My Highest Honor (Client Profile)

At the height of the Haitian earthquake relief efforts I remember seeing a short clip of "families at the airport, all anxious to meet their new adoptees."  The camera pans the crowd and there was not one person of color!  My first thought - how will they possbly care for their hair?  I didn't doubt that they'd be loved, but understanding the complexities of our hair in its natural state, its care and maintenance, well that's a totally different level of knowledge.  Most African-Americans aren't even that conscious - yet.  Will these parents think chemically processed hair is a "natural state?"  It bothered me...
And the Universe responded.

A few months later I was privileged to lock two beautiful Ethiopian sisters new to America.  I present to you QueenN and QueenM, my first "girls" Sisterlocks installs.

They have beautiful accents and I love hearing them talk. They've quickly grasped English thanks to the patient tutoring of their parents.  (The little one refers to long hair as "big hair."  I just love hearing her talk about my "big hair.")  During the installs, mom did flash card activities - letters, words, colors and shapes.  Read books was read to...and...I've now watched every children's video there is.  The Little Mermaid, Thumbalina, all of the Shrek's, Toy Story, Ice Age, The Frog Princess, etc.  Their favorite - Mary Poppins.  A movie I had never viewed til now. The installs were a month a part. And you guessed it. The little one liked the same movies as her sister!  So I got to view them twice.  It's a joy watching them innocently laugh out loud or emotionally respond to whatever's happening on the screen.

The girls are blessed with parents who absolutely love and adore them - the biblical kind of love - patient, kind, giving, selfless.  They couldn't be in a more loving, nurturing environment.  I've had the pleasure of spending time with both parents. I asked the one question that always crosses my mind when I hear of International Adoptions - why a particular country?  In this case, Ethiopia, specifically?

"We wanted to adopt where the need was greatest.  I always instinctively knew I would have daughters from Ethiopia.  I can't tell you how I knew.  I just felt it." ~The Girls' Mom

And the Universe responded.

My second question, "why Sisterlocks?"  RESEARCH.  Everything she read indicated that Sisterlocks was the healthest option for her girls' hair and would give them the one thing they wanted most - long hair. (They have that in common with 99.9% of us, right?)  I remember the way they looked at me, examining my locks with curiosity during our consultation.  A special moment.

I actually referred the mother to someone in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.  She emailed back and said with distance being the same both ways, she'd prefer that I lock the girls.  She said my name kept coming up in her research.  I was a little uncertain about little girls sitting for the long install time; but they both did an excellent job of hanging with Blaq.  Kudos to mom for coming prepared with items to keep them occupied and lots of fruits and snacks.

I've learned there's a network of International Adoption support groups for every particular mixture of adoptive families - blogs and websites where adoptive parents can gain insight, support, recommendations, referrals and discuss things such as hair care.  The adoption process can take quite some time. This gave the girls' mother a year and more to learn as much as she could about natural hair and its care. 

"I want my girls playing outside on Saturdays, not sitting in a salon" ~ The Girls' Mom

Since getting to know this family, I can view that same news clip with a different perspective. I thank them for being open to my inquiring mind. Look forward to more features on the girls as their locks mature and they adapt to American life.

In the meantime, when QueenN and QueenM look at me as an African-American woman, I want them to see WHAT their locks can become AND the limitless possibilities of WHO they can become ~ that is my highest honor.

Who knows why the Universe brought us all together. Perhaps it was simply as natural for the girls to get Sisterlocks - as it was for me to lock them - as it was for their parents to adopt them...

"It's natural to be natural."  ~BlaqKofi

(Click photos for greater detail.)

BlaqKofi
Ceritified Sisterlocks Consultant
Personal & Professional Life Coach
Motivational Speaker

QueenN's portrait of me made during her install.  It has a place of prominence in my shop.