I worked in palliative care for many years with patients who had gone home to die. People grow a lot when confronted with their mortality. Each experienced a variety of emotions, as expected, denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial, and eventually, acceptance. When questioned about regrets or things they would do differently, the following common themes surfaced again and again.
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Beauty Shop Politics: African American Women’s Activism in the Beauty Industry Looking through the lens of Black business history, Beauty Shop Politics shows how African-American beauticians in the Jim Crow era parlayed their economic independence and access to a public community space into platforms for activism. Tiffany M. Gill argues that the beauty industry played a crucial role in the creation of modern Black female identity and that the seemingly frivolous space of a beauty salon has stimulated social, political, and economic change. From the founding of the National Negro Business League in 1900 and onward, African Americans have embraced the entrepreneurial spirit by starting businesses. With a broad scope that encompasses the role of gossip in salons, ethnic beauty products, and the social meanings of African American hair textures, Gill shows how African-American beauty entrepreneurs built and sustained a vibrant culture of activism in beauty salons and schools. Enhanced by lucid portrayals of Black beauticians and drawing on archival research and oral histories, Beauty Shop Politics conveys the everyday operations and rich culture of Black beauty salons as well as their role in building community. |