“What better way to connect with someone than through their hair?”
Managing College life with academic work alone can be draining but submerging yourself into a student group, as Fuzzy describes, can be one of the most fulfilling experiences at a large University. “This org is my baby, I’ve put my all into it to bring something fresh and new to campus.” Entering college, Fuzzy, like many freshmen, faced a difficult time finding an Org at BU that reflected her values and interests. “It took me a while to find my place on campus” she describes shying away from existing affinity orgs due to cliques, divisiveness and dullness. “You have orgs that are established - doing their thing for 10+ years and sometimes that can get boring; seeing the same names, throwing the same events especially if it’s not about anything needed.”
After going through her first full year of college avoiding these established student groups, Fuzzy recalls deciding, “Imma start my own thing.” Connecting with a cousin of hers at UCLA, she learned of a natural hair organization that inspired the beginnings of Boston University’s very own, BU Naturally. Fuzzy’s gravitation to an organization centered around natural hair came from her understanding of hair as a common ground for people of different backgrounds. “What better way to connect with someone than through their hair?” she reflects. The beauty of a group like BU Naturally is that hair is not limited to anybody. Everyone has it, has had it and experiences struggles and triumphs managing it. It can be a conversation starter for complete strangers, means of empowerment for certain ethnic groups and the heart of communities that BU Naturally aims to reflect.
Fuzzy details BU Naturally’s mission on campus “to help women, all women, understand and embrace themselves starting with their natural hair and going beyond. If you love your hair, you begin to love yourself.” Hair can hold a lot of baggage and weight in people’s lives and unpacking that can open doors for all-around personal growth to encourage self-love and self-care. Events held by BU Naturally reflect these values, with past events centered around discussing and unpacking the nuances and obstacles that come with natural hair. Upcoming events such as Self-Care Saturday on November 16 (details can be found in site calendar) showcase BU Naturally’s values in promoting and educating on self-care. “This is a learning process for everyone” Fuzzy humbly reflects “we are all learning and passing on what we learn along the way.”
Besides hair education and empowerment, BU Naturally works to support people of color and diversity on campus. “Just looking at our E-board we have people of different races and ethnicities, women as well as men and different hair textures represented.” This inclusivity that BU Naturally prides itself on is a stellar example of what a group encouraging diversity should represent and promises a welcoming atmosphere. “some people are like ‘well i don’t have curly hair’. It’s not even about that it’s about embracing your natural hair, period. No matter what the texture, It’s your hair!.”
Fuzzy’s final thought to leave BU Naturally supporters with is “Come to our events! You can have curly hair, straight hair, short, long or bald. Open to everybody.” Come learn how to take care of yourself, your hair and encourage self-love and diversity.
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