Saorinco0925_

Catherynne M. Valente, The Bread We Eat in Dreams, “The Red Girl”

The Girl King (2015) | dir. Mika Kaurismäki

The Russian artist and passionate about nature, Anastasia Trusova, works with what she calls “Textured Graphic Impressionism”, a unique style.

In many cultures, ethnic groups, and nations around the world, hair is considered a source of power and prestige. African people brought these traditions and beliefs to the Americas and passed them down through the generations.

In my mother’s family (Black Americans from rural South Carolina) the women don’t cut their hair off unless absolutely necessary (i.e damage or routine trimming). Long hair is considered a symbol of beauty and power; my mother often told me that our hair holds our strength and power. Though my mother’s family has been American born for several generations, it is fascinating to see the beliefs and traditions of our African ancestors passed down. We are emotionally and spiritually attached to our hair, cutting it only with the knowledge that we are starting completely clean and removing stagnant energy.

Couple this with the forced removal and covering of our hair from the times of slavery and onward, and you can see why so many Black women and men alike take such pride and care in their natural hair and love to adorn our heads with wigs, weaves, braids, twists, accessories, and sharp designs.

Hair is not just hair in African diaspora cultures, and this is why the appropriation and stigma surrounding our hair is so harmful.

.”Life, and Nothing More…” (Persian: زندگی و دیگر هیچ‎‎) directed by Abbas Kiarostami

𝚂𝚎𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝟷𝟽, 𝟷𝟿𝟹𝟷 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚢 𝚍𝚒𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝙰𝚗𝚊𝚒̈𝚜 𝙽𝚒𝚗, 𝟷𝟿𝟶𝟹-𝟷𝟿𝟽𝟽

Arundhati Roy, The End of Imagination

Oh, to live in a place like this...

Hand of Midas by Clayshaper