You know how the old internet meme/adage goes: Haters gonna hate!
Last week, the Facebook page for the Naturalista Cosmetics line was overrun by racists. They posted disgusting comments and racist videos in an effort to derail and denigrate the owner, Padrica Norfleet. What happened next is where it gets interesting.
I initially read about this over at Black Girl with Long Hair and decided to check out the page and show some support. I didn't find the racist posts, but I did find an overwhelming amount of support from what seemed like an army of people of various races, including Caucasians.
As a natural, I've come under my fair share of "haters" who have nothing better to do but talk about my natural hair. That's okay. They are offended by my choice and I'm glad that they are. I will not apologize for my hair, and by extension, my blackness. For the most part, it's been nothing but support from people of all races in my own natural hair journey. While society has made strides in learning to accept natural hair as a fact of life that we don't have to deny or hide, there are some people that are obviously threatened.
Let them hate! It is clear that these racists or saboteurs were so threatened by black women and their natural hair, that they had to try to attack us. They, unfortunately, picked the wrong time and the wrong community.
If I were younger, this would be one of those situations where I would feel slightly hurt. At 29 years old, however, this is a testament to our strength, and if anything, it makes me feel better about myself and the choice I made. Incidents like this, comments about my twists, whatever snide remark someone has to make about my hair, I welcome. Again, I refuse to apologize for my hair, my race, my blackness, and who I am.
Black women have had to wear the yolk of Eurocentric beauty and its rigid standards. There is no damage anyone could do to me in the way of insults about my hair that equals to the constant onslaught of negativity and derision I faced before I caved in and got my first relaxer. There is no insult that could even come close to being told constantly, by the media, classmates, etc. that my natural tresses were in need of a relaxer badly. There is nothing that can eliminate the joy in our hearts when we've reclaimed our beauty and realized we were always bigger and better than the lies and the indoctrination. We are simply flying too high to even touch.
