Sisterhood Agenda Magazine
Fall 2007
Ahead Of The Crowd
Meet Your Soul Sister
By Georgette Johnson - Whaley
On May 4, 1994, I walked into a barbershop holding a picture of a sister with a short, cropped ‘do and told the barber to chop it all off! I had a head full of relaxed hair and he looked at me in awe. I sat in his chair and it was in those moments I was transformed and I was never the same. After everything was said and done, I looked in the mirror and rubbed my shaved head. I felt emancipated. No longer a slave to chemically-processed hair, I didn’t have to worry if I got caught in the rain and riding with the windows down would no longer be such a big deal. No blow-dryers, no curling irons, and no more breakage.
I gained a sense of awareness when I attended Texas Southern University. A whole new world opened for me and I was intrigued by several young ladies who wore their hair in locks, Afros, and head wraps. I was also a fan of Cree Summer (“Freddie” from A Different World) and with her hair in curls and ringlets, I wanted that “freedom hair.” Needless to say after the “big chop,” my family and friends didn’t quite understand at first but I marveled at my transformation and I had a goal in mind. Little did I know that God had even bigger aspirations for me.
Over the course of the next few years, I read any and everything I could that pertained to natural hair. It was then I began to realize I had a gift of performing chemical-free hairstyles. I decided to go to cosmetology school and get my license so I could become a natural hairstylist. Fast forward and its 10 years later and I am still in this profession. I feel like this is more than a career - I feel as if I am performing a community service. When my clients come to my salon, they are enveloped in love, pride, and empowerment. In my salon, Soul Sister Natural Haircare, there are positive images all around. I don’t listen to the radio because I don’t like the way women are represented so as a result, you will hear the latest independent artists like Eric Roberson, Tim Dillinger, and Kelli Sae. Music plays a major part in my life as much as natural hair and about a year ago, my husband and I created our own magazine, SOBO (Soulful Bohemian), which is catered to musicians who would otherwise go unnoticed by mainstream media. I feel like this is a perfect marriage of the two things that I am the most passionate about.
Many of my clients have considered me a role model and that is something that I take to heart. I feel very blessed because being a natural hairstylist has afforded me the luxury to be more than just someone a person comes to get loc maintenance or two-strand twists. I like to think of myself as someone who had a sincere passion for something that I loved to do and that I am able to share my talents with many people. I never had any idea that a pivotal moment like me walking into a barber shop and demanding that my hair get cut would not only change my life, but have an impact on the lives of many others through the gift of natural hairstyling.
Fall 2007
Ahead Of The Crowd
Meet Your Soul Sister
By Georgette Johnson - Whaley
On May 4, 1994, I walked into a barbershop holding a picture of a sister with a short, cropped ‘do and told the barber to chop it all off! I had a head full of relaxed hair and he looked at me in awe. I sat in his chair and it was in those moments I was transformed and I was never the same. After everything was said and done, I looked in the mirror and rubbed my shaved head. I felt emancipated. No longer a slave to chemically-processed hair, I didn’t have to worry if I got caught in the rain and riding with the windows down would no longer be such a big deal. No blow-dryers, no curling irons, and no more breakage.
I gained a sense of awareness when I attended Texas Southern University. A whole new world opened for me and I was intrigued by several young ladies who wore their hair in locks, Afros, and head wraps. I was also a fan of Cree Summer (“Freddie” from A Different World) and with her hair in curls and ringlets, I wanted that “freedom hair.” Needless to say after the “big chop,” my family and friends didn’t quite understand at first but I marveled at my transformation and I had a goal in mind. Little did I know that God had even bigger aspirations for me.
Over the course of the next few years, I read any and everything I could that pertained to natural hair. It was then I began to realize I had a gift of performing chemical-free hairstyles. I decided to go to cosmetology school and get my license so I could become a natural hairstylist. Fast forward and its 10 years later and I am still in this profession. I feel like this is more than a career - I feel as if I am performing a community service. When my clients come to my salon, they are enveloped in love, pride, and empowerment. In my salon, Soul Sister Natural Haircare, there are positive images all around. I don’t listen to the radio because I don’t like the way women are represented so as a result, you will hear the latest independent artists like Eric Roberson, Tim Dillinger, and Kelli Sae. Music plays a major part in my life as much as natural hair and about a year ago, my husband and I created our own magazine, SOBO (Soulful Bohemian), which is catered to musicians who would otherwise go unnoticed by mainstream media. I feel like this is a perfect marriage of the two things that I am the most passionate about.
Many of my clients have considered me a role model and that is something that I take to heart. I feel very blessed because being a natural hairstylist has afforded me the luxury to be more than just someone a person comes to get loc maintenance or two-strand twists. I like to think of myself as someone who had a sincere passion for something that I loved to do and that I am able to share my talents with many people. I never had any idea that a pivotal moment like me walking into a barber shop and demanding that my hair get cut would not only change my life, but have an impact on the lives of many others through the gift of natural hairstyling.
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