In Black Hair + Storytelling as a Form of Social Activism, St. Clair Detrick-Jules will discuss what she’s learned through her almost four-year-long journey photographing and interviewing 101 Black women with natural hair for her photojournalism book, My Beautiful Black Hair: 101 Natural Hair Stories from the Sisterhood, a large-scale visual anthropology exploring the deep, complex relationships across generations between Black women and their hair. Kirkus Reviews calls the book “compelling and inspirational ... a powerful celebration of self-acceptance and sisterhood.” From the impact of historical anti-Blackness in the Dominican Republic to discussions about the politicization of the afro and its relationship to the Black Lives Matter movement, her presentation will challenge students to think about the ways in which they can use hair as an entry-point into other related topics, including (but not limited to) self-love, anti-Blackness, healing from racial trauma, feminism, and community relationships. Lastly, she will offer students a blueprint for using storytelling — whether by speaking up themselves or passing the mic to others — as a form of social activism.