CurlyNikki came to visit STRANDS (a natural hair group @ UNC)

[preciouslove0x]

Hey ladies! So some of you might remember me asking my LHCF family about what yall thought about a natural hair group on a college campus. Well that was a few months ago. So I'm excited to say that me and 4 other girls started the group on my campus, UNC-CH!! Our group's name is S.T.R.A.N.D.S (Students Transitioning Relaxed And Naturals Developing Self-Awareness) And for our first guest speaker we had CurlyNikki!!!

If you would like to read more about her visit please visit her blog
http://www.curlynikki.com/2010/04/unc-chapel-hills-strands.html#comments

I am soooooooo excited. It was such a success! Our organization becomes official in the fall but I'm already trying to figure out who can be our next guest speaker. We had such an amazing time!

Anyway I just wanted to say THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!! We're the first natural hair organization on a college campus in the US so I know that without YOUR ideas, suggestions and comments I wouldn't have went ahead and got it going.

LOVE YOU LADIES!

 

[onelove08]

That is great!! Raising positive hair awareness is so awesome!!!!

 

[sharifeh]

awesome

 

[13StepsAhead]

This is such a wonderful idea! I wish they had a group like this while I was in undergrad; this was around the time i tried transitioning for the 1st time, but had no idea what i was doing so I went back to the creamy crack. I think of all the time wasted, I could've been natural for 5yrs now, but oh well you guys will definitely inspire many young ladies within your school and around the country!

 

[Tif392002]

thats cool! good work

 

[mimi0410]

WOW! I wish there had been a natural group at UNC when I was there!! It was many moons ago...but still how great is that!!!

 

[BostonMaria]

How exciting!!!! You guys look beautiful. Nikki doesn't even look pregnant, but I can see the glow on her face awwwww

BTW who is the guy on the left hand side?

 

[nikki2229]

How great!
My daughter ran the National Championships at UNC last year.
You guys look lovely.
Congratulations on starting your group, you ladies will be in the books at your school.

 

[lucea]

Very cool idea. Thanks for the pic, Boston Maria.

All you ladies and Nikki look great.

 

[mscocoface]

FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So have you lined up other guest speakers?
Will you be doing a symposium, a fair, panel discussions, workshops?

Will you be inviting authors of natural hair care books?

I am soooooooooooooo excited for you!!!!!!!!!!

 

[beans4reezy]

Wonderful! Awesome!

 

[Platinum]

Awesome!:yourock: I wish there was a group like this when I was in college.

 

[preciouslove0x]

How exciting!!!! You guys look beautiful. Nikki doesn't even look pregnant, but I can see the glow on her face awwwww

BTW who is the guy on the left hand side?

It's one of the curlies' friends. He supports natural hair and I guess he was just curious to see who the famous CurlyNikki was.

FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So have you lined up other guest speakers?
Will you be doing a symposium, a fair, panel discussions, workshops?

Will you be inviting authors of natural hair care books?

I am soooooooooooooo excited for you!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks we are sooooooooooooooooooooooo excited too!!! And since our organization won't start officially until the fall (we missed the deadline for new orgs this semester) we are going to wait and try to book more guest speakers during the summer. If you have any suggestions, DO TELL We do plan on hosting UNC's 1st Hair Show in Spring 2011. It will consist of local hair stylists sponsoring us through doing the ladies' hair. We are TOO excited about that. We're going ALLLL out! And we are also going to be doing workshops/discussions. Many of the women don't know much of the info that is shared here. We're going to recommend a hair book for the ladies in our organization to read over the summer so that they can get the basics. So that way we can all be ready to go out into our communities and teach elementary,middle and high school level students that natural hair TOO can be beautiful. We will also be giving out general hair care tips for the girls who might still be swearing by the green/blue grease and pink oil/lotion and daily flat ironing (and lately weaves that are not properly taken care of). We're so ready for this! Girls of color need to know that they are not born with 'bad' hair. And they also need to know that their hair can be as long as the want it to be. It's time for this amazing info given by you ladies on the internet, spreaded to our communities who may not have access to the web or don't have the money to buy a hair book.

THANKS AGAIN LHCF! You are not only helping women who SEEK the info but also women who want to learn but may not know how to find it or if it even exists.

 

[Foxglove]

This was such a good idea! I wish I had something like this when I was in college

 

[Bella02]

Awh this brings back memories! I went to UNC-CH many moons ago. Congrats on forming the group and raising awareness and support.

 

[mscocoface]

I have a 1,001 suggestions. Don't want to overload you. Here are a few and am sending you a PM

Writers.

This lady just wrote a new one that is very easy to read and user friendly. She is a real sweetheart too.

http://going-natural.com/

It may be great to create a blog-tv so you can get other ladies from other campuses and universities involved.

Possible Twitter and Facebook page

Speakers from all the major blog sites that are natural.

Mowtown Girl
NP
Going Natural

Speakers from natural hair salons to talk on a blog tv channel together. The lady in Texas, the ones in NY, I believe there are a few in LA.


Develop a basic info pamphlet of how to get started as a transitioner, or a BC.

You are right there in UNC where Dudleys is right? Could you meet with them as a group to see if they would develop products that can be used for natural women of color instead of just for relaxed women. Dudley's I believe is one of the only few companies of color that have their own distribution center. He is missing out on a whole group of women that are NOT going anywhere. He would do well to work with us or at least hear us out and see if a relationship can be formed. Just sayin.......

I have lots of ideas. You can see I have thought about this a lot and often.

Sending you a PM

Please feel free to pick my brain anytime.

 

[preciouslove0x]

I have a 1,001 suggestions. Don't want to overload you. Here are a few and am sending you a PM

Writers.

This lady just wrote a new one that is very easy to read and user friendly. She is a real sweetheart too.

http://going-natural.com/

It may be great to create a blog-tv so you can get other ladies from other campuses and universities involved.

Possible Twitter and Facebook page

Speakers from all the major blog sites that are natural.

Mowtown Girl
NP
Going Natural

Speakers from natural hair salons to talk on a blog tv channel together. The lady in Texas, the ones in NY, I believe there are a few in LA.


Develop a basic info pamphlet of how to get started as a transitioner, or a BC.

You are right there in UNC where Dudleys is right? Could you meet with them as a group to see if they would develop products that can be used for natural women of color instead of just for relaxed women. Dudley's I believe is one of the only few companies of color that have their own distribution center. He is missing out on a whole group of women that are NOT going anywhere. He would do well to work with us or at least hear us out and see if a relationship can be formed. Just sayin.......

I have lots of ideas. You can see I have thought about this a lot and often.

Sending you a PM

Please feel free to pick my brain anytime.

You are SO SWEET! Thanks a lot for your suggestions. I'll try to respond to each of your points in order so sorry if it sounds choppy.

Great suggestion about contacting an author. I will run this by the rest of the executive board members and contact her over the summer. So far three other students in three other campuses in NC are willing to start a branch from our organization STRANDS. I'm really excited about that. (As the song goes "WE TAKIN OVA, ONE CITY AT A TIME" lol). And I'm already ahead of you on the blog idea We're in the process of creating one. We also will be making a facebook page this week. And I will be busy over the summer going through as many natural blogs as possible. I just have to find blogs with writers who are in or around the Chapel Hill, Raleigh-Durham area. There is actually a natural hair group based in the Raleigh area so I'm hoping to get some support from them. I'm not familiar with the area just yet but I'll be asking around for natural hair salon here. And I'm not sure about Dudleys either but that an AMAZING idea! It would be great to take on the project of suggesting a company to create natural hair products.

And addressing your question in the PM you sent. I am a first year student and there is a second first year student on the executive board so we have three more years to find ladies on campus who are as passionate as we are about the cause to continue the organization.

Oh I wish you lived in NC! You would be a great asset to this organization But I'll definitely take up your offer as being a mentor.
We are definitely open to ALL of your suggestions. If you have skype we could actually video chat during an executive meeting in the fall.

Thanks again!

 

[mscocoface]

I have skype but have never used it. Let me finish settng it up. I will let you know.

 

[Ediese]

Fabulous idea! I'm so happy you got it started. Congrats!!!