEARCH!REMEMBER, EVERYBODY IS DIFFERENT, AND YOU CANNOT PREVENT POSTPARTUM CHANGES LIKE HAIR LOSS. JUST CONTINUE WORKING ON YOURSELF AND YOUR NATURAL HAIR REGIMEN, THE REST WILL FOLLOW SUIT.

-Ari Xo

THE CURLY PAPER | 28

The

JUICE NOT THE TEA..

THE EXPLOITATION OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY BY BRANDS & INFLUENCERS

As we all approached the end of 2019, many of us were utilizing #2020 vision on our social media posts and were excited about what the year 2020 would bring us. I don’t think many of us were even remotely prepared for all that we have had to face; Covid-19, loss of jobs, and injustices against the Black Community, just to name a few. Yet, there is no denying that 2020Vision absolutely opened many of our eyes to important factors in societies around the globe (and mainly here in our own backyards in the U.S.), factors that we were either refusing to accept or were uninformed about. This year has definitely brought to light the pressures of social media, lack of empathy from certain groups, people’s hidden agendas, and how the Black Community is exploited repeatedly, even during such a crucial time in our world. As they say, this one goes down in the books…the history books, that is, and we hope those responsible with that task, get it right this time.

"Never stop learning, because life never stops teaching" –author unknown

It did not take long to see influencers, who have followers in the hundreds of thousands and above that, to try and capitalize, and furthermore exploit the protests that took place after the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020. Sadly, other influencers with less followers tried to follow suit and they, too, felt the wrath when they were all exposed. Some were seen showing up at various protest locations in what they referred to as “riot gear” (which consisted of yoga pants, a tank top, sneakers and their iced Venti close by). Some pretended to board up businesses that had damaged storefronts and even jumped in the middle of marches, simply to take a selfie, go home and post about how they were so down to support Black Lives Matter; it was simply a photo op to them. To make matters worse, some took it further and did BLM makeup looks. Although intentions may have been good for some (in their minds), the reality is that we need to be careful as to not take situations where people are oppressed or exploited and try to use them for personal gain, especially without doing anything of value to help the circumstances. We need to ask ourselves what the results of our intentions and actions are ? What are we trying to accomplish ? Are we educating or directing people to sources where they could learn further, donate, or volunteer ? Or is this simply about me-me-me.

THE CURLY PAPER | 29

The

JUICE NOT THE TEA..

For the record, everyone can play a role in advocacy. Considering that we are still in the midst of a pandemic, some cannot protest because they cannot be exposed to crowds. Yet, we can all take this time to educate ourselves and direct people to Black sources, as it is not our job to lead this initiative if we are not Black. We can educate those in our circles, but allow the Black Community to do what they have been doing for years. Let’s #AmplifyMelanatedVoices.

Many of us watched as brands were pressured to openly share how diverse (or un-diverse) their teams were, which honestly was long overdue. However, I’m curious to know what the longlasting, permanent effects of that will be. Some brands shared their stats and solemnly swore to do better, which honestly, felt too little too late, but better late than never, I guess. Some companies, with little or no diversity, put out apologetic statements out of sheer pressure. Again, we want to ensure that the desire to have more qualified BIPOC working in various positions, particularly in executive levels (which are mostly held by White people) is real and that it actually happens. Now is the time to walk the talk, as people are more informed now than ever. Even if you felt pressure to post a black square on social media (or were sincere about it) and have used the Black Lives Matter hashtag, what is TRULY needed is REAL change and sincere advocacy and it begins with each of us. As individuals, and as collective groups (such as brands with teams), we need to consider the impact that we have in our communities. The Black Community has been oppressed for hundreds of years, even till this day. The oppression is simply disguised differently; disguised behind microagressions and even blatantly out in the open, as we saw with the death of George Floyd. There’s a lot of “in your face” facts and it can be challenging for some to process all of this, but just imagine what the Black Community has had to endure. I highly doubt that they want apologies or sympathy, as this point. How about we take some action for a change and stop exploiting situations to simply grow our Instagram accounts ? Let’s do things wholeheartedly and educate ourselves. Once you know the real history about this country (and even Black Communities in other parts of the world) and how things are still running today, you will think differently (or should, at least). This is not about religion or politics. It’s about humanity.

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