Issue 46 changeagent.nelrc.org March 2018 THE CHANGE Adult Education for Social Justice: News, AGENT Issues, and Ideas HAIR
Some Fiiiiine Hair: 3 A Precious Inheritance: 4 Straight or Curly: 6 Schools: Focus on Care, Not Hair: 8 Mundan Ceremony: 10 Liberate Yourself: 13 Here I Am, World: 14 The Sadness of My Hair: 16 Hair with a Mind of Its Own: 17 Gray Hair: 18 At Peace with His Hair: 19 Aging Hair: 20 A Billion Dollar Industry: 21 Hair: An Emotional Journey: 22 It’s Only Hair: 23 Cranium Without a Crown: 24 Hair: A Big Deal to Women: 25 Dangerous Ingredients: 26 Recipes for Hair Care: 28-32 Mom’s Good Intention: 33 Ripe Palm Fruit as Shampoo: 34 Mine Was the Most Kinky: 36 Never a Hair Out of Place: 38 It’s Just Hot Hair, Baby: 40 At the End of the Row: 42 Gum in My Hair: 43 Bad Habits, Bad Results: 44 Ruthie Boirie, a student at the Brooklyn Public Library in New York City, opened her Serve the Same Sauce: 45 own barber shop in 1996. Read her story on pp. 50-51. Bad Hair Day: 46 Woodpecker or Rapunzel: 48 Ruthie’s Neighborhood Barber Shop: 50 ENGAGING, EMPOWERING, AND READY-TO-USE. Hair Salons and Tipping: 52 Student-generated, relevant content in print and audio at various levels of Hair Idioms: 53 complexity—designed to teach basic skills & transform & inspire adult learners. Cutting Hair: Trying Something New: 54 A MAGAZINE & WEBSITE: CHANGEAGENT.NELRC.ORG The Change Agent is the bi- SUBSCRIBE! RENEW! SUPPORT! We need you! annual publication of The New England Literacy Resource A Note from the Editor: Center. Each issue of the paper helps teachers incorporate social When we tell people the current issue is on hair, there is often a pause, fol- justice content into their curricu- lum. The paper is designed for lowed by “Whaaat?” intermediate-level ESOL, ABE, You heard it right, I tell them. Think of all the issues connected to GED, and adult diploma classes. something as mundane as hair. And, true to form, our student contribu- Each issue focuses on a different topic that is relevant to learners’ tors have surfaced those issues here. Whether it’s painful or sweet child- lives. hood memories; hair care recipes handed down through the generations; In New England, online access reflections on how hair care products affect us, the environment, and our to The Change Agent is available budgets; or cultural messages about race and gender free of charge through NELRC’s affiliated state literacy resource expressed in terms of how we should wear our hair— centers. Email changeagent@ you’ll find it here! worlded.org to learn how to ac- Meanwhile, our back issues (some of which are cess the site. available in print and all of which are available as Submissions: For the theme of our next issue, see the “Call for PDFs online) provide extremely helpful and relevant Articles” on the back cover. Note background to current events and other issues our that we feature writing by adult students face. learners. For submission guide- Please be aware that we depend on you to keep This back issue lines visit:
Editorial board (from left): Ebony Vandross, World Education; Flavia Soares, Providence Public Library; Sophy Yim, Methuen Adult Learn- ing; Andy Nash, NELRC; Dakota Robinson, Harvard Business School; Cynthia Pe- ters, Change Agent Editor; Larry Britt, Iris Fanini, Miguel Bacho Cabezas, all from Providence Public Library, Christa Exter, Methuen Adult Learning. Inset: Siham Meskine, Methuen Adult Learning. Hair
Some Fiiiiine Hair Sadonia Feazell
Straight from the bare bottom of my mother’s womb my hair was very straight and clingy. My mother thought to herself, “My baby gonna come out with some fiiiiine hair.” She could imagine putting it in all types of cute little styles with ponytails, running her fingers through her baby’s thin, straight hair. Weary she would become, not yet ready to take on the shape and the color that it would become. The fist pumping baby has come and the feeling of I will overcome has now become a teenager with a different strand of hair—curls and afros, not to mention the beaded braided kinky now twisted hair. The world has no choice but to be ready but the mother thinks she’s got this covered with all the dyes and perms that will fry her daughter’s hair. A solution to the madness: let the hair grow whatever way it’s going to grow. Don’t try to tame it like it’s something you’re afraid of. Love the God given hair that’s thin, thick, straight, curly, and gray. I don’t care; this is my hair. And, yes, Momma, Your baby’s got some fiiiinehair!
Sadonia Feazell is a student at Next Step Learning Center in Oakland, CA. She has been writing for a couple of years and this is her first published poem. She hopes it will be the first of many.
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A Precious Inheritance Lessette Manners
In my country, there is a popular saying that has white. This means been passed from mouth to mouth for genera- that Puerto Rico, tions. This saying comes in the form of a question an island just 100 that may seem superficial to other people, but for miles long by 35 Puerto Ricans it has a very deep meaning. The say- miles wide, is a ing goes, “Y tu abuela, a dónde está?” (“And your tiny spot on the grandma, where is she?”). Before I explain what planet where you this phrase means, I want to remind you that rac- can find a wide ism exists in almost all societies, and of course range of races in Puerto Rico is no all their shapes exception. and tones. If you The average Puerto According to are looking at Rican has DNA that is the National Geo- hair, you will see 12% indigenous, 65% graphic Society, the all types: straight, Western European average Puerto Ri- curly, wavy, can has DNA that blond, brown, and Asian, and 20% is 12% indigenous, black, and red. We African. 65% Western Eu- have everything! ropean and Asian, That is why the saying “Y tu abuela, a dónde and 20% African.1 está?” has a special meaning for us. It is because in In other words, almost every Puerto Rican has a this country, even if you have a very light skin and precious heritage of three races: black, Indian, and blond hair, your genes carry the remnants of all these races. You don’t have to look too far into the past, sometimes as recently as a grandmother, to identify the presence of another race. Despite these facts, in Puerto Rico, there is discrimination against people with dark skin. For example, companies that produce hair care products almost always advertise the typical hair of Caucasian women. This conditions people—es- pecially vulnerable young people—to think that there is only one kind of beauty. In my case, from the time I was a little girl, I heard people tell me I “¿Y tu agüela, aonde ejtá?” (“And your grandma, had “bad” hair. (I have curly hair that comes from where is she?”) by Fernando Fortunato Vizcarron- my African genes, type 4c.2 See “Hair Types” chart do is a poem written in the Puerto Rican tradition on the next page.) At school, other students and of Poesia Negroide (Black Poetry). In this youtube even adults made me feel ashamed of my natural video, it is recited by Eduardo Cortés.
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chemical treatments like relaxers. As an adult, I always had the desire to free myself from the slavery of straightening my hair every six weeks. The chemicals burned my scalp and ears and, over time, I began to lose my hair. When I was 35, I lost my mother. One day soon after, when I was with my sisters trying to cheer ourselves up, I asked my sister to cut my hair. That same day I got up the courage to be me and accept my race. I decided that I have beautiful hair, not “bad” hair. My hair is a precious inheri- tance from my African ancestors. From that day forward, I determined that I would be proud of my hair and leave behind those chemicals that had affected me both physically and economically for so long. Now I am a natural goddess, because— my grandma, I do know where she is!
Sources: 1. Vilar, Miguel “Genographic Project DNA Results Reveal Details of Puerto Rican History,” National Geographic Society (Blogs), 29 July 2014,
Lessette Manners has been living with her husband for 14 years. Artwork by Bruno Munari is called “Presence of the An- Both are from Puerto Rico and moved to San Antonio, Texas, in cestors.” What do you think the author is trying to show? 2016. They are ESL students with the Learn Program of the San Photo from Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons. Antonio Public Library.
Hair Types DNA
1 2A 2B 2C 3A 3B 3C 4A 4B 4C What type of hair do you have? In what DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid. It ways have you been noticed for your looks like a double spiral, and it contains hair—in positive ways or negative ways? the genetic codes passed down from your What do you know about your ancestry? ancestors. Here is how you pronounce Or, in the words of the poet, “¿Y tu agüela, deoxyribonucleic: dee-ok-si-rī-boh-noo- aonde ejtá?” klee-ik.
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Straight or Curly? Defending Our Freedom to Choose Rebeca Espinosa
BEFORE YOU READ: What does it mean to “push End Discrimination back against a custom”? Have you ever pushed One accomplishment of back against a custom or witnessed others doing it? Share your story. this movement is that we have demanded an A Movement for African-Latina Identity end to discrimination in the workplace and Traditionally, in the Dominican Republic, women in schools. At work, women have argued that su- have gone to the beauty parlor to straighten their hair. We are told that natural curly hair is “bad,” pervisors cannot request that they go to the beauty so we go through the long and costly processes parlor. Women should be allowed to wear natu- trying to straighten it. However, in recent years, ral hair to work. And at school, teachers cannot women have started to push back against this cus- complain that students with big hair are blocking tom. There is a movement of women who want other students from seeing the blackboard. Yes, to defend our natural beauty and rebel at the idea everyone needs to see the blackboard, but teachers that we must be “perfect” according to white stan- can find other solutions. The campaigns against dards. This women’s movement affirms African- discrimination have reached the media, and we Latina identity. are getting more attention.
“Miss Rizos” is a blog, part of an online movement, a series of events and gather- ings, and now a hair salon in Santo Domingo—all started by Carolina Contreras. In Spanish, “pelo rizo” means curly hair, and Miss Rizos sells products designed for black women’s natural hair. What do you think “Yo amo mi pajón” means? Learn more at www.missrizos.com. Photo used with permission from: Joan Encarnacíon for La Galería Magazine
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A New Type of Beauty Salon Another accomplishment is that there are women Don’t Touch My Hair! entrepreneurs who have opened beauty salons es- After fighting to be allowed to wear pecially for women with curly hair. This helps natural hair, many African Americans then women feel more comfortable wearing their hair struggle with white people wanting to naturally. (See the photo of “Miss Rizos” and the touch their hair! caption on the previous page.) More Women Joining the Movement Every day, more Dominican women join this movement, and they have started to show off their natural hair. We do not criticize women who pre- fer to continue straightening their hair. But we de- fend women’s right to make their own decisions. It can be hard to break free from the customs you Momo Pixel created an online game in response to were raised with. For example, I have a friend who unwanted hair touching. Use the arrow keys to swat told me that ever since she was little, her mother the hands away! Play it here:
Rebeca Espinosa is a student at the Foothills Adult Education/ Look up the music video and the lyrics to, “Don’t EdAdvance program in Woodbury, CT. She has a Bachelor’s Touch My Hair” by Solange. degree in Organizational Psychology and two Master’s degrees, one in Business Administration and the other in Pedagogy. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, visiting new places, playing with Watch 4-year old Caidyn her son, watching movies, and reading. Bennett talk about what it’s like going out in AFTER YOU READ: public with his mom and 1. According to the author, what are three things having people comment women have done to defend their freedom to about his hair and pet his choose straight or curly hair? head. His mom says, “Be 2. This is a classic five-paragraph essay. Choose polite.” What would you say? Read a story about a sentence in the introduction that you think is it here:
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Schools: Focus on Care, Not Hair! Kayla Clayton
BEFORE YOU READ: 1. Should schools have policies about how stu- dents wear their hair? If so, what should they be? If not, why not? 2. Were you ever shamed or isolated at school? If so, how did that affect you?
Schools today should not dictate how children wear their hair. Hair is one’s identity and self- expression. Many schools believe they are prevent- Kayla Clayton ing bullying by having uniform and hair policies.
However, they are passing judgment on certain Student Punished for hairstyles, and that is not right. Schools should put Shaving his Head their attention on more pressing issues—not hair! Schools Acting Like Bullies? In some ways, school officials are the bullies. They are judging people based on their look. A School in North Somerset, England, isolated Stan Lock, a 12 year old student, because he shaved his head. The school called this an “extreme haircut” and 1 said that it “did not fit in with uniform policies.” The student shaved his head to raise money for cancer research, but teachers still punished him. Isolation is a form of abuse, and it could damage a student’s mental health. From Britain to here in the U.S., the issue with hair remains. A charter school in Malden, MA, gave detention to two African American sisters, Mya and Deanna Cook. They were not allowed to Stan Lock shaved his head to support play sports or attend prom for wearing braids. The school’s policy states students cannot wear drastic people with cancer. His school excluded 2 him from all activities until his hair grew or unnatural hair styles. Taking away a child’s back. activities and special moments that cannot be re- placed doesn’t help resolve the matter in any way.
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Hair Is a Personal Glory! Schools should not make children feel badly for Students Punished for their differences. This form of treatment distracts Wearing Extensions from learning. There are too many other important issues to be addressed such as bullies, inappropri- ate student-teacher relations, and lack of educa- tional resources. Hair is a personal glory, and people use it to express their style, culture, and religion. It gives an internal boost of confidence and freedom, which can help children’s learning at school. The main focus of all schools should be children’s well- being, not how their hair looks.
Kayla Clayton is a student at NKC Adult Education in Kansas City, MO. She is a devoted mom who is hungry to further her education, better herself, and make a difference in the world!
Sources: 1. BBC News, 30 Jan. 2015; 2. Reuters, May 12, 2017 and
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Mundan Ceremony A Sacred Ritual. A Chance to Bond with Family.
by Priyanka Singh
BEFORE YOU READ: What rituals do you practice? started to shave off my sister’s hair, she started What rituals help you connect with your family? crying, and she cried for the entire ceremony. Once her head was completely shaved, we collected In Hindu tradition, babies go through a hair re- each and every strand of hair and immersed them moval ceremony called mundan. Hindus perform in the river Ganga. After that, all the elder family this ceremony because we believe that the hair members bestowed their blessings on my sister, from birth is associated with undesirable traits and my mother distributed sweets to everyone. from past lives. In this ceremony, the priest shaves After the ceremony, my grandfather explained to off a part of the us the importance of mundan ritual. He said, “All child’s hair while In this ceremony, the the festivals and rituals are important but most chanting sacred important is family bonding.” priest shaves off a hymns. After that, Many of my the barber shaves part of the child’s friends also per- off the rest of the Mundan ceremony hair while chanting formed this cere- hair. The shaved mony for their kids. is important to me sacred hymns. hair is either of- But some of them fered to a deity or not just for religious didn’t. Even my sis- to a sacred river like the Ganga. We perform this reasons, but also be- ter didn’t perform ceremony for both boys and girls. the mundan cer- cause these kinds of My parents performed the mundan ceremony ceremonies connect for me and my siblings. I remember my sister’s emony for her son. When I asked her mundan ceremony. The whole family went to families. Haridwar City, one of the seven holiest places why, she said, “My to Hindus. My father contacted a priest and a son has beautiful barber to perform the ritual. In the early morning hair. He is comfort- on the banks of the holy river Ganga, the priest able with it. Whenever I feel that it is bothering started the ceremony by chanting mantras and him, I will cut it off.” doing a small puja (prayer). As soon as the barber We are living in a free world, and everyone
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Study the photo above. Describe what you see. Be as detailed as possible. For example, notice the hands in the photo. What are the hands doing? Do the hands belong to men or women or both? Explain your opinion. Describe the child’s expression? After reading the article on p. 10, write a story about the picture. Include details about mundan ceremony. (Photo above by Amjhihello, and photo on p. 10—of the sacred river Ganga—by JM Suarex, both from Wikimedia.) has their own perspective. The beauty of Hindu- References:
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Find the Main Idea Write one or two sentences describing the main idea of each of these five articles. Make sure each sen- tence starts with a capital letter, has a subject and a verb, is a complete thought, and ends in a period. See the exercise on p. 16 for more about how to capture the main idea.
Write the Main Idea Here Author 1. (p. 3)
Sadonia Fezell 2. (p. 4)
Lessette Manners 3. (p. 6)
Rebeca Espinosa 4. (p. 8)
Kayla Clayton 5. (p. 10)
Priyanka Singh
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Liberate Yourself Dustin Jelks Boys’ Haircuts? Not for Me! When I was growing up, my parents never let me do what I wanted to do with my hair. They thought a young boy’s hair should be short and neat, and I always wanted long hair. I gave up on persuading them and started trying to find short hair styles that suited my personality. I never was content with my hair; it just didn’t reflect how I felt. When my brother moved out for college, he started growing his hair and beard, and Dustin before he grew his hair out (left) and today (right). now they are both well past his shoul- ders. My family made their little com- pliment. I love the way I can wave it around when ments at first, but he I play guitar, the way it falls in my face when I’m never looked happier. looking down, and the way I can flick it back and Do what makes He looked more like forth when I’m dancing at concerts. you feel your best; himself than I had ever There are too many schools with rules about forget what anyone seen him. My parents how young people should wear their hair. Lis- else has to say! decided to pick their ten when I say this, WE CAN NOT ALL BE THE battles and left him SAME. You have to do what makes you feel your alone. best; forget what anyone else has to say! Grow it This was my signal to do what I’ve always long; shave it off; dye it purple; tie it in a knot; do wanted to do. Years of school rules, forced hair- whatever you want to do! Your hair is yours and cuts, and “hoodlum” comments have all led to only yours. This is about more than hair; it’s about this: After about six months, my hair was past my individuality and self-love. Forget the comments; ears. I started feeling a weight off my shoulders; forget what other people may think; forget every- it’s hard to describe how good that made me feel. thing but what you think. Liberate yourself. Months later, it had passed my jaw line. It felt so right and fitting, and I loved the way I started Dustin Jelks is an 18-year-old former student of West Feliciana looking. Adult Education Program in Norwood, LA. He spends most of his time writing music for his two musical projects, The Ineffective Free from Forced Haircuts and Rocket Impossible. Dustin received his HiSET in 2017. Now, over a year later, it’s growing past my shoul- AFTER YOU READ: 1) How does longer hair make ders. I love my hair, and I feel liberated by it. The Dustin feel more liberated? 2) Look at and analyze way I look on the outside represents my personal- how Dustin uses semi-colons. Explain why he ity on the inside, and that’s a very good feeling to chose them instead of periods. What are the rules have. People tell me how much they like my hair for how to use them? and my natural curls, and I take it as a huge com- SEE THE NEXT PAGE for more activities.
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Here I Am, World Jamie Russell
I’ve had my hair many different ways all through- out my life. I have no problem with any style, length, and color. I am currently wearing what’s called a Fohawk. It was a shock at first, but plenty of people took to it. I have the personality to back up my dif- ferent hair styles. I am not shy about how I look. My styles represent all the different feelings I go through from day to day. I became nervous only when walking into my church for the first time. I got through it though. I went up and sat in the first row in front of God and everyone. “Here I am, world,” is exactly how I felt. Take me or leave me. Now I forget it’s even on my head. Like I said, personality! I may not be much, but I am all I think about. I have a loving relationship with hair because it’s the only thing we can change over and over again. We can wear it differently, color it pretty, or just let it grow. I feel my hair is a form of artistic expression. Maybe you do too!? Jamie is a student at Belfast Adult Education in Belfast, Maine, who is currently taking classes to achieve her high school LEARN AN IDIOM: What does the author mean diploma. She is a strong independent woman and a single mother of three beautiful children. Once she achieves her high school when she says “plenty of people took to it”? diploma, she plans to go to college to become a pediatric nurse.
Are We Really Free to Choose?
Read the articles on pp. 6-7, 13, and 14. What is similar about each of these articles? What is different? Study the illustration on the next page, and describe in detail what you see. What hairstyles do you see? What expressions and attitudes are on the faces? Be able to name the expressions and say why you have that opinion. Check out the Fashion issue of The Change Agent (Issue #31) for more articles and illustrations about the challenges and joys of how we present ourselves to the world.
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Illustration by Bradley Pali, who is serving time at Macon State Prison in Oglethorpe, GA. When he gets out, he hopes to start a business developing logos and providing illustrations.
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The Sadness of My Hair Melvin Reyes
This is a story about a guy from Nicaragua. the U.S. He stopped He was born in 1986 during the war in a little his studies at the state called Estelí. His father was a soldier, and his University and start- mamá took care of him and his siblings. ed enjoying a little The war ended in 1990. bit of life because he In the middle of his childhood, in 1995, his and his mamá knew parents decided to go live in the capital, Managua. it would be dan- His father started studying, and his mamá worked gerous to take the a lot to provide them with food. Life was hard. train across Mexico. They lived in a little house and didn’t have elec- When he left, the tricity or much money for food and clothing. His guy promised his father got his PhD in Nicaraguan history, but he mamá that he would not cut his hair until he saw then abandoned his family. her again. It was a hard time for his mamá because he That’s me. I live in Vermont. I haven’t seen and his siblings were going through adolescence. my mamá in eight years. My hair is so long. When His mamá worked really hard to pay for their I look at it and touch it, the sadness is entangled in education. They were growing up, and he and his my hair. siblings started at the University. But his sister got NOTE ABOUT ACCENTS: How do the accents in Es- pregnant, and his little brother didn’t like to work. telí and mamá affect pronunciation? The guy worked for a company that delivered propane, and he helped his mamá with the bills. Melvin Reyes was born in Nicaragua and is currently a student But, it was not enough. He had a couple of uncles at Central Vermont Adult Basic Education in Montpelier. He has in the U.S. With their help, he could emigrate to been writing poetry in Spanish and English for the last two years.
What is the Main Idea? Which of the following sentences captures the main idea of this essay? Explain why the one you pick succeeds when the others do not. (See p. 12 for more “main idea” practice.) 1. This is a story about a guy from Nicaragua. 2. He delivered propane, his mamá worked hard, and his sister got pregnant. 3. In this story, Melvin Reyes describes the symbolic act of not cutting his hair to convey the sadness he feels at leaving his mother behind in Nicaragua, where economic hardship forced him to migrate to the U.S. 4. The author, Melvin Reyes, had a hard life in Nicaragua, and now he feels very sad be-
cause he hasn’t seen his mother or cut his hair for eight years.
the main idea, but it leaves out Melvin’s immigration to the U.S., which is a key part of the story. the of part key a is which U.S., the to immigration Melvin’s out leaves it but idea, main the
story, but they do not convey the main idea. 3. Yes. This captures the main idea. 4. No. This almost captures captures almost This No. 4. idea. main the captures This Yes. 3. idea. main the convey not do they but story, Answers: 1. No. This gives little information about what the story is about. 2. No. These are details from the the from details are These No. 2. about. is story the what about information little gives This No. 1. Answers:
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Hair with a Mind of Its Own? Kristine Khealie
BEFORE YOU READ: Does the weather affect your hair? If so, how? Your Hair Can Tell You At certain times of the year, our hair seems to have the Weather? a mind of its own. However, this is not the case. The real problem is the climate we live in. A lot of “If you have long people have bad hair days due to the weather. For some people, the heat and humidity makes their hair, you prob- hair frizz up or even curl. When it’s cold and dry, ably don’t need to their hair might maintain a straighter look. look up a weather I myself have struggled with how the weather report to get an affects my hair. But now I have a strategy for how idea of how much to deal with it. I am African-American and Indian, humidity is in the so my natural hair is soft curls. As soon as spring air: You can simply starts, I keep my natural curly hair all grab a fistful of Heat and humidity the way to the end hair and see how it makes hair frizz up. of summer. I choose feels. Human hair to do this because if is extremely sensi- I were to straighten tive to humidity—so my hair, it would automatically frizz up and turn much that some into curls. The only time I get to straighten my hair hygrometers (de- is when it’s fall or winter. When the temperatures vices that indicate start to get colder, that’s the great time for my hair to stay straight. humidity) use a hair as the measur- AFTER YOU READ: What does the author mean ing mechanism, when she says our hair “seems to have a mind of because it changes its own”? Try using that phrase in a sentence. For in length based example: “It makes no sense why the car won’t start; it seems to have a mind of its own.” Explain on the amount of A hair hygrometer. in your own words when it is appropriate to use moisture in the Photo from Museo Galileo catalog, Italy. that phrase. air.” How do you think a —Excerpted hair hygrometer works? Look up hygro and Kristine Khealie, born and raised in New York City, is currently from:
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Gray Hair Curtis Braxton
BEFORE YOU READ: What causes gray hair? made me feel better. In battling my insecurity with gray hair, I re- At the age of 30, 60 percent of my facial hair was alized that there is no such thing gray. Now, I am 40, so you can imagine what I as bad hair. look like. Indeed, the gray has spread to my head Genotype, phenotype, and and other parts of my body. environment play a role in the I felt like a farmer might feel who wakes up different types of human hair. one morning to till the land, only to discover his Gray hair is a part of nature. Just wheat has been decimated by an infestation. That’s like leaves change color, people how hard it hit me. grow gray hair in old age. It’s I believe the gray also a symbol of wisdom. From I believe it came from came from stress, now on, I will wear my gray hair stress, spending long spending long as a badge of honor! periods in solitary periods in solitary confinement. confinement. I exercise and Curtis Braxton is an activist and a student of life. He has been incarcerated since 1997. Write to him at: Curtis Braxton, DT 0787, eat healthy to pre- Box 9999, Labelle, PA 15450 serve my youth. I want to look and feel young, so I conceived the AFTER YOU READ: gray hair as a bad thing. It made me feel insecure. I 1. Research the relationship between stress and shaved the hair off my face to compliment my bald hair. Share what you find. head. Being clean-shaven takes away the gray, and 2. Explain the extended metaphor in the second makes me look young or at least my age. paragraph, “I felt like a farmer...” My comrade told me that the gray makes me look wise. Plus she said it’s hereditary, which 3. Do you agree that gray is a symbol of wisdom?
Vocabulary & Spelling Solitary and Stress Genotype: The set of genes that you carry, According to
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At Peace with His Hair Larry Britt
BEFORE YOU READ: Learn the terms comb-over, were small bits of hair that were placed in rows hair dye, toupée, and hair plugs. See images below. across his head. The hope was that these little plugs would fill in to create a more natural look. He looked thirty years younger in his coffin. A Unfortunately, the treatment didn’t work well for retired police officer and military veteran, he was Lonnie, and he was left with rows of plugs. dressed in his police uniform and his coffin was When I was a teenager, Lonnie hated it when decorated with U.S. flags and U.S. Navy memo- my brother and I grew our hair long. We both rabilia. But it was more than just the uniform and thought he was just jealous because we had a lot of decorations. His hair and moustache were a natu- hair. Now, my brother is going bald, and I am the ral shade of brown. He looked much younger than lucky one. As my old aunts in Texas would say to his 73-year-old broken body. me: “Boy, I dunno where y’all got that hair. Ain’t His name was Lonnie. We didn’t call him no man on either side gots hair but you.” I guess dad. He was always self-conscious about aging, some random gene made its way into my body, especially the graying and loss of his hair. and I’m thankful for it. He wasn’t As for Lonnie, I know for sure that he’s at He looked thirty years wealthy, so he peace with his hair for eternity. younger in his coffin. dyed his comb- over hair black. Larry Britt is an ESOL teacher at the Rhode Island Family Literacy However, the color Initiative in Providence, RI. was always uneven, and the dye got on his col- lars, neck, headrests, and pillow cases. He knew AFTER YOU READ: it wasn’t perfect, but at least it wasn’t gray. And 1. What is the feeling of this story? Explain your with the comb-over, he didn’t look quite as bald. answer. In his mid-30s, when he got sick of hiding his baldness with a comb-over, Lonnie took out 2. Why does the author start with the image of his a loan to get a toupée. He didn’t look bald, but father in the coffin? Try writing a story where you the replacement hair was obvious. After about six follow Larry’s model and start with the ending. months, he threw the rug out. 3. “He threw the rug out” is an example of figura- In his late 40s, Lonnie tried “hair plugs.” They tive language. What does it mean?
Strategies for Covering Up Aging Lonnie tried a lot of strategies to deal with aging hair. Write a few sentences explaining what went wrong with each of them.
Comb-over Hair dye Toupée Hair plugs
changeagent.nelrc.org — The Change Agent — March 2018 19 Hair
Aging Hair Obed Ladiny
BEFORE YOU READ: How do you feel about gray wear wigs; some wear hats or other head cover- hair? ings; some make their head bald; and some simply leave it alone and give it positive names such as Volunteer Hair-Plucker for My Stepfather wisdom hair. I remember back in the early 80s, my stepfather Interestingly, there are people who actually used to have us children pull out white hairs adore their white hairs. Even the young are mak- from his head. I didn’t like the idea of standing on ing fashion statements by dyeing their hair white my feet to pull them or silver. Nowadays there are just as many people who accept and even flaunt their white hair as I personally out while he sat. As I pulled, he would check there are those who do all they can to hide it. thought it was a for more with a small waste of my valu- mirror. I couldn’t care Aging Isn’t the End of the World able teenage time. less if his head turned Hearing both positive and negative opinions has white or stayed black. somewhat calmed my own insecurities; besides, I personally thought it there’s nothing any of us can do to prevent old was a waste of my valuable teenage time. It was a age. How we think of old age and white hair miserable job with no allowance. is only in our minds. Aging isn’t the end of the world—at least for me. Will I Be So Insecure? AFTER YOU READ: What job did Obed do for his Doing this made me wonder about my own day stepfather and how did it affect him? How does when I, too, would start to age. Would I accept the Obed feel now about aging and white hair? inevitable with dignity or would I worry to the point of dyeing my hair black or even calling my own kids to help remove them. These thoughts Obed Ladiny is a student at the Brook- forced me to confront what we humans dread, that lyn Public Library’s Pre-HSE Program in is—getting old and losing our youthful looks. We Brooklyn, NY. Born in Haiti and raised in Brooklyn, NY, he understands French try to hide old age, but it shows in our features, and is fluent in Creole and English. He especially our hair. likes to read, and he is a budding poet. There are different ways people deal with ag- He is also a novice theologian and wants to be a teacher. ing hair: some change the color of their hair; some
Portraits of Older People What adjectives would you use to describe these people?
20 The Change Agent — March 2018 — changeagent.nelrc.org Hair
A Billion Dollar Industry Emilia Solórzano
BEFORE YOU READ: What influences you about how you feel about your appearance in general and your hair specifically? Think about the word “subliminal.” Are there any subliminal influences affecting you?
Hair. For some people it is not important at all. They could chop it off, and the world would not stop spinning. But for other people it is a different story. Hair defines them. You can see how impor- tant it is by how much money they spend on it! Wigs for sale. Photo by Quadell. Wikimedia. Hair is a billion dollar industry. There are endless types of products for different types of There is no way to avoid the natural process hair. Every year, accord- of life. Some women are embracing this process ing to Statista.com, people and letting their gray hair grow. They accept that Why does every- spend hundreds of dollars they are aging, and they tell the world that they body buy this in treatments, haircuts, have nothing to hide. For those of you thinking of stuff? extensions, and more. whether you should go gray or color your hair, I Why does everybody buy invite you to follow Mother Nature and save a lot this stuff? The advertis- of money and time in the process. ing industry tells you in a subliminal way that Sources:
$1 billion =
$1,000,000,000How many millions in a billion?
changeagent.nelrc.org — The Change Agent — March 2018 21 Hair
Hair: An Emotional Journey Cynthia Parrott Mother Had Heavy Hands and he explained that the constant My mother told me that I was born with beauti- pulling on my hair ful black hair. But she had heavy hands, and it had caused some hurt when she did my hair. I remember how she bald spots. I felt sad combed my hair out after she washed it. The pain and worried about was too much to endure. She would always say, how I was going to “Sit still and be quiet!” I would sit in that chair look to the outside teary-eyed with a towel around my neck, hoping world. Although I that the tip of my ears didn’t get burned with the knew the harm I was pressing comb. Oh, how I despised it. After she causing, I still chose was finished, she would say, “You can go outside to continue wearing and play; just don’t mess up your hair.” the braids. It was As a teen, I started caring more about my ap- an addiction I had. pearance. I remember my mom saying how impor- I was losing my hair in small patches, but I could tant it is to always look your best before leaving cover up the bald spots with more braids. the house. My teen years were about fashion and hair. I had no need for wigs or hair weaves be- Alopecia Has No Love for Me cause I had enough hair of my own. I was at that age when my mom had no control over my hair The bald spots got worse and I started noticing anymore, so I decided to put some color to my that my eyebrows were thinning. I talked with hair. That was my first experience with hair dye; it my doctor, and he diagnosed me with Alopecia was a burgundy rinse and it looked really nice on Areata. There is nothing I can do about this be- me. I was pleased with my new look. cause there is no cure for it. I get very emotional at times because Alopecia took my precious hair Braids and Bald Patches away from me. It has been a year now and I’m feeling bet- As time went by, I wanted a new look, so I de- ter. But I still hope and pray that one day my hair cided to try braids. It took some hours and it hurt, will grow back. I loved my hair because from the but once it loosened up, I was happy with my new beginning it was God’s creation. To me, my hair look. I continued to wear braids into adulthood, made part of me feel free. Now, I am getting used which ended up to wearing wigs. I see that I look pretty in them, Hair being a mistake. and I am pleased again about how I look. I am I learned how to Skin beautiful, and I’m not ashamed of me anymore. surface braid my own hair, and after Sebum wearing braids for Cynthia Parrott is a student at Next Step Learning Center in Follicle so many years, I Oakland, CA. She likes helping people. Whatever she does, she tries to do her best. Sebaceous caused damage to gland my scalp and hair AFTER YOU READ: In your own words, tell the follicles. I consult- story of Cynthia’s emotional journey regarding her ed my beautician, hair.
22 The Change Agent — March 2018 — changeagent.nelrc.org Hair
It’s Only Hair Bounthavy Chaleunphone
I used to have nice long hair, thick and beautiful. I loved my dark brown, almost black hair. I thought that I would have that hair forever. In 2009, I discovered that I had breast cancer. After I went through treat- ment, I started to lose my hair, bit by bit. I consulted with my doctor, she advised me to use certain shampoos and to take vitamins to fight hair loss. Up until now, nothing has worked on my hair. I have tried all kinds of prod- ucts; some of them were kind of expensive. I am so frustrated with my hair. Every time I look at my- self in the mirror, I can see my scalp and my hair is so thin. I feel sad about my hair, but I am happy to be alive.
Bounthavy Chaleunphone was born in Laos. Today, she lives in Plainville, CT, with her husband and has three children. She is working toward obtaining her GED. Bounthavy enjoys traveling and gardening, and she is committed to meditation practices. She is a student at Plainville Adult and Continuing Education in Plainville, CT.
Compare and Contrast Read the articles on pp. 22-23. Make a Venn Diagram to organize what is similar and what is different in the two stories.
In this circle, write In this circle, write what is different Where the what is different about Cynthia’s circles overlap, about Bounthavy’s story. write what the story. two stories have in common.
changeagent.nelrc.org — The Change Agent — March 2018 23 Hair
Cranium Without a Crown A Cancer Survivor Grapples with Identity Siham Meskine
BEFORE YOU READ: Look up any words in the me differently, because title that you don’t know. What do you think I was not this beauti- “crown” is a metaphor for? ful girl with long hair. I was a typical Moroccan teenager before I was They perceived me diagnosed with cancer. My first reaction to my as scary-looking and diagnosis was total shock and denial. Then I asked maybe even contagious. myself, will I go bald? What will happen to my They forgot about who long hair? Unfor- I was as a person and tunately, the doc- judged me based on my looks. This made me real- “Who is this?” I asked tors and nurses ize that all along they had associated me with my myself while looking did not give me looks, rather than who I was underneath. Being a girl and then a young woman of in the mirror. much information about what to ex- Moroccan descent, hair represented an important pect. Shortly after part of me. We tend to feel a sense of security I started treatment, I started to lose my hair. I just when we have beautiful hair. In my culture, future touched my hair and clumps fell out. I was sur- husbands and their families are concerned about prised and shocked. “Who is this?” I asked myself whether their prospective wife and daughter-in- while looking in the mirror. law will have thick, wavy, long hair. For Moroccan Just a few weeks earlier, I had been famous at women, hair is our “crown.” school for being smart and beautiful; for I had very After my hair fell out, I felt like the outside long, beautiful, light brown hair. My classmates world saw me as a different person. In reality, I wanted to hang out with me, and almost everyone did change. I became a stronger person. I realized loved me. I enjoyed it and was having so much I didn’t need my beautiful, long hair to have an fun. People complimented me on my hair, and I identity. I realized others would love, appreci- was proud. My hair became part of my identity. ate, and care about me regardless of whether or Without it I felt like I would be someone else. not I had hair. I realized that what matters is how When I started chemotherapy, everything I present my whole self to the world, not just a changed drastically. My group of friends treated superficial image of beauty. Identity is like a big puzzle. All the piec- es come together to make an identity that is built over time and through experiences. Nothing scares Take It Further me anymore. I lost what Moroccan women see as their crown, but I feel that I am more authentic Describe the significant change that Si- than ever. ham goes through after having cancer.
Siham Meskine is a happy and proud mom of a nine-year-old What does she mean when she says, daughter. She got her High School Diploma at the Methuen Adult “Identity is like a big puzzle.” Learning Center in Methuen, MA, and she is currently studying nursing at Northern Essex Community College.
24 The Change Agent — March 2018 — changeagent.nelrc.org Hair
Hair: A Big Deal to Women Supporting Cancer Survivors All Year Long Abigail da Silva
Breast Cancer Awareness Month, also known as helps them feel better “Pink Month,” happens in October. This is the about themselves. month when everyone thinks about how to sup- I don’t have any port people with breast cancer. People wear pink particular reason to ribbons and go on fundraising walks wearing pink be a volunteer for this t-shirts. cause. I just like to I try to help all year long, not just in October. help others. It is nice to I donate wigs and money to the cancer center near have so many events in me. I asked one of my friends to help me donate October, but it would be better if people helped all wigs, because she had a lot of them. This is a nice year long. way to help women who have cancer because women feel bad when they lose their hair after Abigail da Silva is from Brazil and lives with her husband in Wa- chemotherapy. Hair is a big deal to women. If they terbury, CT. She has two sons. She is a Christian, with a degree in have wigs and pretty head scarves, I hope this theology, and is a self-employed house cleaner.
Supporting People with Cancer Have you noticed people wearing pink in October? Give some examples of what you have seen. Have you participated in breast cancer awareness activities? Share your story. In the pictures below, two firefighters get their heads shaved to raise money for and to show solidarity with their colleague who has cancer. Do you think this is an effective show of support? Why or why not?
U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King, Jr.
changeagent.nelrc.org — The Change Agent — March 2018 25 Hair
Dangerous Ingredients! Some Chemicals in U.S. Cosmetics Banned in Other Countries Ebony Vandross
BEFORE YOU READ: Share what you know products did not contain formaldehyde about how products are regulated. in fact did contain significant amounts of it. The FDA conducted this research Would you use a cosmetic product on by testing the air in salons for formal- yourself after being told that the pos- dehyde fumes. They found that some sible side effects include burns, bald- products were not actually “formal- ness, or blindness? What about a hair dehyde free,” even though the com- product whose main ingredient was the pany claimed that they were. same as the one used in drain cleaners? Hair dye products also contain Would you get a relatively common and chemicals that can cause harm if not used popular beauty treatment knowing the ingre- correctly. Hair dye manufacturers do include dients have caused it to be banned in other coun- warning labels on their packaging. However, these tries? The reality is that you or your family mem- warning labels may not really protect the con- bers have likely used products like these. Many sumer, as it is easy to make mistakes while using personal care items contain ingredients that the a product or misunderstand the directions. Ad- Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has identi- ditionally, ingredients found in many well-known fied as hazardous to your health if used in excess. shampoos contain chemicals that have not only Rashes, Burns, and Cancer? proven to damage human hair, but also cause skin problems such as irritation and rashes if used in The Brazilian Blowout, a popular hair treatment excess or incorrectly. that is used to straighten and smooth out hair, contains an ingredient called formaldehyde. “No Poo” Method Formaldehyde is a type of carcinogen; it can cause When we consider all of the possible risks in- cancer in people who breathe it in when it is in gas volved with using common hair care products, form. It can also cause allergic reactions. Because it’s no surprise of these issues, products used for these treatments that people are have been banned in places such as Europe, Can- Formaldehyde coming up with ada, Australia, and Brazil. However, they are not alternatives. A colorless, banned in the U.S. The “no poo” flammable Under the Fair Packaging and Label Act, the method, which gas with a FDA requires manufacturers to include labels is based on strong odor. that describe all the ingredients in their products. washing hair However, in response to health complaints from Its molecu- with a gentler consumers and lar structure is H2CO. It is and safer alter- salon owners used in many building ma- native to sham- Carcinogen in 2011, the terials, household products, poo, has gained FDA found that and cosmetics. Look it up A substance that is capa- popularity over ble of causing cancer. manufacturers online and find out more. claiming their the years. Some
26 The Change Agent — March 2018 — changeagent.nelrc.org Hair
common and safe ingredients you can use to wash responsibility to stay informed about what goes your hair are apple cider vinegar, baking soda, into our bodies. And all of us must work to make and even simply water. sure strict ideas about what makes someone beau- tiful and/or accept- Black Women at the Forefront able doesn’t result I decided to move In addition to finding private solutions, people are in discrimination. on from the harsh However, manufac- connecting in online communities to raise aware- chemicals and ness about the dangers of some cosmetics and to turers should, at a fight for other kinds of changes. It is worth noting minimum, be respon- treatments I had that people with curly or highly textured hair can sible for providing been using. be found at the forefront of many of these alterna- accurate and acces- tive hair care movements. sible information Many black women like me grew up using about the ingredients in their hair care products. chemical relaxers in order to make our hair ac- And the FDA should step up its game, too, and ceptable according to western ideals of beauty bring standards for cosmetics in line with many and professionalism. After years of using chemical other countries that ban some of the most common relaxers to straighten my hair, I had suffered from ingredients in U.S. hair care products. burning, scalp problems, and seeing the health of my hair deteriorate. I decided to move on from the Ebony Vandross works at World Education in the Asia and U.S. harsh chemicals and treatments I had been using. divisions. She served on the editorial board of this issue. It was at this time that I discovered the natural Sources:
changeagent.nelrc.org — The Change Agent — March 2018 27 Hair
Recipe Cards for Hair Care Cynthia Peters
IN THIS SECTION (pp. 28-33), we have compiled REVIEW MEASUREMENTS. Bring in measuring recipes for homemade hair care. The Change Agent cups and spoons and review the vocabulary for does not have a test kitchen, so we have not tried each of them. Learn how to abbreviate teaspoon out these products. However, each writer stands (tsp) and tablespoon (Tbs or tbsp). by their recipe! MAKE YOUR OWN RECIPE CARDS. Make copies of USE THE ACTIVITIES on this page to build vocabu- the blank recipe card below. For each of the recipes lary and reading, writing, and speaking skills. on pp. 28-33, fill in a recipe card. First, make up a BEFORE YOU EXPLORE THE RECIPES, discuss name for the recipe. Then list all the ingredients. your own family recipes for hair care. Finally, list the steps you need to take to make the LEARN NEW VOCABULARY. Verbs: massage, wash, recipe. The process of reading the recipes and then rinse. Nouns: ingredient, scalp, follicles, vitamins, re-writing each one so that it fits on the recipe card tangles, emollient. Adjectives: oily, creamy, thick, will be a great way to practice reading comprehen- shiny, moist, smooth, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal. sion, writing, and finding key information.
Recipe Name: ______Ingredients: ______
Steps:
Questions about this recipe: For example, some recipes don’t list quantities.
28 The Change Agent — March 2018 — changeagent.nelrc.org Hair
My Family’s Hair Care Recipe Mildred Sanchez
This recipe has been used in my family for many then shampoo like you normally would. Shampoo years. My grandmother used this recipe. My moth- twice if you feel like your hair is too oily. You can er used this recipe. I use this recipe. And now my use this hair repair recipe twice a month. You have daughters use this recipe on their children, too. to use it for at least two My recipe includes three ingredients: one months before you can see teaspoon of castor oil, one teaspon raw honey, and actual results. half of a teaspoon of peppermint oil. Mix the ingredients until the mixture becomes Mildred Sanchez is a student at a creamy paste. Then part your hair into 4 sections. the Methuen Adult Learning Center Using your fingers, apply the mixture to your in Methuen, MA. She is originally scalp and massage. Use the entire mixture. Then from New York City. She hasn’t missed a single day of class and put on a plastic shower cap for about 10 minutes. has been on time. Her goal is to After the 10 minutes, rinse with warm water and have perfect attendance this year.
Learn More about Mildred’s Ingredients
Castor oil has natural Raw honey is an emollient. The last ingredient is anti-bacterial and anti- Emollients make the hair peppermint oil, which fungal properties. It is smooth and moist. Raw increases blood flow to high in vitamin E and honey also has anti- the hair follicles. This is omega 6. There are bacterial properties. going to increase hair also beneficial fatty growth dramatically. acids in castor oil.
changeagent.nelrc.org — The Change Agent — March 2018 29 Hair
Hair Growth without Chemicals Serena Cruz-Santiago
When I was a little girl, my hair was thin. It didn’t I am thankful for my look good, so my father cut my hair short. My wonderful parents. With mom bought potato “juice” from a neighbor. She their help, my hair is shiny poured some onto my head. She massaged my and thick. hair and head. Then she peeled and boiled tomatil- los. She rinsed my hair with that. She did this once Serena Cruz-Santiago is a student at the Adult and Continuing Education a week, many times. Program in Plainville, CT. She was When I was a teenager, my hair started to born in Oaxaca, Mexico. Her mom grow thick and shiny like it is today. is a lovely person who likes to make everything naturally.
Beauty from Handmade Ellen Wang sible. Second, I apply the henna paste to my hair, My friend’s husband had gray hair when he was covering it from my scalp to the ends of my hair. 40 years old. One day, they went to a party, and a I leave it on for 2-3 hours and then rinse until my little girl called her “aunt” but called her husband hair is clear of all particles. Finally, I shampoo my “grandpa.” Another time, someone thought her hair, and it is beautiful and glowing once again. husband was her father. No one wants to be so Using this kind of embarrassed. natural product not only Luckily, we are smart and inventive and can colors but also conditions create solutions to our problems. Some people use my hair. It adds confidence chemical dye to change their hair color. But I pre- and ease to my life. fer to use a natural product to dye my hair because it is much safer for my health. First, I put an egg, Ellen Wang is from China. She is a a teaspoon of vinegar, a teaspoon of honey, and a student at the El Rio Adult Learning handful of henna powder in the bowl. I add fresh Center in Tucson, AZ. She has been in the U.S. since 2014 and water and mix it; then I stir until it forms a smooth is working to improve her English paste. I let it sit for 2-3 hours or overnight if pos- language skills.
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Coconut Oil Massage Emily Santos
When I was a child, my mother used to take a co- When she was finished, conut and grind it. Then she would put the ground she put our hair in a pony coconut in a clean, thin sock to take the oil out of tail. the coconut. After my mother washed my sisters’ and my Emily Santos was born in Brooklyn, NY. She studies at the Department of hair, she would place some of the coconut oil on Education, Office of Adult Educa- her hands and put it on our hair. She then mas- tion, Alternative Education Complex, saged the oil into our scalp, which I loved as a School 4 in New York City. She worked as a medical receptionist for child. 12 years.
Mom’s Homemade Hair Care Product Victor Marrero My mother used to comb my sister’s hair. My sis- Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, then take ter’s hair was tangled and uncontrollable until one a handful and spread the mixture all over your day my mother tried a new recipe that included head. Wrap the tinfoil. Wait 5-10 minutes, then different ingredients: mayonnaise, avocado, one rinse with warm water. whole egg, and tinfoil. Your hair will look shiny, clean and you will Once a week my mother used these ingredi- have no more tangles. By doing this at least three ents to make my sister’s hair shiny, clean, and soft times a month, you will with no tangles. If you don’t have the funds to go smooth out the tangles in to a hair salon, you can try this on your hair. your hair. Here are the ingredients my mother used: • 2 spoonfuls of mayonnaise Victor Marrero is a student at the Department of Education, Office of • 1/2 of an avocado Adult Education, Alternative Education • 1 whole egg Complex, School #4 in New York City. • Tinfoil for wrapping He is attending school so he can become a school safety officer.
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Eliminate Frizz MacKenna Shea-Smith
BEFORE YOU READ: DIY stands for “do it your- This is my go-to solution for frizz and bed self.” What are some other contexts where you head, and now hopefully it’s yours too! might see DIY used? AFTER YOU READ: I’ve had to deal with having frizzy hair my whole life. I used to just embrace the frizz. But one day, 1. What does the word “embrace” mean? What I came across this DIY hair serum, and I’ve been do you think the author means when she says she in love ever since. The only two ingredients you used to “embrace the frizz”? need are coconut oil and avocado oil! Here are the 2. Another idiom she uses is, “A little bit goes a instructions: long way.” Talk about recipes you use that only 1. Melt coconut oil in a microwave-safe require a little bit of a certain ingredient. Incorpo- bowl. rate the saying, “A little bit goes a long way!” 2. After the coconut oil is melted, add the 3. More vocabulary: Find avocado oil in the bowl and mix. the words serum, coagulate, 3. Put the serum in a spray bottle and en- and sparingly. Using the con- joy. (The avocado oil helps keep the co- text for clues, what do these conut oil from coagulating.) words mean? I really love this serum because it doesn’t only MacKenna is an 18-year-old student eliminate frizz, but it keeps my hair silky smooth! at Vermont Adult Learning in St. A little bit goes a long way, so I always use spar- Albans, VT. She is enrolled in the High ingly. When you use too much, it can cause your School Completion Program earning her high school diploma from Bellows hair to become oily. Sometimes, I prefer to spray it Free Academy Union High School. She in my hands and then run it through my hair. expects to graduate in June 2018.
Turn a Noun into an Adjective In this article, MacKenna uses the word “frizz” (a noun) and “frizzy” (an adjective). By adding “y” to the end of the noun, it becomes an adjective. Try turning some of the following nouns into adjectives by adding “y” at the end.
Noun Adjective Noun Adjective Frizz Frizzy Oil Shine Silk Tangle Wire Sparkle Health
Note that when you add a “y” to a word that ends in “e,” you drop the “e.”
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Mom’s Good Intention Renuka Upadhyay
BEFORE YOU READ: Did your parents ever have When I came home from school, I used to cry a good intention for you that didn’t work out so and tell my mom not to put mustard oil on my well? Tell the story. hair. After that, she started putting coconut oil on my hair which smells good. I have a vivid memory of my hair from childhood. I never shared this experience with anybody I almost forgot that part of my life. Now it’s com- because it’s humiliating for me. ing to my mind. My mom used to do my hair before I went to AFTER YOU READ: school. She put lots of roasted mustard oil in my 1. What was Renuka’s mom’s good intention? and hair and combed how did it work out for Renuka? I never shared this it. She parted my hair and braided it, 2. Renuka never shared this story with anyone experience with any- and then she tied a before. Yet she shares it body because it’s piece of ribbon in here. Why do you think she humiliating for me. each braid. My mom changed her mind about it? used mustard oil on (She does not explicitly say. my hair because she You will need to infer the an- was brought up like that. Roasted mustard oil is swer.) good for hair growth. My mom’s good intention became a bad expe- Renuka Upadhyay was born in 1949 in Kathmandu, Nepal. She is a retired rience for me. My friends started sitting far away teacher, and she is an ESOL student from me. They started telling me, “You stink!” at the Portsmouth Adult Education Mustard seed, when roasted, has a strong smell. Program in Portsmouth, NH.
Beyond Personal Care
“Everything “[This is has to go some- an] era dominated where. Nothing ever by industry, in which the goes away because right to make a dollar at there is no such whatever cost is seldom place as away.” challenged.” Environmentalist Rachel Carson, author Barry Commoner of Silent Spring Reflect on these quotes in the context of the article “Dangerous Ingredients!” on pp. 26- 27 and the article “A Billion Dollar Industry” on p. 21. Could the hair care industry be more beneficial to you, the environment, and your budget? If so, how?
changeagent.nelrc.org — The Change Agent — March 2018 33 Hair
Ripe Palm Fruit as a Shampoo? A daughter learns from her parents who survived genocide. Sophy Yim
BEFORE YOU READ: Share what you know about Cambodian history. Study and discuss the infor- mation in the box on p. 35.
I never knew you could wash your hair with fresh fruit, but that’s exactly what my parents did when they survived the Khmer Rouge regime in Cam- bodia. They had never seen a bottle of shampoo. They didn’t have the resources for such luxuries. Actually, there weren’t any luxuries at all. Even food was scarce. Although it was dangerous, they sometimes were able to pick fruit, including ripe palm fruits. Obviously, they ate the palm fruit, because they were starving. But if they had enough, they also experimented with using it to wash their hair. They used trial and error to find products to wash with. For example, they tried washing with the ash left over from cooking, but it didn’t clean their hair too well. One day when they were at the lake dur- ing their limited break time, they tried washing their hair with palm fruit. They Sophy’s parents visited Cambodia recently and took this They took the inside grabbed a ripe picture of themselves standing in front of a palm tree, of the fruit and palm fruit and holding palm fruit. massaged it onto their peeled its skin. They took the reason at all. Maybe washing your hair in the lake wet hair and scalp. inside of the fruit could be dangerous. My parents answered that in and massaged their region, they felt that they could wash their it onto their wet hair safely. hair and scalp. Then they combed their hair and When I asked about the benefits of using palm rinsed off the jelly-like, pulpy bits of fruit with fruits as a shampoo, my parents explained that water from the lake. And voila! They had clean ripe palm fruits are very good for hair, because and healthy hair. they are natural. There are no added substances When they were telling me about this process, or chemicals. That means, as long as they felt safe, I asked them if they worried about being killed they could use it to wash their hair as often as they because the Khmer Rouge killed people for any wanted.
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Interestingly, I did some research online and found that palm fruits have vitamin E and caro- Background on Cambodia tene in them. Vitamin E helps strengthen hair by supporting cell growth, while carotene helps From 1974-1979, Cambodia was ruled by reduce gray hair and hair loss. the oppressive Khmer Rouge. The Khmer These are surprising benefits of palm fruits on Rouge wanted Cambodia to be completely hair and I started to understand why people in my self-sufficient. When they got control of parents’ generation the country, they forced people out of cit- in Cambodia used ies and into the country to work on farms. I asked them if they palm fruit to wash worried about being Many people were killed, imprisoned, and their hair. I think tortured. Many died from exhaustion due people in the past killed. to long forced marches and over-work. were very smart and creative in using Others died from diseases that could have natural resources to support their lives, not only been treated with medicine if the Khmer as food, but also to take care of their hair. Without Rouge allowed imports, which they did technology or a laboratory, they found a very in- not. Approximately 2 million people died telligent way to wash their hair even in a very bad during the Khmer Rouge rule. This repre- situation like in the Khmer Rouge regime. sented 21% of the population. Many Cam- Using palm fruits as shampoo is a wonderful bodian refugees are in the U.S. because thing I have learned from my parents. I hope to try they fled the Khmer Rouge. this sometime when I am visiting my country. Find out more about Cambodia. What AFTER YOU READ: European country colonized it in the 1. What surprises you or moves you about this 1800s? What was the role of the U.S. in story? Cambodia during the Vietnam War? 2. Extend your knowledge of geography. Find Cambodia on the map (right). Identify neighbor- ing countries. This part of Asia is called Southeast Asia. Look online for a larger map, and identify other parts of Asia.
Sophy Yim is from Cambodia and currently lives in Dracut, MA. She was in the HiSET Preparation class at Methuen Adult Learning Center in Methuen, MA, and she currently is a student at Middlesex Community College.
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Mine Was the Most Kinky Sherine Campbell Renford
Growing up in a house of four siblings we all had understand why different hair texture. Mine was the most kinky. I my mom dis- can remember how scared I was to get it washed, agreed. combed, and treated. After a few My dad would constantly tell me how ugly days of thinking my hair was. Sometimes he would blame it on I said to myself my mother, saying I got her hair texture, not his that if my dad is softer texture. When he talked like this, it made me the one who hates not love my hair. I wanted to go bald just so that my hair he should I didn’t have to deal allow me to get a My dad would con- with it. perm. It was not only my Asking for a perm was the easiest thing I ever stantly tell me how dad who would bully asked my dad for in all my years of knowing him. ugly my hair was. me about my hair. My The only question he had was about the money. classmates used to say “Who is going to pay for this hairdo?” he asked. my hair was so hard, it I quickly replied, saying I had saved money from could use a brush. That made me think long and my part-time job, and I would use that to pay for hard about how to get my hair soft so that the bul- it. He then said, “Yes, you can Sherine.” lying would stop. “Thank you, God!” I shouted. But, knowing My sisters, who were lucky to get softer hair my mom was still not pleased, made me feel some texture, suggested that I get my hair permed. At type of way. I comforted myself by thinking she the age of 13 I asked my mom to allow me to get will love it once it’s all done. my hair permed for a change. She looked me up The following day I made an appointment and down with her eyes; her lips were sealed. I with a hairdresser who happened to be my cousin. walked away feeling sad and confused. I could not The day of my appointment was the most exciting
SHERINE’S STORY IN PICTURES AND CAPTIONS...
A girl has very kinky hair. Her father tells her, “You are Her mother does not say ugly.” anything.
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time in all of my life. The girls in my class were nearly as excited as I was to see what it would Sherine’s Recipe look like on me. My hair was done and I walked out of the sa- Ingredients: 1/4 cup aloe vera, 1 lemon, lon feeling like a doll with long, straight hair. After 3 tsp. each of coconut oil and castor oil a few months I started to get an allergic reaction Steps: First, use a mixture of aloe vera gel from the chemicals. From time to time, I would get and lemon to wash and condition your hair. very sick, and my mother was concerned. Now it (Aloe vera reduces dandruff and leaves was a new hair situation that made me sad and miserable. I was ner- your hair smooth and shiny.) Second, apply vous my mother would the coconut oil and castor oil to damp hair, My hair was done make me go back to the and leave it in. This mixture promotes hair and I walked out hard, kinky hair that I growth and softens and moisturizes hair. of the salon feel- was so afraid of. And that is exactly ing like a doll with what happened! To ways. I tried out my new recipe for three months, long, straight hair. avoid getting sick, my and the result was amazing! So, for the last two mother made me stop decades, I have been using my own natural mix, perming my hair. and it is perfect! My hair stays soft and less fuzzy. My heart was broken. A few days later, I The recipe is also great for hair growth. decided to speak to someone other than family I got bullying from other kids and from my members about my hair situation. I chose to speak dad, and a lot of discouragement from my mom, to my boss Mrs. Wilson, who happened to love but I still found a way to love my hair! my kinky hair the way it was from the get-go. She AFTER YOU READ: was a white lady with long brunette hair, and her opinion meant a lot to me. I decided to try a new approach to my hair. I Sherine Campbell Renford, born and raised in Jamaica, is a developed my own homemade hair treatments. I student at the Adult Learning Center at Lehman College in the came up with this regimen by watching my grand- Bronx, NY. Sherine is very confident, positive, and hard-working mother. She used all of these products in various person who aims to be her best self in whatever she does.
...CONTINUED (SEE ANOTHER PICTURE STORY ON P. 46)
She goes to the salon to get Her grandmother teaches This natural mix is perfect for a perm, but she is allergic to her how to use aloe vera and her hair! Now, it is soft and the chemicals. lemon on her hair. less fuzzy.
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Never a Hair Out of Place Squeaky Clean and Never Bald-Headed Resonja Willoughby
Image from Youtube video by ShawntiaB.
The Procedure: More than Hair-Washing As a child I never knew what it was to have a girls’ heads, so she used Tide detergent, but those hair out of place. Every weekend my three sisters heads were squeaky clean and never bald-headed. and I would lie down on the cold kitchen counter Then came the heat of the pressing comb to and get our heads submerged underneath warm straighten all of the naps out of our heads. Correc- rushing water. As the glare of light beamed in tion: I should say my naps, since I was the only one through the window, our mother gently placed a with a “kitchen” in the back of my head. (For those towel over our faces to keep the water out of our who don’t know, a kitchen is when your hair in eyes and to keep us the back doesn’t from drowning. She grow evenly with washed our hair the rest and your with Tide detergent. hair.) After the Yes, that’s right, heat, along came you read that cor- that thick Royal rectly. Miss Joyce Crown grease. Elaine (my mother) Miss Joyce had was too cheap to just washed all of use shampoo on her the oil out of our
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hair, but then she’d slap it back in with a scoop of thousands of dol- Royal Crown grease. My mother didn’t use condi- lars trying to find tioner at all, and we had long, healthy hair. the right food for my As I look back, I see that this procedure was hair, but now I use an about more than hair-washing. Our mother was inexpensive home- teaching us to have pride in ourselves. Although made concoction. I it was an external ac- make a gel from flax Although it was an tion, it made us feel seed with lavender cared for and loved. and tea tree oil. It is, external action, it I remember my by far, the best for made us feel cared mother telling me my hair. I don’t use for and loved. the story of what any other greases or her grandmother creams. I have never used on her hair: in felt love for my hair the summer, lye and fat from the cow, and in the as much as I do today. I love how it feels, and winter, kerosene oil, washed out really fast before those naps that most Black people turn their nose it was able to catch on fire. I think she was joking up to—I invite them with love. about the catching on fire part.
No More Tide! Now I Use My Resonja Willoughby got her GED after studying at Next Step Learning Center in Oakland, CA. She currently works at Second Own Concoction Start Adult Literacy Program as a Student Advocate. She has But we are going to speed up this story. It is 2017 returned to Next Step to work on the Wilson Reading Program, a program designed for people with dyslexia. Resonja’s plan is to now, and I’m all natural. In my life, I have spent move on toward getting a certificate in Naturopathic medicine.
Take It Further “Never a hair out of place.” What does this phrase mean? Do you think the author means it literally or figuratively? Have you ever known anyone who never had a hair out of place? Find more hair idioms on p. 53. Make up your own sentences using hair idioms. What are the three timeframes discussed in this article? List them here: 1. ______2. ______3. ______Share stories from similar timeframes in your life—your childhood, your parents’ child- hood, and now. What is the best order to tell your stories? (There’s no right answer.) See the story “At Peace with His Hair” on p. 19. Notice especially the chronology of the story.
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It’s Just Hot Hair, Baby… Kimberlyn Jeffries
BEFORE YOU READ: Do your beauty treatments cause you pain? How much pain are you willing to feel for beauty? Read the “pull quotes” in large type. What do you think this story will be about? What is the point of “pull quotes”? What function do they serve for the article?
Every Saturday, when I was a child, my dad would wake me and my sister up to an early breakfast and send us next door to Ms. Robidiah’s house. She was the neighborhood hairdresser. Back in those days, that’s what they called them, instead of hair stylist. They could My sister would be work in a salon, or motherly tone while running the warm water on sitting nearby waiting they could work my hair and scalp. Then she would shampoo our her turn, crying as if from their kitchen, hair. When finished, she would have me sit in the like Ms. Robidiah chair where she would comb through my kinky it was time to go and did. I guess that is hair, parting and separating it into sections as she see the grim reaper. why black people placed oil along the started the term line of each parted “kitchen do.” My section, continuing Later, our forehead, sister and I had a standing appointment every Sat- this process until my neck, and ears urday, and my father paid for this service. entire scalp had oil would all have burn I would always be the first one to run through on it. marks on them. the door and head straight to the kitchen where I All the while, would find a chair facing the kitchen sink. Ms. Ro- my sister would be bidiah would say to me, “Come on big girl, climb sitting nearby waiting her turn, crying as if it was up here. Ms. Robidiah gonna make you pretty time to go and see the grim reaper. Because she today.” I would smile so wide. Ms. Robidiah was very tender-headed, she was never happy would wash our hair in her kitchen sink. “Bend yo to have her hair combed. During this process head over the sink, child,” she would call out in a my mind would drift, and I would imagine how
Vocabulary Vocabulary Vocabulary The Grim Reaper A kink is a To pay a is the personi- sharp bend or compliment fication of twist. Kinky hair means to say something death. is very curly. nice about someone.
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pretty my hair was going to be. Also, I would We would have wonder whose hair would be the longest, mine or the biggest smiles Even with all the pain my sister’s. on our faces for she caused us, we After completing the washing and oiling of the rest of the would race to the mir- my scalp Ms. Robidiah would pull out a pressing day. Everywhere comb and place it on the stove over medium-high we went, people ror to get a closer look heat. Then she would compli- at our new kitchen Will I still be the pretty began parting my ment us on our hairdos, and we felt so hair into small hair. pretty and stylish. girl whose hair goes sections and Our stylish from kinky to straight combing through hair gave us con- in the magic hands of my hair with the fidence and self-esteem. It made us feel beautiful. a hairdresser? hot comb. To this day, my sister and I, as well as other black I could smell women, will sit through the severe pain of pulling, my hair sizzling scalp burns, and headaches in order to look good. and burning from all the oil she had put on my Having our hair done gives us black women a scalp. The smell of burning hair would overpower sense of beauty, sophistication, and pride. any of the breakfast smells left over from earlier So when you see a black woman with her hair that morning. I kept thinking about how pretty I fixed nicely, pay her a compliment. It makes her would look when she was done. I was so excited! feel good. And just know that she probably went That hour felt like forever to a little six-year-old. through a lot of pain to get there. After getting our hair fixed, my sister and I would race to the mirror and admire our freshly AFTER YOU READ: straightened hair. Then we would stretch our locks 1. Share something that surprised you about this to see which sister’s hair was longer. Well, hers story. was always longer. 2. What did the girls in this story get in exchange We continued to go to Ms. Robidiah until one for the pain they endured? day my dad told us that she was moving away. 3. Do you think black girls and women have dif- I felt sad. I thought, “Who will fix my hair so ferent experiences than white girls and women pretty? Will I still be the big girl who climbs up on when it comes to the process of trying to look the kitchen chair every Saturday? Will I still be the “beautiful”? Why or why not? pretty girl whose hair goes from kinky to straight in the magic hands of a hairdresser?” 4. How does beauty get defined? Who or what in- My oldest sister took on the task of fixing fluences our ideas of beauty? our hair. But she would constantly burn us with the hot comb and yell at us to keep still. My sister Kimberlyn Jeffries was born 1964 in Houston, Texas, to the proud and I would scream out in pain, “Ouch, sister that parents of 10 kids. She has 7 brothers and 2 sisters. Her dad relocated the family to Oakland, CA, in June of 1967 for work. He hurts!” and she would reply to us, “It’s just hot got a job in construction making $5.50 per hour. She has never hair, baby; it’s just hot hair.” This went on for the lived anywhere else. entire time she would be pressing our hair. Later, our forehead, neck, and ears would all Vocabulary Extra Credit have burn marks on them. Even with all the pain she caused us, when she was done, we would Look up the word “complement.” race to the mirror to get a closer look at our new What does it mean? Use it and “com- kitchen hairdos, and we felt so pretty and stylish. pliment” in different sentences.
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At the End of the Row Miguel Bacho Cabezas
There were three rows in my classroom where the teacher used to put the smartest, the good-for-you ones and the bad, the lazy ones.
Nobody wanted to be there but being at the end was even worse and that’s where they put me when my mom left us.
It was a season of shame when they found them. The teacher moved my stuff to the corner behind the bad, the lazy ones, alone. My dad shaved my head, and I came back to my seat the next day looking at the others with anger. Miguel Bacho Cabezas was born in Iquique, Chile, in 1986. He now lives in Providence, RI, and participates in the ESL Program at the Providence Public Library. He is a writer, and At the end of the row he published his first book of poems in Argentina in 2013. He only the lice were my company. works at a non-profit fair housing organization, and he looks forward to continuing his education in college.
Punishment Read this poem and the short story on the next page. What do the two stories have in common? How are they different? What do you think about the punishment each child received? Were you ever punished for something that was not your fault? Did your school separate the “good” from the “bad” ones? What did that accomplish? Read “Taking Control of My Hair” by Pamela Cordova in the extras section for this issue:
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Gum in My Hair Ismett Vasquez
When I was a young kid in school, my hair was very long. One day, two class- mates put gum in my hair. That afternoon, when I went home, my mom saw the gum. She got upset and cut my hair short. Maybe those girls were just playing. But I got hit and my hair got cut.
Ismett Vasquez is 47 years old, and she was born and raised in the Bronx. She studies at Lehman College Adult Learning Center. She has six kids and two grandkids, and her fiancé has four kids and 5 grandkids. Her Mom and Dad were raised in Puerto Rico.
Get It? In English, we use the verb “to get” in many ways. “Got” is the past tense of “get.” In this article, the author uses “got” in two ways: 1. In the first, She got upset, “got” means “became.” 2. In the second, the author uses “got” to create passive voice. (Passive voice is when you are not sure who is doing the action. For example: My car got stolen. You don’t know who stole it, so you use the passive voice.) Try writing your own sentences with “get” or “got.”
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Bad Habits, Bad Results Find Me Cange
BEFORE YOU READ: Share a time you had a bad habit. Did it have a bad result?
I remember when I was seven years old, I used to suck my thumb and twirl my hair. I was getting bald on one side of my head, so my mom cut my hair, and I looked like a boy. I didn’t want to go to school because the students laughed at me. Every day, I was crying and sad. I stayed in my home all the time, and I used a hat when I went out with my mother. To stop me from twirling my hair, my mom put a glove on my hand. She Find Me Cange is from Haiti. She is 33 years old. She is a used hair products on my head to make Licensed Nursing Assistant and currently an ESL learner at Southern New Hampshire Services, Portsmouth Adult Education my hair grow out faster. That was a bad Program in Portsmouth, NH. experience for me.
Parents, Kids, and Pressure
Read the stories and poems on pp. 42-45. List some of the things that the moms and dads do in these stories. Then list some of the pressures that these parents are under. These pressures might be directly indicated in the text or you might figure out what they are using inference.
Share your own stories of parenting or being parented. What pres- sures do you experience as a parent? What pressures did your parents experience? What supports do parents need to be able to show love and navigate all the challenging times with their children?
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Serve the Same Sauce Rheteshwary Pathak
BEFORE YOU READ: What do you think the title means?
When I was growing up in India, I was very stubborn. I had my own ideas. I didn’t want anyone to tell me what to do. One day when I was 10 years old, my mom and I were shopping. She stopped at the barber shop. She said she wanted the barber to trim my hair. I loved my long beautiful hair. I thought about it, and I said, “Okay, the barber can trim my hair. Maybe that will help it grow faster and longer.’’ I did not know that my mother gave secret instructions Rheteshwary Pathak is a student at The Adult Education Center to the barber. She asked him to cut my in Hartford, CT. Before coming to the U.S. eight years ago, she worked as a senior merchandiser in the apparel industry. Her hair to shoulder length! When the barber hobbies include reading, cooking, and listening to music. finished, I was so depressed. I cried the whole day. I thought cut my mother’s long braid off. I cut about all my beautiful hair—lost! My her hair the same length that the barber mother explained that she wanted my cut mine. When my mother woke up, hair short because she didn’t want to she looked in the mirror and screamed! take care of it. She had a lot of chores to She yelled, “Who did this?” When do every day. She said she didn’t have she saw me, she slapped my face three or time to take care of my hair. four times. Then I said to her, “Now you I was so upset; I wondered how to can understand how I felt when you had get revenge on my mom. Then one day, my hair cut without telling me!” I saw my mother taking a nap on the AFTER YOU READ: Tell the story of when porch in the summer afternoon. Here you “served the same sauce” to some- was my chance! I took the scissors and one.
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Bad Hair Day Christine Mowery
Picture Day at school: a day to memorialize our awkward teenage years. This is a day that has the potential to haunt you for the rest of your life. It is a day you will be reminded of every time you walk into your grandparents’ home. There you will be, on display, on the fireplace mantel, smiling that goofball smile for all your aunts, uncles, and cousins to see. So why, of all days, would I decide that the night before picture day was the best time ever to cut my own bangs? This was going to be my year. After all, I was scissors and took my bangs into my own asser- in seventh grade now; I was practically an adult. A tive hands. All I had to do was cut a straight line, snazzy new haircut right? How hard could that be? I gathered a sec- I grabbed the kitchen was going to be tion of hair and started cutting. When I heard the my ticket to a good scissors crunching through my hair, I knew there scissors and took my picture. My parents was no turning back. bangs into my own weren’t home and I The first attempt was a little less than straight. assertive hands. couldn’t drive my- That’s okay, I could just straighten things up on self to the salon that my second attempt. My second attempt led to my night, so it was up third attempt, which to me to make my picture dreams come true. led to my fourth at- I blacked out once I took a long, hard look in the mirror. My hair tempt. I am not sure was gross. My hair was lifeless. My hair wouldn’t how many attempts I realized I was run- stay out of my eyes. I did what any grown-up I made. I blacked out ning out of bangs! 13-year-old would do: I grabbed the kitchen once I realized I was CHRISTINE’S STORY IN PICTURES AND CAPTIONS...
I wanted to look pretty for picture day. I used I cut and cut. I realized my bangs were almost the kitchen scissors to cut my bangs. all gone. This had to be a bad dream!
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And still I had to running out of bangs! When I came to, sheer Study the Writing face the camera. panic and terror had set in. What had I done? According to the author, what was she This had to be a bad dream. Maybe it didn’t look like as a 13-year-old? Which parts of the that bad. Spoiler alert: it did look that bad. text reveal directly or through inference The following school day was brutal. During something about her character as a teen? my walk of shame through the judgmental walls of middle school, no one said a word to me. No Find the humorous moments. Identify one even made eye contact with me. It was simply what makes them funny. too uncomfortable for them to be face to face with where my bangs used to be. Notice the variety in the author’s sen- And still I had to face the camera. I grabbed tence structure. Find some of the following a black plastic comb offered by the cameraman. types of sentences and label them with the Hey, maybe it had magical power and would abbreviations given: stimulate my hair follicles to grow, and maybe this nightmare would be over. No such luck. I was still Type of Sentence Abbrev. in shock when the flash went off. I simply couldn’t short sentence SS wait for the day to be over. long sentence LS Eventually, the day came to an end. Eventu- repetitive structure/words R ally, my bangs grew out. Eventually, I started to questions Q forget the whole ordeal had ever happened. And exclamations E just when it was all a distant memory, the pictures came in. Bad hair days are no fun. They’re even worse when the everlasting proof is sitting on Write a humorous story from your child- your grandparents’ fireplace mantel for the whole hood. What writing strategies will you use family to see, forever. to capture the funny moments? Share your writing and get feedback. To hear how it Christine Mowery is a student at Exeter Adult Education in Exeter, flows, read it out loud to the whole class. NH. She lives with her husband and twin sons in New Hampshire.
...CONTINUED (SEE ANOTHER PICTURE STORY ON P. 36) Illustrations by Ann Cleaves Illustrations by The next day, I had to face the camera. I Now the picture sits on my grandparents’ was in shock when the flash went off. mantel for the whole family to see forever.
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Woodpecker or Rapunzel? Marina Catalan
A woodpecker. Photo by James St. John, Rapunzel, a character in a folk tale by the Wikimedia. Brothers Grimm. Photo by Loren Javier, Flickr. BEFORE YOU READ: From Excitement to Despair 1. Talk about a time you were able to change your I was looking forward to having my new haircut perspective—or your point of view—about some- to start elementary school. I had a new life ahead thing. in a new school, with new friends and new teach- 2. A simile is when you compare two things using ers, and all of this deserved a new look. But I never “like” or “as.” For example: I looked like a woodpeck- imagined what could happen with a simple hair- er. Try making your own similes. cut. After a long wait, the haircut day finally ar- Life Is All About Your Point of View rived. My mother and I went to a new, fancy salon When I was seven years old, I was really excited in our neighborhood. It was the most beautiful about my future. I was going into elementary place I had ever been. It looked like Cinderella’s school, ready to make new friends and to start a castle at Disney World. It was decorated with ten new chapter of my life. However, everything al- big pink chairs, an enormous mirror, and five crys- most changed after I had the worst haircut ever. tal light fixtures. It looked luxurious. In addition, it But let me tell you: Life is all about your point of had a lot of flowers which made me feel like I was view. Although the haircut left me looking awful, in the middle of a palace garden, and a stereo was like a woodpecker, my mother said something that playing princess songs. Everything was just too changed my life. perfect to be true.
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I sat on the chair feeling like a princess. The Rapunzel? Of course, he would pick me because hair stylist was a cool funny guy. My mother was I looked just like Rapunzel! My mom had said it talking to him, explaining how my haircut should a week before, and I was feeling like her in my be. I wasn’t seeing anything because my back imagination. was facing the mirror. I could just see that he was cutting a bit more that I expected. As time went Thanks, Mom! by, my hair was falling to the ground like leaves Finally, the play started, and it was amazing. Even falling from the if I didn’t replace her, my dreams came true in trees in autumn. I was in shock. I felt my imagination. Thanks to my mom, I was able After a few more to change my perspective. I wasn’t feeling awful as if someone had minutes, my hair anymore. I was feeling good and ready to face the punched my stomach. was falling on my new chapter of my life. Because, as I said at the lap, forming a hill, beginning of this story: Life is all about your point like a sand castle. of view. And after a long time, he was still cutting my hair even faster and in all directions. I was wondering AFTER YOU READ: what he was doing. 1. What did Marina’s mother do to help Marina Suddenly, the hairdresser said he was done. change her point of view? I was so anxious to see the final result. I couldn´t wait anymore. I had butterflies in my belly. When 2. In the first paragraph, the author hints at what he turned the chair and I was able to see myself the ending of her story will be. This is called fore- in the mirror, I could not breathe. I was in shock. shadowing. How does foreshadowing work as a I felt as if someone had punched my stomach. My writing technique? Does it make you want to keep shoulders were heavy like bricks, and my legs reading? Why or why not? were shaking like a tree in the storm. Instead of looking pretty, I looked like a woodpecker! Where 3. What do you think about the author’s claim that was my long and straight hair? How did I end up life is all about your point of view? looking like a punk rock star with Elvis Presley sideburns? 4. Moms play a big role in several articles in this issue. Look at the articles on pp. 22, 33, and 43- From Despair to Excitement Again 45. Discuss the different things moms do related to their child’s hair. Sometimes they seem harsh, I was almost crying, thinking about how I would sometimes loving, and sometimes a combination be bullied by my new friends at school. But then of the two. What pressures are moms under that my mother said some precious words. She said I help explain how they are in these situations? looked like Luciana Vendramini, a pretty Brazilian actress who was playing Rapunzel at the theater. Suddenly, I felt better and not like a punk boy Marina Pazikas Catalan is from anymore. Brazil, and she is a student at Portland Community College in A week later, my mother took me to the the- Oregon. She studied Education ater to watch Rapunzel. She bought me a beautiful in Brazil and worked as a purple silk dress, brilliant silver pantyhose, and kindergarten teacher. She is married and expecting her white ballerina shoes. I felt like a princess. While I third child. was waiting for the play to start, I started dream- ing: what if the director needed to choose someone from the audience to replace the actress playing
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by Ruth Boirie
BEFORE YOU READ: In English, we use the help- ing verb “would” to form the conditional tense for things that might happen in the future if certain conditions are in place. For example: If I had enough money, I would open my own barber shop. We also use “would” when referring to things that happened habitually in the past. I used to talk to my mother about my dream of opening a barber shop, and she would always encourage me. Make two sentences us- ing “would” in both ways. As you read this article, notice how the author uses “would.” An Early Start When I was about six years old, my father used to take me to the barber shop with him. My father and the barber were good friends, and they would talk while l played. Sometimes, I would watch the barbers cut hair. When I observed the barbers, I felt something different inside. I was fascinated. I left home at the age of 17, and I rented a room in the neighborhood. There was a park across the street where I would play basketball with the neighborhood guys. My rent was $15.00 a month. I would tell these guys that I was cutting hair in my room for $3.50. Cutting hair and work- ing in factories helped me pay my monthly rent.
Later, I moved to Harlem and got a job in a Career Paths hospital working as a nurse’s aide. I worked in For more stories about hospitals for many years, but I quit because I felt disrespected by the nurses that I worked with. students pursuing their One day, I packed my things and walked off the career paths, see Issue job. I found myself on the corner of Utica and #45 of The Change Church Avenue. I was crying and asking myself, Agent. “Did I just leave my job? What am I going to do?”
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Training The next day, I took a walk down Flatbush Av- enue thinking, “What else can I do? What do I want to do?” I got to a barber shop called Knapp’s. There were six women cutting hair inside. I watched them, and I said, “Wow, these women can really cut hair!” I asked one of them where she learned to cut hair. She said, “We didn’t go to school. The owner trains us for nine weeks and if he likes your work, he will hire you and put you in one of his three shops.” When I met with him, I asked, “Could you teach me to cut hair?” He charged me $500 for the tools and $25 for the training. When I got good at cutting, I made good money, but it only lasted for Ruthie in her shop (above) and outside her a couple years. The other women working with shop (opposite page). Photos by Kevin Dotson. me were not treating me well. They discriminated against me because I was gay. I left that shop with I did not know he was dying of cancer. Even- my tools and went home. tually Mr. Jake passed away. When I got back to the shop from the funeral, I was looking around Getting My Own and I heard his voice. He said, “Go get your own, A friend of mine introduced me to someone that Ruthie.” I took a week off and searched for a spot had a shop and rented out chairs. Terry, the own- and came across two available spaces. I chose er, gave me a chance to work in her shop. It was the shop that gave me a better feeling. In 1996, on the corner of Bergen and Washington Avenue, I started to fix up my shop, which is now called and it was called Jake’s Barber Shop. Jake was Ruthie’s Neighborhood Barber Shop. It took me Terry’s father who worked also there. I stayed in one month to fix up, and I opened on August 1, that shop for nine years. During the time I worked 1996. It is located in Park Slope in Brooklyn, on St. there, Jake taught me how to shave in the proper Mark’s Avenue. I’ve had my shop for 21 years. manner so that I could pass the New York State I am grateful to have had a father-figure like barbering test. I took the test and passed. I would Mr. Jake. He encouraged me, and if it weren’t for also cut Jake’s hair, and he would always ask his voice, I don’t know if I would have opened my me, “When are you going to get your own shop?” own place. I am grateful to everyone that came And I would say, “Why are you always trying to into my life at the right time. And I am thankful get rid of me?” And we would joke together. for everything that has happened to me. I truly ap- preciate my life today.
Use Online Maps Ruth Boirie is a native of Brooklyn, NY. She is working her way through the Pre-High School Equivalency program at the Brooklyn Go online and look up some of the Public Library, and is a former participant in the Library’s Adult locations and barber shops mentioned in Learning Center. A professional barber, Ruthie has owned and operated Ruthie’s Neighborhood Barber Shop since 1996. this article. Use street view. Are the shops still there? What else can you learn about AFTER YOU READ: What are some key turning Ruthie and her barber shop? points in the author’s life?
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Hair Salons and Tipping Kai Shen Lee
I have worked in a hair salon since I was 19 years old. I work every day after school. I enjoy work- ing in the salon because it is fun. I often dye my hair different colors. My experience is exciting, but it is stressful too. Sometimes, even when you give great service to a client, they don’t tip. Some people are very cheap. They want great service, but they don’t want to tip. I curse at them behind their backs! Some clients are very nice, though. They pay a $20 tip, and they also double the tip at Christmas- time. Some clients know when it is my birthday and they give me more. Some clients bring gifts to me. These are the clients I like to work with. The cheap clients, I want to tell them: Get out of here!
Kai Shen Lee was born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Currently, he is a student at the Office of Adult Education, New York City Department of Education, School 4. He works in a hair salon and does marketing on Instagram @nycmouth (www. nycmouth.nyc).
Strategies for Calculating the Tip
How much of a tip do you usually give to the people who wash and style your hair? Do you think about it in terms of percent? Or some other formula? (A formula is simply a set of math symbols that expresses a rule or a principle.) Let’s say you want to leave a 20% tip. For the purposes of our formula, we’ll call the tip “T” and the cost of the haircut will be “H.” Our formula would look like this: T = .2 x H Solve the formula when H = $40. Try it again for haircuts of different prices. Change the percent to 15% and solve the formula again. Can you solve the formula in your head? If so, what strategy did you use? Try solving it using a calculator and using pencil and paper.
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Hair Idioms
bad hair day A day when everything seems to go wrong. What’s wrong with Mary? Is she having a bad hair day? hair’s breadth If you avoid or miss something by a small margin. The car sped past me and just missed me by a hair’s breadth. get in someone’s hair When you are annoying someone. I can’t do my job because my boss is in my hair all the time. let your hair down Relax and let go. It’s the weekend. You can let your hair down! make hair stand on end If you are absolutely terrified of something. When the tiger roared, it made my hair stand on end! not a hair out of place Perfect appearance. Angela is so put together! She never has a hair out of place. tear your hair out Extremely agitated or distressed about something. I lost my phone. I’ve been tearing my hair out trying to find it. hairbrained* A misspelling of “harebrained.” A hare is a jumpy rabbit. A “hare- brained” person is someone who is reckless or isn’t focused. * See below for an exhibit that makes a pun from “harebrained.”
Explore Matters of the Head!
Providence Public Library invites you to our 2018 Program and Exhibition Series “Hair- Brained” from March - June 2018 at 150 Em- pire Street, Providence, Rhode Island. Join us for free educational programming, spe- cial events, and a themed exhibition devoted to exploring matters of the head and the mind. Learn more at: www.provlib.org
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Cutting Hair: Trying Something New! Jessie Huai
BEFORE YOU READ: Have you ever cut a family hairstyle—just shorter. member’s hair? How did you learn how to do it? I held the scissors, but Tell a story about a time the haircut turned out I could not start. My well or perhaps not so well. husband urged me to VOCABULARY: buzz cut, tremble, chop, handi- start quickly. Finally, work, courage I made the first cut. My hand trembled, New Country, New Everything! and I cut off a tiny bit. It was not as hard as My husband, my daughter and I came to Portland I thought! I started to two years ago. We got calm down a little. a house, bought ev- At first, I cut his My husband asked erything we needed, hair as slowly as I me to help him cut and put my daughter could, because I was into school. Then my his hair at home. I still worried about husband needed a said, “No.” how to do it. When I saw my husband’s face in haircut. He asked his the mirror, I noticed that he was quiet and calm. colleagues where they Encouraged by his calmness, I felt less nervous. cut their hair. They My cutting got quicker, and we could see lots of said, “At home.” They told him the barber would chopped hair on the floor. My husband did not say not do better, and it could save money. My hus- anything when I was cutting his hair. If I spoke to band asked me to help him cut his hair at home. I him, he stopped me. He wanted me to focus on his said, “No.” I had never cut anyone’s hair before, hair. We have been married for about ten years, even my daughter’s hair. I insisted that he go to a and he knows I am not good at handiwork. barber shop for the haircut. I hoped my husband would give up his idea; Hand Slipped however, several days later, he brought a pair of scissors home. He said he would cut his hair by The haircut went well. When it was almost done, himself. I thought he might be kidding, but he my husband looked at the mirror and said that I stood in front of the mirror and started to cut his could stop before something wrong happened. I hair. Though I still didn’t want to help, I knew he looked at the hair again and insisted that I should couldn’t finish it by himself. I had no choice but to trim the back parts a bit, because I could see it help him cut his hair. was uneven. On the last cut, when the work was almost done, my hand slipped, and I cut off too Hand Trembled much hair. You could see a little bit of his scalp. I was so sorry. I stood there holding the scis- I was standing there, holding the scissors, and sors. My husband noticed my embarrassment, so I did not know where to start. I decided to look he held up another mirror to see what I had done online for a video about how to cut hair. I found to the back of his head. He was shocked at first, one on how to make a buzz cut. But my husband but he said that it was not a big deal. I felt a little did not want a buzz cut. He wanted to keep his sad when I looked at the chopped hair on the
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Describe in detail what you see in the picture. What do you think the illustrator is communicating and why do you think that? (Be able to point to details in the illustration that back up your opinion.) Illustration by Kyle Lindholm. floor and at the hair style that I had made for my grow out again. But I got courage from this experi- husband. ence. I saw that I could try new things. Now, I am not so worried about what the result will be when I Will Keep On Trying New Things I try a new thing. I know that trying is the only Then my husband said something that I still re- way for us to have a better life. member. He said, “It is not important what the hair style looks like now; it can grow out again. Jessie Huai is from China. She is in the ESL class at Portland Com- The most important thing is that you tried.” I felt munity College in Oregon. In China, she worked as an electronics engineer. Now she wants to study technology management. relieved after I listened to these words. I under- stood why my husband let me cut his hair. I did AFTER YOU READ: According to Jessie, what les- not like to try new things before, but I had to try son did she learn from this experience? What sup- new things as we were facing a new life. ports did she have to be able to learn the lesson? My husband’s scalp showed in that one spot What is her overall message, and does the illustra- for almost a month while we waited for the hair to tion (above) support her message? If so, how?
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Write for The Change Agent CALL FOR ARTICLES YOU MUST: Include contact information in all articles and emails. Please cite sources. THEME: Math! We use it all the time—deciding when to leave the house in order to arrive at work on time, figuring out sale prices, understanding budgets and paychecks, and making sense of data presented in charts at work, in the media, and in our communities. Prompts include: • Tell a story about how you have experienced math in your life—at work or at home. • Does math make you anxious? If so, how did that fear get started? If not, what has helped you feel confident about math? • What is the best and/or worst experience you have had with math at school? Share a moment of understanding a math idea or the activity that made something “click” for you about math. • How do you help your kids with math? • Discuss the difference between school math and the math you use in your everyday life. • What are the math strategies you use in your everyday life? (For example, calculating the tip at a hair salon, shopping for the best deal, planning how much to spend for the holidays, etc.) • Are there ways that knowing more math would help you in your life? For example, was there a time you felt taken advantage of by not understanding the math? • Are there times that you’ve been frustrated in everyday life because you didn’t understand a math concept? What happened? • Write about a time when math helped you to decide between two (or more) options. • What data do you collect in your everyday life? (For example, daily weight; exercise time or distance; miles or time spent on something for work; utility use per month; paycheck or bank account; steps, heart rate, or anything a Fitbit collects information on; screen time; video game scores; etc.) And what difference does it make in your life to have and analyze this data? • How does data influence you or impact your life? (For eg., maybe you have had to choose a medicine or a treatment based on a rate of recovery or a percent chance of improvement.) DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: May 3, 2018. Make sure to include contact information. Send to: [email protected]. Learn more at:
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