October192014
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African Hair Police: Death and Discrimination
Room B 35, Birbeck, University of London, Malet St (entrance on Torrington Square), WC1E 7JL
Room B 35, Birbeck, University of London, Malet St (entrance on Torrington Square), WC1E 7JLThis audio-visual talk by Secrets of the Afro Comb author K.N. Chimbiri links these apparently unrelated topics; colonialism in Southern Africa, World War 1,The Stolen Generation, Hitler’s Germany, the Black Power movement, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Lupita Nyongo and everyday life for women of African descent in England.
We will cover:
- What is African hair?
- The role of hair in racism.
- The Pencil Test
- The Haarfarbentel ‘racial value’ hair scale test
- Africans in Germany during World War 2
- Genocide by sex. Australia vs Brazil
- How and why African hair became devalued
- Hair vs skin as a tool of discrimination
We will also have an extended Q and A on the policing of black people’s hair.
2.30pm – 5.30pm
News
The Story of Afro Hair longlisted for the UKLA Book Awards
I’m so thrilled to share the brilliant news that The Story of Afro Hair has been longlisted for the UKLA Book Awards 2023 in the 3 – 14+age category.
The books selected for the award are titles that teachers can share with pupils as part of regular classroom experience. The prestigious UKLA Book Awards are the only national awards judged entirely by teachers.
October 2022
The Story of Afro Hair chosen as Indie Book of the Month
I’m so delighted that my book celebrating the biology and history of Afro hair from ancient to modern times has been chosen as Indie Book of the Month. This means the book will be will be displayed at every independent bookshop throughout UK and Eire.
October 2021
Scholastic UK announce new Black history books for children
I’ve been self-publishing children’s Black history books since 2009. Now feels the right time to work with a mainstream publisher to make these much-needed stories more readily available. I’m looking forward to working with Scholastic UK.