{"id":14699,"date":"2021-06-25T10:18:48","date_gmt":"2021-06-25T14:18:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/?p=14699"},"modified":"2024-09-17T15:10:04","modified_gmt":"2024-09-17T19:10:04","slug":"natural-hair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/natural-hair\/","title":{"rendered":"K Students Give Girls Confidence in Their Natural Hair"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Sister
Sister Circle founder Udochi Okorie and others in her organization reached out to local schools this spring to propose programs and workshops that encouraged children to embrace their natural hair.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Kalamazoo College student organization<\/a> is showing local girls that they don\u2019t have to assimilate to anyone\u2019s standards to see themselves as beautiful.<\/p>\n

Sister Circle, a supportive group dedicated to young Black women, reached out to local schools this spring to propose natural-hair programs and workshops that encouraged children to embrace their diversity and celebrate each other\u2019s distinctive appearance.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to address some issues that we faced when we were children that weren\u2019t really addressed by our parents or our education system,\u201d said Udochi Okorie \u201922, who founded Sister Circle in her sophomore year. One of these issues is the pressure to conform to societal norms or standards that don\u2019t include or specifically ban natural styles.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe felt natural hair wasn\u2019t socially acceptable and that can cause trauma for African American women,\u201d she said. \u201cWe wanted to get into the community and do an event for elementary, middle and high school students that centered around loving their natural hair. That was a dream of mine and we were able to do it this spring. We got such a great response from the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

On campus, Okorie and other members of Sister Circle seek support from fellow women of color in a safe, affirmational place.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recognize there aren\u2019t a lot of spaces on campus where we\u2019re able to express ourselves, and not just because we\u2019re at a predominantly white college,\u201d Okorie said. \u201cThere have been higher-education spaces where we felt like we were ignored, undervalued or spoken over when we spoke up.\u201d<\/p>\n

In coming together as Sister Circle and as a Black community, they have found affirmation that helps them navigate these challenging higher-education spaces. And now, they\u2019re taking that off campus to support the next generation through the Love Your Natural Hair Program.<\/p>\n

Sister Circle members including Okorie contacted the Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Center for Civic Engagement<\/a>, who introduced Sister Circle to local elementary schools El Sol and Woodward. When Sister Circle described their goals for a natural-hair program, school administrators jumped at the offer.<\/p>\n

\u201cLuckily, we had people who also experienced issues with beauty standards, whether they were people of color or just administrators who recognize the differences between their students,\u201d Okorie said. \u201cA lot of people were really welcoming and said, \u2018Yes, I recognize that this is something we need at my school.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The issue of learning to appreciate natural hair has always been close to her heart and sharing that issue with Kalamazoo children has been rewarding.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the last workshop, we did some affirmations,\u201d Okorie said. \u201cWe talked about different types of hair and what products to use, which can be really hard when a lot of the products are not meant for your hair type. We talked about how to manage your hair and we drew pictures and asked the kids what they like about their hair. The students really enjoyed it and said it was effective, and we got a really big response from parents. During the event, I almost cried because of how the girls were responding and how their perception of their natural hair is changing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Further, Okorie hopes that outreach will continue long after she graduates so more girls will know the appreciation for natural hair that she has and the self-confidence it\u2019s brought her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope Sister Circle and the Love Your Natural Hair Program are my legacy at K,\u201d Okorie said. \u201cI want natural-hair appreciation to be something that\u2019s shared, especially in kindergarten through 12th<\/sup> grade, so every student can recognize the beauty of it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Kalamazoo College student organization is showing local girls that they don\u2019t have to assimilate to anyone\u2019s standards to see themselves as beautiful. Sister Circle, a supportive group dedicated to young Black women, reached out to local schools this spring to propose natural-hair programs and workshops that encouraged children to embrace their diversity and celebrate […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":147,"featured_media":14705,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[231],"tags":[117,46,103],"post_formats":[],"class_list":["post-14699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-students","tag-civic-engagement","tag-diversity","tag-student-organizations"],"yoast_head":"\r\nK Students Give Girls Confidence in Their Natural Hair - News and Events<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sister Circle, a K student organization, reached out to schools this spring to propose programs that help young women of color honor their natural hair.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/natural-hair\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"K Students Give Girls Confidence in Their Natural Hair\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sister Circle, a K student organization, reached out to schools this spring to propose programs that help young women of color honor their natural hair.\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/natural-hair\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News and Events\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KalamazooCollege\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-06-25T14:18:48+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-09-17T19:10:04+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2021\/06\/Sister-Circle-Founder-Udochi-Okorie-Celebrates-Natural-Hair-1.jpg\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1952\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1098\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Andy Brown\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@kcollege\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@kcollege\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Andy Brown\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/natural-hair\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/natural-hair\/\",\"name\":\"K Students Give Girls Confidence in Their Natural Hair - 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aria-label=\"archive of category Students\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/category\/students\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Students<\/a>","tags_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tag\/civic-engagement\/\" rel=\"tag\">civic engagement<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tag\/diversity\/\" rel=\"tag\">diversity<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tag\/student-organizations\/\" rel=\"tag\">student organizations<\/a>","social_share_info":"<a data-share=\"facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/natural-hair\/\" class=\"pl-facebook-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-facebook-f\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><a data-share=\"twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/natural-hair\/\" class=\"pl-twiiter-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><a data-share=\"linkedin\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/natural-hair\/\" class=\"pl-linkedin-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-linkedin-in\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a>","wordExcerpt_info":"<figure id=\"attachment_14702\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14702\" style=\"width: 460px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-14702 \" src=\"\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2021\/06\/Sister-Circle-Founder-Udochi-Okorie-Celebrates-Natural-Hair-600x800.jpg\" alt=\"Sister Circle Founder Udochi Okorie Celebrates Natural Hair\" width=\"460\" height=\"610\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-14702\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sister Circle founder Udochi Okorie and others in her organization reached out to local schools this spring to propose programs and workshops that encouraged children to embrace their natural hair.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A Kalamazoo College <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/student-life\/student-organizations\/\">student organization<\/a> is showing local girls that they don\u2019t have to assimilate to anyone\u2019s standards to see themselves as beautiful.<\/p>\n<p>Sister Circle, a supportive group dedicated to young Black women, reached out to local schools this spring to propose natural-hair programs and workshops that encouraged children to embrace their diversity and celebrate each other\u2019s distinctive appearance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wanted to address some issues that we faced when we were children that weren\u2019t really addressed by our parents or our education system,\u201d said Udochi Okorie \u201922, who founded Sister Circle in her sophomore year. One of these issues is the pressure to conform to societal norms or standards that don\u2019t include or specifically ban natural styles.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe felt natural hair wasn\u2019t socially acceptable and that can cause trauma for African American women,\u201d she said. \u201cWe wanted to get into the community and do an event for elementary, middle and high school students that centered around loving their natural hair. That was a dream of mine and we were able to do it this spring. We got such a great response from the community.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On campus, Okorie and other members of Sister Circle seek support from fellow women of color in a safe, affirmational place.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe recognize there aren\u2019t a lot of spaces on campus where we\u2019re able to express ourselves, and not just because we\u2019re at a predominantly white college,\u201d Okorie said. \u201cThere have been higher-education spaces where we felt like we were ignored, undervalued or spoken over when we spoke up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In coming together as Sister Circle and as a Black community, they have found affirmation that helps them navigate these challenging higher-education spaces. And now, they\u2019re taking that off campus to support the next generation through the Love Your Natural Hair Program.<\/p>\n<p>Sister Circle members including Okorie contacted the <a href=\"https:\/\/cce.kzoo.edu\/\">Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Center for Civic Engagement<\/a>, who introduced Sister Circle to local elementary schools El Sol and Woodward. When Sister Circle described their goals for a natural-hair program, school administrators jumped at the offer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLuckily, we had people who also experienced issues with beauty standards, whether they were people of color or just administrators who recognize the differences between their students,\u201d Okorie said. \u201cA lot of people were really welcoming and said, \u2018Yes, I recognize that this is something we need at my school.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The issue of learning to appreciate natural hair has always been close to her heart and sharing that issue with Kalamazoo children has been rewarding.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the last workshop, we did some affirmations,\u201d Okorie said. \u201cWe talked about different types of hair and what products to use, which can be really hard when a lot of the products are not meant for your hair type. We talked about how to manage your hair and we drew pictures and asked the kids what they like about their hair. The students really enjoyed it and said it was effective, and we got a really big response from parents. During the event, I almost cried because of how the girls were responding and how their perception of their natural hair is changing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Further, Okorie hopes that outreach will continue long after she graduates so more girls will know the appreciation for natural hair that she has and the self-confidence it\u2019s brought her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hope Sister Circle and the Love Your Natural Hair Program are my legacy at K,\u201d Okorie said. \u201cI want natural-hair appreciation to be something that\u2019s shared, especially in kindergarten through 12<sup>th<\/sup> grade, so every student can recognize the beauty of it.\u201d<\/p>\n","comment_info":"No Comments","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14699","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/147"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14699"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14699\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23131,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14699\/revisions\/23131"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14705"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14699"},{"taxonomy":"post_format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_formats?post=14699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}