Hair Scares!

By: Khrissy B.  

This month consists of the most fun holiday in America, Halloween! College students dress up to be either sexy or scary. But do we as black women ever think about what we’re going to do with our hair? Some say no, while others have to plan their outfits around their hair’s ability to do different styles. Most women wear ponytails or an iron out style. However, there are different textures of hair that can make it hard to dress up.

 I interviewed ten black females on campus, most of which had thought about what to do with their hair. A lot of women with permed hair styles said they would wear their hair down or in a ponytail. Some of those women complained that they wanted to add color but were afraid that their hair would fall out. The women with natural hair have a better advantage of being flexible. The length will determine the style. Natural haired women also have different textures. I spoke with Sam’Mesha who has a natural hair texture. I asked her what she would do to her hair. She looks at me and says that she would probably twist it up. Women with a thicker texture will wear it out or put them in twists. Her answer could change next week. Most women with natural hair had this same reaction. Then there are the women with braids or the popular Senegalese. They also have somewhat of an advantage of being flexible. This hairstyle can be styled! There are unlimited ways to use this for Halloween.

 As black women, we cannot just put anything in our hair. There are products and styles that can keep us healthy. If you’re thinking about adding temporary color, you can do it! There are clip-ins for women with perms or a finer texture of natural hair. Doesn’t matter what kind of hair you have as long as you can wash it the next day, you can even use color hair spray. This Halloween embrace your hair! YouTube always helps when looking for Halloween hair ideas. Just make sure you stay true to you and have fun!

 

Breaking the Cycle

By: Diamyn Rembert  10/27/13

Last Wednesday, the ladies of Alpha Kappa Alpha collaborated with the Black Student Union to talk about poverty in America. Emma Campbell, the Black Student Union president facilitated the event.

The question of the night was: “Is poverty institutionalized or is it a learned behavior?”

The debate opened with a video that served as an example of poverty being institutionalized versus poverty being a learned behavior.  IU student Rob Sherell made the opening statement.

“It’s hard to escape from poverty,” Sherell said. He believes that poverty is institutionalized.

On the other side of the debate, IU student Noelle Gibson said that she believes poverty is a learned behavior. “To be helped, you must want to be helped,” Gibson said.

Both parties went through a group of questions in which the audience received a chance to view. The side in favor that poverty is institutionalized spoke on several different points. During the first question, the students on that side expressed the fact that poverty is systemic. They also noted that with the government’s loopholes, it has made it difficult to rise above.

The side that believed poverty is a learned behavior stated that we have culturally accepted poverty and that there are always government programs to help us out.

The social bearing of poverty was another issue that was addressed.

Did poverty fall on society or solely on our black communities?

The learned behavior side described that we have to take responsibility and be accountable for ourselves in able to get out of poverty. The side that argued that poverty is institutionalized talked about how we will always see poverty in our society because it’s based off of a system to keep blacks poor.

Both groups went back and forth on such questions but a common theme both groups talked about was the idea that getting an education could be a ticket out of poverty. Both parties spoke on the importance of educating ourselves and the ones in the community as a way of decreasing poverty in the black community.

The final question of the night was: “what is to be done to end poverty in black communities?” The side that believed poverty is taught spoke about the fact that we have to educate ourselves with the knowledge we already hold and we have to get up and do it. African and African American Diaspora Studies professor Valerie Grim said that our community could end poverty by bringing more love into the communities.

“Love is the most radical and revolutionary concept,” Grim said.