Nappi Roots

As a child my hair was always been associated with the terms “hard, tuff, nappy, difficult” so when my mom introduced a relaxer to my scalp, I was overjoyed . It wasn’t until I was 19 I decided to go back natural and even then I found myself hiding my hair under headwraps, braids, wigs, blowouts. Anything to tame the texture, and essentially my blackness especially already being a darker toned woman.

Today, I’m 27 and nothing brings more power than standing in my blackness with no desire to alter. My hair is my crown and you will bow down.

Portrait by: Whitney Frederick