BLACK HAIR BRUNCH: Hamilton friends plan event to celebrate the unique nature of black hair//
Hamiltonians Esther Adjekum and Shaneece Jeffers are hosting this city’s first Black Hair Brunch
FOR ESTHER ADJEKUM AND Shaneece Jeffers, hair is a pretty big deal.
The pair, introduced several years ago by a mutual friend, initially bonded over sharing different Black styles and techniques.
“The conversation would always come up — there’s always a point in our lives when we’re talking about it,” said Jeffers, 26.
“It’s something that we live with and we deal with every day,” said Adjekum, 28, a student of communications and sociology at McMaster University. “Black hair is like an event in itself.”
The two Hamilton women are now hoping to bring others into their conversation by hosting the city’s first Black Hair Brunch. The event, which takes place at the Spice Factory on Aug. 19, includes a panel discussion, hair demos, vendors and, of course, brunch.
One of the main reasons that Adjekum and Jeffers decided to host the event is to celebrate the unique nature of Black hair. For generations, Black women were expected to relax their hair using hot combs or chemical straighteners in order to fit into European standards of beauty, said Jeffers, who works as a dealer service analyst at Ford Credit.
“One of the reasons why we wanted to throw an event is because we have so many women and men in Hamilton who have had this standard of beauty that has been forced on them, where they think that maybe they have to have their hair a certain way — to perm their hair or straighten their hair — to be able to be accepted in society,” said Jeffers.
“(Hair) is an expression in itself. It’s not meant to be a statement, but often, it’s interpreted that way by people who don’t understand that the way that the hair comes out of the head, if it’s not altered, is going to look this way — and often that’s interpreted as unruly or not done,” said Adjekum.
For Jeffers, who has a YouTube and Instagram account called The Girl with 1000 Hairstyles, one of the major goals of the event is to help Black Hamilton women celebrate their hair — in whatever form they choose to style it.
“For so long, going through elementary school and high school, I had this idea that I had to have straight hair in order to be seen as beautiful,” Jeffers said. “When you’re walking down the street and don’t see enough representation of Black women just rocking their natural hair, it’s a lot (to handle). I think the freedom comes when you are able to join these communities and see that it’s beautiful that we can accept our hair as it is.”
The Black Hair Brunch will feature information about styling natural hair, as well as information about wigs, braids and twists (known as protective styles, as they protect the ends of the hair, helping to decrease tangling, shedding and breakage). Jeffers usually chooses natural styles while Adjekum, who has very tightly coiled hair, most often chooses protective styles.
“Right now I have these twists in, sometimes I wear wigs, sometimes I wear weaves, and that’s all part of the Black hair experience — what works for you, and how you work it,” Adjekum said. “It just means that I’ve learned to love it on my own terms, not on anyone else’s terms.”
Adjekum says that it can be difficult to know how to style Black hair; it’s also difficult to find beauty products. Most standard drug stores in Hamilton simply don’t stock products meant for Black women.
“I ran out of foundation two weeks ago, and I went into Pharma Plus, and I couldn’t find my skin tone because I’m too dark, apparently,” said Adjekum. “Even when you go to drug stores where you can buy hair products, we’re in another aisle — and it’s a very small section. Dealing with our hair, our skin, is a specialty item — and we pay a premium price.”
That lack of diversity in Hamilton extends beyond beauty and hair
products, say Adjekum and Jeffers. While they both applaud the cultural and economic renaissance that’s been sweeping through the city, they say there are very few people of colour represented on the forefront of that movement.
That’s why they’ve joined together to create a new business, DeNoire Collective, to help promote and encourage Hamilton’s Black and racialized entrepreneurs. The Black Hair Brunch is one way they’re hoping to achieve that goal.
“I grew up in the North End — literally steps away from where this change is happening — and when I see it, I’m so happy, and I’m proud that my city is becoming this way. But when I see it, I just want to see more of us — more of what makes Hamilton Hamilton,” said Adjekum. The Black Hair Brunch features information about styling natural hair, as well as information about wigs, braids and twists – known as protective styles, as they protect the ends of the hair, helping decrease tangling, shedding and breakage.