Some of our favorite reader submissions so far:
"My natural hair has become a very big point for attracting new patients. Many patients would say they googled me and noticed images of me in my natural fro and that made them feel comfortable as they longed for a Black provider of color. As an assistant professor of medicine, I have had students walk up to me after lectures and thank me for lecturing with my fro. They share how empowering that image is for them, to see me be my authentic self in academia." — Dr. Magdala Cherry
"As a 32 year old woman raising two daughters, representation of their hair matters to me in media. I recently wrote and self-published a children’s book titled Homecoming, a story about siblings attending an HBCU homecoming with their parents for the first time." — La-Donia Alford-Jefferies
"We are in such a validating time in history in regard to Black hair. I wondered as a five year old why I wasn't beautiful like the other Black, Brown, and Blonde- haired girls. This feeling was validated by my kindergarten teacher who patted me on the head the first day of school and told me "your hair is hard." That statement has stayed me with over 50 years, and I had to fight against oppressive narratives in school, at work, and in life. Declaring myself beautifully-made, worthy and capable has been a life-long journey not for the faint of heart. I am now a delightfully elegant dreadloced woman of age, who creates and takes up her own space. Wow, the journey has been hard, but the five-year-old 's angst no longer permeates my being!" — Darlene Sampson | 
