No, My Kid Doesn’t Have “Good Hair”

And, there’s no need to pinch her nose

Photo by Chayene Rafaela on Unsplash

“Sit still!” It’s been thirty years and those words rock my insides, as if they were aimed at me. I was halfway across the room, watching my cousin’s otherwise light brown skin fill with red blotches along her scalp. With her lips askew and tears welling in her eyes, she cried silently, knowing that our grandmother would hear none of it.