First published 2022
Elizabeth Acevedo confronts the voices that demand she "fix" her hair. They want her to straighten it, to make it conform to white standards of beauty. But she refuses their narrow definition of acceptable. Instead, she explores the deep history carried in every curl and coil. Her hair connects her to ancestors who survived the Middle Passage. It links her to generations of Black and Latina women who faced the same pressures to assimilate. Through vivid imagery and rhythmic language, Acevedo celebrates the complexity of her Afro-Latinidad. She transforms pain into pride, turning criticism into self-love. The poem becomes a declaration of independence from those who would diminish her natural beauty. Acevedo finds power in embracing what others call broken.
Genres: african-american, poetry, cultural, african-american-historical-fiction
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: embracing-identity, self-acceptance
48 pages · Kindle Edition · Quill Tree Books