News

Young Black Cowboy and his (Ford) Mustang
Reclaiming the Cowboy

By MONIQUE YOUNGER on Dec 24, 2021

2021 was a big year for the Black Cowboy. There was the April 2021 release of Concrete Cowboy starring Idris Elba, Caleb McLaughlin and Jharrel Jerome as well as the October 2021 release of The Harder They ...

Read more
Free the ‘Fro!
Free the ‘Fro!

By MONIQUE YOUNGER on Jun 07, 2021

If children, the natural extension of their parents/household, are allowed to be seen outside the house looking unkempt, like a ‘ragamuffin’, what does that say about their parents? Wild, wooly hair would surely garner inevitable comparisons to Buckwheat, (the dark skinned Black boy on Little Rascals) and that was unacceptable – for little Black girls or boys.

Read more
History of the Afro Comb
History of the Afro Comb

By MONIQUE YOUNGER on May 03, 2021

Hair and grooming have always played an important role in the culture of Africa and the African Diaspora. The traditional African comb or pick has played a crucial role in the creation, maintenance, and decoration of hair-styles for both men and women.

Read more
Scholarly Research on Black Men’s Hair
Scholarly Research on Black Men’s Hair

By MONIQUE YOUNGER on May 03, 2021

It has been extremely important to me, as the mom of a young Black man, to find hair icons for him to look at and find himself reflected in the world.

Read more
Black is Beautiful
Black is Beautiful

By MONIQUE YOUNGER on Apr 05, 2021

The Afro would become Black beauty personified—and done without White validation. The Afro did not care about critics. It did not care about disapproving looks.

Read more
Respectability Politics
Respectability Politics

By MONIQUE YOUNGER on Mar 08, 2021

A black child’s proximity to mainstream respectability is a kind of social barometer for many black parents. Respectability politics, the tendency of a minority group to police its unique cultural practices, is not universally accepted as good practice in black communities. 

Read more
Relax, Don't Do It!
Relax, Don't Do It!

By MONIQUE YOUNGER on Feb 08, 2021

Hair relaxers have been in use since the early 1900s. A hair relaxer is a cream that reduces the natural curl pattern of your hair by breaking down the hair strand and chemically altering the texture. Most people who decide to get their hair relaxed have curly hair who want it stick straight without the frizz. 

Read more