11-02-2025
Rockford cosmetology students share meaning behind African hair braiding
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Local cosmetology students said hair braiding is more than just a style; it's a way to symbolize their past.
Genexis Diaz knew from a young age that she wanted to get into hair braiding. Her mom attended beauty school at Rockford's Tricoci University of Beauty Culture and Diaz said she always wanted to follow in her footsteps.
'I definitely remember being a little girl playing with a little pony and learning how to do my first official braid,' Diaz said. 'I feel like that's really where my journey started with braiding.'
Diaz is now also a student at Tricoci. Her mom focused on makeup, but Diaz went the hair route and is specializing in African hair braiding.
Diaz said she thinks braiding connects people together.
'You can see it as just a normal regular hairstyle or [with] such a deep meaning to it,' Diaz said. 'It doesn't have to be all about your job or where you're from or where you live. You can conjoin and be one a whole lovely community just with beauty.'
Tempest Burks Golden is an Admissions Advisor for the university and explains how braiding began centuries ago.
'They would put different maps in there, so it would actually be a way for them to be free from enslavement,' Burks Golden said. 'Each tribe had their own type of braids, so it identified if you were married, if you were single, your kind of status, and what you had by the braiding of your hair.'
Burks Golden said she believes understanding someone else's culture is crucial to coming together as a community.
'It's always important to know somebody else's history to understand them better,' Burks Golden said. 'You have a different background; I may have a different background but understanding [them] is how we are able to bridge that gap.'
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