On November 19, 2019, I had the pleasure of performing my spoken word at my school, the University of Florida, for an event called A Heavy Crown Black Hair’s Journey Through America hosted by Black Hair Politics and the Omicron Zeta Chapter of Omega Psi Phi. Enjoy my piece:
No, you cannot touch my crown
I worked too hard to make it my own
It is to be looked at and admired
This should be known
No, I will not manipulate the beautiful coils my crown represents
Because as Beyonce once said,
I WOKE UP LIKE THIS
No, my hair is not nappy
Naps are for cotton balls in cotton plants
In a world where people were happy
To enslave my people
My hair isn’t 4A, 4B, 4C or whatever
Category I must confine my crown which has
A variety of S’s and Z’s,
Coils and curls
And different ethnicities
Not too long ago, they wanted us to tame our curls
To imitate the straight manes of the other girls
We let our hair turn crispy and brittle
To satisfy a society which I belittle
Because they don’t appreciate this curly crown
And the media’s bigotry is sound
They encourage us to imitate
A looser curl pattern of lighter skinned girls
Which I refuse to fabricate
My dark-skin girls need love too
Light skinned, brown skinned, dark skinned
We are a beautiful crew
So, let’s wear our crown proudly
Even though many don’t have a clue
Of the rich culture and history that loudly
Beckons to be reckoned with
Do they know that in the 70s and 80s
The afro was a symbol of being black and proud?
Do they know
Model of Featured Image: Shaynah Boulay