Youtube recommendations are something else. It was December 25th, the time was 6pm. I was strolling my Youtube feed, trying to avoid the depressing universe that I created for myself with my 2019 obsession for the UK Brexit, the US impeachment proceedings and France new retirement plans wotlessness. Note that I am doing all of this actively trying to avoid the new disturbing ads featuring cows and humans in “funny” sexual positions and cars crushing watermelons … when I found “Hair Love”.

I must say that I have become somewhat blasé, as positive representations of black women and men from hair to toes have been our business, our motto, our drive for years. I tend to over analyse and criticise the production and I do not get to enjoy it “for real for real”. So I clicked on it, with a sense of duty, bracing myself for mediocre design, whilst happy to get away from these weird depressive videos, which follow me nowadays. It was the best decision of the evening!

“Lawd, I cried! The movie ends on the family going back home and life moving on with the mother recovering has her hair grow back in love and laughter. That hit the spot!”

This story is simple. A little girl is getting ready to pick up her mother from the hospital and has to do her hair. As you do, when you are feeling fancy yet don’t want to use your Afrocks platform (yes, shameless plug), you look for a youtube tutorial and hope for the best. With a full head of hair, our little heroin could not do it herself and asked her dad for help. After much tribulations and lots of love, dad and daughter finally make it to the hospital when we discover that the natural hair youtuber that she was trying to emulate is the little girl’s mom and that she had undergone chemotherapy. Lawd, I cried! The movie ends on the family going back home and life moving on with the mother recovering has her hair grow back in love and laughter. That hit the spot! No parent had to die, yet there was a deep emotional grip, they only showed love and support for each other without it feeling forced like a PSA, the animations and the music were on point… I loved it and looking at the credits, I understood why it made me feel so good.

“I felt like it was 2009 again when I was persuaded that Youtube was going to be wholesome a platform allowing different voices to be heard.”

First, I saw that it was directed and produced by Matthew A. Cherry the Executive Producer, “BlacKkKlansman”. Hmm hmm, good, I nodded, I did enjoy that Spike Lee joint. Strolling down I saw that my girl, Issa Rae, was involved in it, I was like YES! From “The Adventures of an Awkward Black Girl” to “Insecure”, this woman has been consistently creating “normal” content featuring black people for a decade now and I am rooting for anything that she does, even if in our case, she “only” voiced the mother. Further down the credits, I noticed more people that I recognised such as Gabourey Sidibe, Gabrielle Union and Jordan Peele. However, it is when I saw that this was the product of a kickstarter from 2017 that generated $300,000 that I realised that we were in a Wakanda FUBU situation.

A good idea was backed by the people and obviously, when we get the funds to create quality content, we get what we deserve, something wholesome, something interesting and positive. I felt like it was 2009 again when I was persuaded that Youtube was going to be wholesome a platform allowing different voices to be heard, a place where we could understand and respect the differences of the other to become one (soft steups). So yes, create something positive and believe in it, support your black-owned business, support your favourite creators, get on that patreon train, create, support, support and create, be active no matter what you do. Let “Hair love” be an example of what can be done when good people and means get together. Create your own wonderful 2020.

Nuff love from the Afrocks team!