'My Hair is my Crown of Glory, Not a Badge of Shame!'

Khembe Clarke has over 4 decades over experience of as a natural hair stylist now specialising in loc starts and maintenance. She is tapping into Black Women's yearning not only to return to 'natural' but to confidently care for and style and 'rock' their natural texture and length. 

Khembe was trained by Talia Waheed seventeen years ago when she came to the UK to deliver a Masterclass. This inspired her to organise Return to Your Roots Festival giving black women in the UK the opportunity to celebrate their hair. Many women are rejecting the good hair, bad hair tropes of their hair in place of more positive narratives celebrating their curls. 

”Womenare starting to recongise the immense damage harsh chemical relaxers, perms and hair products have done to their hair and scalp.”

Khembe's event is almost a decade strong and is a staple on Birmingham's annual calendar. It has become it's own 'village' for the black community in Birmingham to share hair tips, share stories of resilience and recovery and most importantly share in remembrance of being a community of each other as children of the African diaspora!

Suzy Rowland is an Author, Keynote Speaker & thought-leader, passionate about the arts, culture, neuro-uniqueness, education, philosophy and endless discussions of how we 'human'.

Founder of #happyinschoolproject and the owner of a Brilliant ADHD brain.

Suzy's books:

S.E.N.D. in the Clowns

I Can't Go to school!