Hair! How I Grew It tops Feedspot’s and MillionPodcasts’ Best Natural Hair Podcasts. On today’s show, I interview Kassidi Jones. Kassidi is an assistant curator at a Black research library. The Hartford, Connecticut native is also an antiracist animal advocate. Pets and racism – I’d never put those words together until I discovered Kassidi a few months ago on social media. When I heard her talk about the prejudice she and her pit bull Ginger have experienced, and how that led her to create Ginger’s Naps, I knew I had to talk to her. More on Ginger’s Naps later in the show. Kassidi said yes to my interview invite despite her very busy school schedule. The ivy leaguer has earned four degrees including a PhD – all before the age of 30. She got her bachelor's degree in Africana Studies and English from the University of Pennsylvania. At Yale, she earned her Master of Arts in African American Studies. Also at Yale, she got her Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy in African American Studies and English. Kassidi has never had a perm. She’s worn her hair in its natural state since her sophomore year in high school. We started our hair talk talking about how her busy academic life has taken a toll on her natural.
Hair! How I Grew It tops the 25 Best Natural Hair Podcasts on the web. Thanks Feedspot for this incredible honor. On today’s show I interview curly hair influencer Janel Caminos. Her authentic voice has paid off in partnerships with multiple beauty brands. She is an ambassador for Sienna Naturals. That’s a vegan hair care line co-owned by actress and producer Issa Rae. Janel is an ambassador for FirstlineBrands. That’s a company that sells hair tools and accessories for multi-ethnic textures. The curly hair influencer is also the founder of Curly Crown Collective, which she describes as a “self-help group” for “curlfriends across cultures.” More onthat later in the show. In the corporate world, Janel is a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion professional. OnConferences recently named her one of the top 50 DEI professionals. Before we started our hair talk, I congratulated Janel on this incredible honor and asked her how she is dealing with the attacks on her job.