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Sunday 10 July 2011

Afro

An afro is a hairstyle in which naturally short, curly black hair is allowed to grow out in a bush around the head. The style became popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s among the African American community. Jimi Hendrix, and members of The Jackson 5 and The Supremes all adorned large afros during that period.

Born on October 9, 1939, Willie Lee Morrow trained as a barber and started his first hair salon in San Diego in 1959. One day a friend brought him a gift from Nigeria: a wooden comb meant to tease out curly hair. Inspired, Morrow created what came to be known as the Afro pick. Longer and thinner than the typical comb, it has loose, thick teeth and is used on Afro-textured hair. 

Afro hairstyles were banned in Tanzania in the 1960s because they were seen as symbols of neocolonialism.

George Jackson was a Black Panther Party member and author who was shot and killed by guards at San Quentin State Prison on August 21, 1971. The guards claimed that Jackson was trying to escape with a pistol hidden in his bushy afro, but there is no evidence to support this claim. Jackson's death was a major turning point in the Black Power movement and led to widespread protests and riots.

Wikipedia

The Notorious B.I.G.'s 1994 Ready to Die album was released with a cover depicting a baby resembling the rapper, though sporting an afro. It pertains to the LP's concept of the artist's life from birth to his death.

Ever wondered who the afro-sporting infant is on the Ready to Die album? It was revealed in 2011 that the tot in question was Bronx-residing Keithroy Yearwood, who only made $150 for the two-hour shoot as a kid. He realized that he was the little boy in the iconic photo when he was about eight years old and saw his picture looming in Times Square.

Wikipedia

Source Songfacts 

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