Community. Communication. Connection.

Last night, after 3 long years, we were finally able to again have our annual gathering and in-person patio chat in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. And what a special evening it was.

As often stated, we view our atelier not as hair salon, but a space that is a ‘salon’ in the true sense of the word. A gathering place, a safe space to share and talk, openly and honestly, and sometimes that means having hard conversations.

We recently discovered that when Dr. King died, though he was only 39 years old, his autopsy revealed he had the heart of a 60 year old. It was evident that there was a clear connection with stress and health, and so this year, we wanted to focus on the cumulative effect that the stress of racism has on both our physical and mental health.

We let the conversation unfold and as it did, we were reminded of how important it is to come together, to communicate and to give each other the opportunity to express our experiences and thoughts freely without judgement or fear. From the challenges of raising young Black boys in racist America, the segregation of LA, to the white washing of wellness and the importance of moisturizing, we discussed it all.

We gathered as a diverse group of open, accomplished and outspoken women, and can truly say that after a lot of real talk, a few tears, and so much laughter, we left with a greater understanding of one another. We are infinitely proud of the space that we have created, and we hope Dr. King would be too.

Please continue to have the hard conversations. Do not be complicit. Be aware of the privileges you may have, along with the biases, and most of all, be kind. Happy MLK Day.

-Kadi + Myka xx