My Hair Goes Up: Poems, essays, and ideas regarding the passage of the CROWN Act

By Leslie Rand Wilderson

My Hair Goes Up uses essays and poetics to examine the California CROWN Act (SB 188), a law written to create a respectful, open workplace, and world, for natural hair. 

This book is a poetic tribute to the lofty, helically shaped hair that deserves to exist freely, and it shares a heartening perspective on the no

• Language: English
• Publisher: Libre Un LLC
• Release date: Jul 3, 2021
• ISBN: 9780578944821

Leslie Rand Wilderson

Dr. Leslie Rand Wilderson is a native of Queens, New York, and she currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. After completing her formal doctoral education at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, she practiced Optometry for twenty-four years. She has published work on numerous subjects in the health and science arena. Dr. Wilderson has written a vibrant book using compositions and poetics about her hair to give a thoughtful perspective on social divisions based on visual human characteristics. Her goal with this book was to use a poetic voice to make a powerful, enriching statement about a vacillating and contentious part of the human story.

Book preview

haircover.jpg

My

Hair

Goes Up

Hair Poetics

Poems, essays, and

ideas regarding the passage

of the CROWN Act

Leslie Rand Wilderson

Copyright © 2021 Libre Un LLC

All Rights Reserved

First Edition

Published by I am Here Pubs 2021

Cleveland, OH

ISBN Print 978-0-578-94481-4

ISBN Digital 978-0-578-94482-1

Cover design by Tanja Prokop and illustration by Vanja Dobre.

www.iamherepubs.com [e-mail]

The adaptation of this book into a theater production is intended.

Author’s Note

This poetic expression about naturally lofty hair is dedicated to Irma, Lillian, Jackie, Mary, Kimora, Trinity, Ariyah, Magnolia, Yaminah, Jaliya, Jaide Isabella, Katalina, Cali, Tori, Anunaku Osceola, Roteal, Willamae, Zahra, Elizabeth, Alexis, Sable, Pearle, Amber, Zelda, Sakina, Pinky, Asha, Felice, Zyah, Orisa, Aya, Suhayla, Asiya, Nikki, Portia, Cynthia, Jolene, Shirley, Janisa, Debra, Phyllis, Yamishe, Gianna, Rufus, Larry, Lawrence, Harry, Bin, Stanley, Steven, Justin, Joshua, Elisha, Jay, Lester, Trevor, Khalil, Mikaal, Amir, Jaqobi, Frederick, and everyone that has hair as full as clouds that can soar the sky with Saharan Doves. When we embrace our hair in its natural state we have an unparalleled feeling of freedom.

Honoring George Perry Floyd Jr., a Human American who shared my geographic origin and nationality. His tragic death has forced a twenty-first-century examination and deconstruction of the systemic horrors that can arise from race categorization.

Table of Contents

I. Hair Poetics

II. The Dialogue

III. Rule

IV. The CROWN Act 1

V. Venn Intersection

VI. Matters

VII. The Author

VIII. Two

IX. Short Takes

X. Human Americans

XI. Un-raced

XII. A Guide to Becoming Hair Blasé

XIII. The Dawn of a Good Hair Day

XIV. Equation

I. Hair Poetics

My Hair Goes Up

Up to the sky,

not down to the ground,

from atop my head ascends

magnificent hair

in a springy mound.

It makes me happy

to let it live free.

My hair walks tall

like me.

Original

My hair

is original;

it transcends its own path.

It makes one of a kind patterns

that change in a flash.

It may appear to be different,

but it’s not quite unique.

Because