One of the biggest topics in black and Hispanic culture nowadays is hair. Whether it is kinky, curly, locs, relaxed, texturized or in a weave, ethnic hair has been a subject that brings people together.
Last Wednesday, Oct. 14, the Nu Mu Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and members of the Haraya organization at St. John’s University collaborated on an event called “Kinks, Curls and Pearls.” The event kicked off the fall 2015 multicultural events list for the next few weeks. It was filled with discussions about ethnic hair and many tips and tricks were shared among the six female panelists and those who attended.
The panelists were a mixture of SJU students, past and present, and friends and/or family members of a student. The group of women answered questions asked them by the hosts about their “go-to hairstyles,” any ups and downs when it came to their hair and shared their favorite hair products.
Everyone in Bent Hall 101B was comfortable to ask and answer each other’s questions. Even though you’d expect only women to be in the crowd, some men came to support, ask questions and to even know the dos and don’ts when it comes to their girlfriends and their hair.
“I wanted to make sure that I covered most of the basis, for example, hair extensions, relaxed hair, natural hair and curls,” said Laurice Rawls, a senior at SJU who is the pan-women committee co-chair for Haraya. “With this event, I really wanted to spread positivity.”
According to Rawls, her goal before graduating SJU is to leave this campus with letting every female know how “beautiful she is regardless of if she may follow the norm.” She was nervous while planning the event because she wanted to make sure that she had different women to represent all hair types, but she feels like “Kinks, Curls and Pearls” helped her to achieve her goal.
“There were so many different shades of women in the building, different hair textures and lengths and the fact that we were able [to get] together and share our hair tips and tricks with one another was amazing,” Rawls said. “I personally learned so much and am so excit[ed] to go to the beauty supply store now. So many things to buy.”
Shardé Majors, an accounting major, thought that the event “was amazing for numerous reasons” and was “extremely satisfied.”
“One of my best friends, Danielle Hardy, who is the president of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. on campus, told me about this event,” said the Maryland native. “So many beautiful curly-haired women came to the event with radiant energy and a willingness to share what they experienced while going through their natural hair journey.”
Majors also loved the diversity of the panel. She liked how there was a young woman with dreads on the panel, which was 22-year-old Queens native Kenya Abdul-Wahhals.
She felt like “these types of events are definitely necessary in the community because they foster sisterhood and give women the opportunity to learn from each other.”
All in all, Haraya and the A.K.A’s “Kinks, Curls and Pearls” event was very well organized and was very informative. The positive energy was undeniable. Along with networking, everyone was excited to take home what he or she learned about their crowning glory.
