# @raisingculturesfamily on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CT55km8sgD5
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/38143237-raisingculturesfamily-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/02c5ae26c2.jpg
- **Posted:** 2021-09-17T01:41:44.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Keia Jones Baldwin (@raisingculturesfamily) — https://gondola.cc/raisingculturesfamily

## Caption

#nationalafroday 
"You'll need a more professional hair style to run for the club president." I'll never forget the words of a teacher in high-school  telling me that my natural hair was not "professional enough"...forget me being a well-rounded student, an athlete, and having a 4.0 GPA. I smiled it off but deep inside I was hurt. So hurt in fact that I didn't even run for president...and eventually dropped out of the club altogether. That one comment led me down a road of constantly damaging my hair to adhere to the American standards of beauty. Relaxing and hot combing or flat ironing hair to get jobs that wasn't even deserving of me.
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Years later, I saw that teacher out at a local store. She smiled and was seemingly happy to see me. I spoke and we caught up a few minutes and something nudged me to say something to her about how she made me feel. She listened and acknowledged how her thinking then was very damaging. She further stated that her microagression towards students of color spaned across years of teaching because of her lack of cultural awareness, ignorance, and skewed views of her own thoughts about hair and her perception of beauty. She then invited me to do a cultural awareness training in which I declined. At the time I was not in a place to educate. 
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I'm so glad I finally made peace with my natural hair and embraced my beauty. My hair has nothing to do with my work ethic or my professionalism. We all have to learn how to accept, respect, and celebrate each other's differences while also understanding that your views of professional beauty are YOUR views. Her then hurtful comments motivated me to be my own boss and not have to answer to anyone about the way my hair naturally grows from my scalp. It also made me a better mother in the way I taught my girls to love themselves for who they are, even when the world don't appreciate your natural beauty. I love my hair, your love of my hair is extra 🥰 
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#hairjourney #naturalhair #naturallyshesdope #blackhair #afro #kinkycurly #hairapy #hairlove #melanin

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 1,276
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- **Comments:** 45

## Tags

naturalhair, melanin, afro, naturallyshesdope, nationalafroday, blackhair, kinkycurly, hairlove, hairjourney, hairapy

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