Margaret Miller

Margaret Miller and her family at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Kwanzaa

A Celebration of African-American Culture

BY MARGARET MILLER

Kwanzaa is a relatively new American holiday celebrated in December, the same month Hanukkah and Christmas are observed. Unlike the two religious holidays, Kwanzaa is an AfricanAmerican cultural seven-day celebration that begins Dec. 26 and ends Jan. 1.

Mrs. Dora Weaver, Margaret's great grandmother, is one of many deceased family members honored during the family’s celebration.

Dr. Maulana Karenga, a professor at California State University, created this event in 1966 to celebrate African heritage. The word, Kwanzaa, in Swahili means first fruits. Each of the seven days focuses on one of the principles: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith. (There are books and websites that provide additional information on Kwanzaa.)

My children and I have observed this celebration for more than 40 years. Now, we are observing the cultural event with my grandchildren, and we are looking forward to my two young great grandsons joining us.

At first, the observance was held in my home, but for the last 10 years, we have all gathered at my son’s home in Alexandria, Virginia, for the seven-day event. This is an ideal location since there are so many institutions and monuments related to our heritage that we can incorporate into our observance. The family has visited the National Museum of African-American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., as well as the Martin Luther King, Jr. monument during our celebration.

Our family begins our Kwanzaa celebration in the evening with Scripture, prayer and a lighting of one of the seven candles. We then recite the principle of the day and one of the children will elaborate on such. We discuss how that principle relates to us as individuals, as a family and as a world. We also remember and honor our loved ones who have passed. Our children and family are at the center of our celebration. Friends usually join us for this gala event.

There is an African proverb: “When an elder dies, a library burns.” Kwanzaa allows me to download so much into my heirs before this library burns.

Margaret Miller is a native of North Carolina, and moved to Woodstock 14 years ago. Her writing hobby led her to become a columnist for community and daily newspapers.

From left, Corrine Demaio, Rebekah Patrick, Rhonda Brockington-Brown Caitlin Rhea and Natalee Gibson.

Owner is Proud of Award-winning Culture

When entering the salon, you are greeted by this custom-made organic wall. Styling hair has been a lifelong passion for Rhonda LaFaye BrockingtonBrown. In fact, the name of her business, Salon LaFaye, is a tribute to her mom, who also was a hair stylist and instilled in her the love and values of the business from an early age.

“My mother owned two salons in Memphis,” she said. “I literally grew up in the hair industry. I worked for my mom over the summers and after school.”

With such an investment in and passion for her profession, Rhonda said she takes every step to make sure that her stylists are highly educated and that her employees and clients are treated like family. This attention to detail has created such a positive atmosphere that the salon was nominated for Salon Today’s 200 Best Practices in Culture in 2019.

“This award meant more to me than any other award I could get. To have a great culture is to have a great salon,” she said. “I have worked so hard to create a fun and inspiring place to work. I truly believe I have created just that.”

Rhonda opened Salon LaFaye in 2004 and, after a few moves, has settled into the current location in the Canton Exchange. The business has grown more than 13% from 2018 to 2019. Her goal is to hire at least three stylists each year until she employs 20, and to “support each stylist to create their best life.”

Aside from the award-winning culture, Rhonda has focused on a few other elements that make her a proud salon owner.

Eco-friendly

Rhonda’s commitment to being ecofriendly physically spans from the salon’s floor (cut hair is recycled) to the ceiling (all light bulbs are LED). All products, including color boxes, caps, tubes, shampoo, condition and styling products - even the hair brushes - are made from post-consumer recycled materials. The shampoo bowls have ECOHEADS showerheads, which reduce water and energy use by 65%.

“Everything from the hair we cut to the foils we use is recycled. We partner with Green Circle Salon. The hair is turned into hair booms that help absorb oil from the oceans. Our foils are turned into bicycle parts for kids, and the extra color left in the bowl is turned into energy,” Rhonda said, recommending more details which can be found at www. greencirclesalons.com. “The beauty industry makes 877 pounds of waste every minute. We don’t want to be part of the problem.”

Continual Education

A focus on in-salon classes and funding for stylists to attend classes at the Aveda Institute are several ways Rhonda helps her stylists stay on top of the latest trends.

“Advanced education is a must to work here,” she said. “We use an online education tool called Learn Aveda, as well as utilize Aveda’s Pure Pro site, for the latest looks. Our goal is to go above and beyond just a service; we want to offer world-class service.”

Family-Oriented

The sense of family is strong among the stylists. Rhonda says they don’t leave the salon without saying “love y’all” to their co-workers. They support each other in their work, and Rhonda is building benefits for them. She currently offers paid vacations, pays for their continued education, and will be adding 401K plans and insurance.

“We treat every client like family, no matter if you are one of our TV personalities (Gurvir Dhindsa and Katie Beasley), or one of our stay-at-home moms;, you will be treated like a queen.”

“World Class” Service

There is a long list that describes how Salon LaFaye offers what Rhonda calls “world-class” service: hot towels; hand massages; refreshments; tutorials for clients to learn new hairstyles; texting and email confirmations; online booking; automatic waiting list for first available appointment.

PHOTOS BY ABIGAIL PEYTON

ECOHEADS showerheads, which reduce water and energy use by 65%.

“Think of the Ritz. During the shampoo experience, we pamper you with a hot towel wrap and, before COVID-19, you would enjoy a hand massage while the hot towel erases your stress,” she said. “Every man gets a hot towel shave on the neckline, as well as a hot towel on their face at the end of the service. My clients absolutely love the hot towels during the conditioning treatment we do on every shampoo.”