IT’S TIME TO GET UNCOMFORTABLE

BY KEYA NEAL

CURL SPECIALIST, EDUCATOR & FOUNDER OF THE KOLOUR KULTURE AND TEXTURE VS RACE

KEYA IS AN ABCH CERTIFIED COLORIST, EDUCATOR, TEXTURE SPECIALIST, AND FOUNDER OF THE TEXTURE VS RACE COLLABORATIVE, KOLOUR KULTURE, AND REPAIRATIONS. NOW A SALONEVO COLUMNIST, SHE TOLD US WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO LOOK INTROSPECTIVELY AND EMBRACE DISCOMFORT WHEN TALKING ABOUT RACE AND EQUALITY IN THE HAIR INDUSTRY.

At the beginning of June, the Texture vs Race team and I flew out to Premier Orlando with Salon Centric where we showcased new education classes and held panel discussions on our very own stage! I personally held classes in blonding, texture-inclusive education, and took to the main stage with the Queen of Statement hair, Naeemah Lafond, for an industry pulse check. Naeemah is an Equity Advocate and Creative Director and we spoke at length about the industry’s DEI progress over the years.

Post-racial uprising in 2020, Black Lives Matter really took the forefront of public consciousness and motivated a lot of changes regarding representation and equality in the hair and beauty industry. Yes, we have made much progress, but there is still much work to be done before we can call ourselves truly inclusive and diverse!

The main way we can keep the needle spinning towards achieving true inclusivity, and to empowering all stylists and clients, is to talk and listen to one another. Listening is a key component in changing and bettering one's understanding and behavior, and talking is the most accessible way for us to communicate across industry sectors and across continents through panels, education, online classes, live streams – anything that makes our voices heard.

The common barrier to these conversations is fear – fear of saying the wrong things, asking the wrong questions, and not doing right by your clients. But we need to use this discomfort as a springboard to dive into learning and education. A lot of people are afraid of confrontation, and I have a lot of stylists coming to me and saying, look, I want to have these conversations, but I want to feel safe doing it. One thing I can’t emphasize enough is that your safety is never in jeopardy; safety is always guaranteed – it’s your comfort that is not. If you understand the price that your comfort is causing someone else, maybe that will help you engage in harder conversations. I love saying the hard stuff because a lot of people won’t! It takes a lot of emotional intelligence to have hard conversations, and everyone has to come to the table with the mindset of resolution. I am a resolution-driven person, so every aim of my work and conversations is about coming to an understanding. Can we share information amongst each other and get each other to consider another view? The only way to destroy ignorance is with knowledge. So, I am always here to offer education, more insight, provide more resources, and give actionable steps towards reaching the ultimate goal. The way I work with Texture vs Race and Kolor Kulture is that we present at some of hair and beauty’s biggest shows. One of our biggest activations, though, is the Texture vs Race Summit, which is happening December 10th to the 12th this year!

I’m super excited about the summit because Texture vs Race has evolved from being a thought, a movement, a question, to becoming an actual hub of education and resource. We’re calling on everyone in the industry to come together with the aligned message that hair is a fabric, not a race. That products are for performance, not people. If we can come together as a group of stylists, owners, schools, and brands, we can send a clear message that we all want the industry to be diverse and inclusive and show that we’re doing our part in ensuring that. Keep up with all of my projects and education on Instagram @keyaartistically. Texture vs Race is @texturevsrace if you want to find out more about the Texture vs Race Summit. Catch you in the next one!