Red's Magic Comb: Pressing Through the Kinks of Life

By Lawanda Howard and Henrietta "Red" Howard

"Red's Magic Comb, Pressing Through the Kinks of Life" is an inspirational story that chronicles Henrietta "Red" Howard's journey from a childhood of extreme poverty in the restricted South and personal challenges to becoming the First Black Female Salon Owner in the town of Talbotton, Georgia.

The book relies on the recollection of "Red," who is currently 90 years old as of January 16, 2023, to give accounts of her everyday life as a child, a teenager, and an adult. It tells how she always sought positivity and overcame some of life's most devastating blows to stay on course to achieve what she believed she deserved. Because of her own experiences early in her life, she had a vision of what she wanted and did not want for herself and her family. She once proclaimed about her then-unborn children, "My children will NEVER work in no white man's field!"

Red's views on love, relationships, and life served as the wind beneath her wings to realizing her dreams, being a beacon of hope for others, and making history in the world of hair and beauty.

"Red's Magic Comb, Pressing Though the Kinks of Life" will take the reader through emotional highs and lows but serve as inspiration in the end.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jan 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9781728377209

Book preview

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RED’S MAGIC COMB

Pressing Through the Kinks of Life

Lawanda Howard

AuthorHouse™

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.authorhouse.com

Phone: [phone]

© 2023 Lawanda Howard. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or

transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 01/12/2023

ISBN: 978-1-7283-7721-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-7283-7720-9 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in

this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views

expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views

of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the Holy

Bible, King James Version. (Public Domain)

Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the ESV Bible® (The Holy Bible,

English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing

ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™

Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

INTRODUCTION

One should consider themselves lucky, or even blessed, to be within arm’s reach of a role model who can provide direction and guidance about what to do when faced with life’s circumstances. At various points in our lives, we allow something or someone to influence our views or behaviors. We all need something our someone to look up to. Many of us turn to Bible scriptures and inspirational quotes, while others look to the people around them or the people they read about, hear about, or follow on social platforms. We can only hope to allow credible sources to impact our lives and choices.

When choosing our role models, we often choose them based on simple factors such as how famous they are, how much money they have, or the material things they possess. Never mind how the individual obtained either of these statuses. But what if we had the opportunity to look beneath the covers? Would we still value their opinions and stances on issues that matter to us? Would they still be inspirational figures in our lives?

Some people are seemingly blessed and effortlessly land on mountaintops throughout their life journey. However, most people must traverse merciless valleys and weather violent storms to reach their desired pinnacles. Not all people survive the tests; being derailed can be the most dejecting part of any trek to one’s destiny. Uniqueness in character is built and demonstrated by those who successfully navigate life’s unavoidable trials and tribulations. What do they do when they are confronted with adversity or dealt a hand that may be considered flawed or unfair? Do they give up, or do they pick themselves up, dust themselves off and keep going? What is their overall temperament while going through the process?

Growing up in a household with my mother and father was overall a solid experience. My siblings and I saw them as fantastic role models. We adopted this feeling based on how they conducted themselves in front of us and around others. It determined the levels of influence they had on us and how we discerned what was proper. And how people treated them contributed to our respect for them and how we would follow their lead. They talked the talk and walked the walk. Our household was stable and loving. We were encouraged to love God, count our blessings, and thank God for what we already had, as we were often compelled, like many others, to ask for more. We were encouraged to love our family and to respect the community of people around us.

At an early age, I recall people frequently saying, Y’all’s family is rich. I didn’t readily comprehend that assessment because I didn’t make the connection; we didn’t live like the white people I saw on television. They looked rich. Our house was small and not fancy, and my parents didn’t drive fancy cars. The things white people possessed or had access to always seemed to look better or be better than what most black people were allowed to have. We were fully aware that we were not wealthy. We were Black and proud of it.

I would later begin to understand why some people would come to their conclusions about my family’s financial status. They associated my family’s presence and how we were perceived and treated in the community with monetary wealth. My mother ensured her children were always clean, displayed good manners, and had a grasp on proper home training.; You’d better not even think about embarrassing her in public! She also knew how to sew. When my sister and I were younger, she purchased fabric and sewing patterns from the local store and made all our school clothes. She would dress us alike, which generated the constant asking of the question, Are they twins? Our hair was always tidy, with hair accessories to match the outfits. Her sons were also well-dressed and kept nice haircuts. While my family didn’t have a lot of money, we were, however, rich with pride.

I could see that my parents worked hard, provided services to the community, and were well respected. I observed them being honest people who the community embraced in the town we lived in, Talbotton, Georgia. My father owned a residential building business, Jasper Howard & Sons. He took my two brothers to work with him when they were very young so that they observe him working and managing people and would learn the skill of carpentry. Before that, Daddy was the first black police officer in the town.

My paternal grandfather, Leonard Howard, was a businessman. As part of his business portfolio, he owned over a thousand acres of land. People didn’t know he owned that amount of real estate, but while driving along the county road between two highways, they could see his home, while not palatial, and another house at the top of the hill, a beautiful lake, and sprawling open pastures with cows grazing on the land. He was the first black man to own a school bus. He was also the owner of The Café, which was the place where you could buy pig ears sandwiches (amongst other food items), soda pops, cookies, chips, and candy. You could also purchase chalk or what some people refer to as white dirt. People would actually eat that stuff. If you weren’t up for eating food, snacks, or white dirt, you could drop a dime in the jukebox, which we called the piccolo.

The Café wasn’t a nightclub, but it was a popular spot where people loved to visit to listen to music or dance. The piccolo had all the latest hits as musical selections. You could select songs