Know YOUR Hairitage
Celebrating Beauty Traditions of All People
INCLUSION CONSULTING SERVICES • K-12 CURRICULUM SUPPORT •
BOOKS & GOODS • HAIR TIPS & RESOURCES
SUPPORTING K-12 / BOCES & VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS
CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE • STRENGTHS-BASED EDUCATION
Learn ways that our HAIRITAGE curriculum, teacher training, and hands-on workshops can add value.
Click on the buttons below to download our K-12 Education Brochure and Capability Statement or to Schedule a Meeting
New! Zara’s
Wash Day
The new and expanded edition of the Writer’s Digest award winner includes a tutorial on creating Fulani-Inspired Afro Puffs, a foreward by Academy Award winning actor and New York Times best-selling author Lupita Nyong’o, and an expanded glossary of hairitage terms..
New! Zion’s Crown
The second book in the Know Your Hairitage series, “Zion’s Crown” features a boy protagonist who learns about how his cultural hairstyles connect his ancestry and the stories of influential leaders of the past and present. “Zion’s Crown” includes a cover blurb from Award-Winning author and anti-racist activist Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, a how-to tutorial on the cover Ethiopian-Inspired Crossover Cornrows, and Glossary of hairitage terms that empowers adults to dive deeper into the history.
AS SEEN IN
Everyone Has a Hairitage
Let us celebrate the greatness in each other through our hair and beauty traditions.
No matter what part of the world we are from, EVERYONE HAS A HAIRITAGE. In fact, examining the hair, skin, music, art, literature and political practices of our ancestors, can help us to better understand the state of the world at any given moment in time. Many of these practices are passed on through the generations and is our way of honoring our past, celebrating the present, and informing our future.
Culturally Responsive & Strengths-based Approach
IN EDUCATION & BUSINESS
Diversity is the presence of differences in any given setting. This can include differences in race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic class and age. Equity ensures that a situation or process is impartial and fair. Everyone involved should have an opportunity for equal possible outcomes. Inclusion happens when people feel supported, included, a sense of belonging and the ability to be their authentic selves in any space. All three work together and are vital to a successful professional and personal environment. Know Your Hairitage ™ leads our inclusion work through the lens of BEAUTY.
KNOW YOUR HAIRITAGE BOOK SERIES:
“Zara’s Wash Day” is the first in a series of Know Your Hairitage ™ books, written to educate children, ages five through nine, about the the cultural significance of hairstyles of African descent. “Zion’s Crown” is the follow up story that centers a boy protagonist who discovers the story his hair tells. Both books are written in rhythmic prose which makes the stories fun for both children and adults. These books include beautiful illustrations of African inspired hairstyles and a glossary of HAIRITAGE terms to provide historical context.
Author: Zenda M. Walker
Illustrator: Princess Karibo
Original Designer: Anthony Foronda
New Releases: Running Press Kids
Reclaiming Our Time: Embracing Shrinkage
First, I acknowledge that the stretching, reshaping, shingling, twisting-out, braiding-out, recoiling, and fluffing is our way of experimenting and discovering all texture possibilities especially now that there are so many curl-specific products in the market. However, I can’t help but notice the lengths (pun intended) that we are going through to make highly textured hair more palatable for mainstream audiences. I believe that the over-manipulation of our hair is the manifestation of the lingering psychological effects of colonization.
KYH & The C.R.O.W.N. Act
On November 23, 2021 I testified as Founder and Executive Director of Know Your Hairitage, in front of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary in support of H.1907-The C.R.O.W.N Act MA. CROWN stands for Create a Respectful and Open World with No Racism. This legislation was spearheaded by CA Senator Holly J. Mitchell and is supported by The DOVE Coalition. To get involved please visit the following link and sign the petition.
What I Discovered During My Author Journey
When I set out to self-publish Zara’s Wash Day, I knew the story would be impactful. I have since discovered that the fact that I developed the story during the 2020 pandemic was a significant part of the backstory of the book. During the height of the pandemic, there was and continues to be an overwhelming surge of fear, anxiety and sadness as we were faced with the uncertainty of the Covid-19 virus, the sudden isolation and the racial reckoning in America and around the globe.
EVENTS
Literacy As Liberation with Zenda WalkerExpired
LOCnificent Fest!Expired
Storytime & Book Signing of “Zion’s Crown”Expired
Storytime & Book Signing at Barnes & NobleExpired
Storytime Book SigningExpired
BELA 6th Annual Women’s SymposiumExpired
Discover Beauty Infused
with Culture & Tradition
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This newsletter is distributed quarterly and highlights diversity topics around hair and fashion. It helps supports individuals and organizations committed to fostering more inclusive environments. If you seek to understand more about the cultural norms of the communities you serve and/or design for, you’ve come to the right place!
