You Need to Know

Nerissa "Queeny" Hope

 I have been wanting to interview her for sometime. We all know of her famous daughter, well I wanted to know where she got that great self-esteem and pride from. You know it all starts from somewhere. Just as I imagined, she "gets it from her mamma."  Nerissa is named after her mother, and the woman known  as Queeny is rich with wisdom, and knowledge. She isn't afraid to share it, and she is doing a great job instilling that same since of self-esteem and confidence in her other younger daughters as well. The whole family rocks locs! So read on as she talks to us about raising our daughters to have pride, self-esteem, and a sense of "self."
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I have been locing my hair for 25yrs long. My decision was spiritually and culturally motivated. I have never cut my hair. The thought may have crossed my mind maybe once or twice but I have no desire to cut my hair. My hair represents what I stand for (living 99% to 100% natural). Yes I use products on my locs and my children's locs. I try to use products that are s close to natural as possible. I prefer liquid oil blends containing olive oil & coconut oil on my scalp and a oil spray with the same ingredients for my locs.

The name of my catering business is HOPE GARDENS FOOD FOR LIFE "EVERYTING ORGANIC". I specialize in vegan/ vegetarian food. My mission is to promote an healthy way of eating. I cater to people who eat healthy. I am in Miami and you can contact me on my Facebook fan page HOPE GARDENS FOOD FOR LIFE or 7864547992.


As parents we have to understand the difference between feeding a child's belly and feeding their spirit. I feed my children spirit with love; love opens the doors to self-esteem, confidence, creativity, imagination and self-respect. It's about teaching by example, I made a conscious effort to live live naturally and love my natural beauty. I am a born again Ethiopian/kushite, I never always new this but when I became conscious of it I love myself even more. It is this consciousness & awareness that I impart unto my children that make naturally beautiful and love themselves.

This as been our way of life for so long that grooming comes naturally. Everyone except for my 4 & 2 yrs old do their own grooming. I groom their locs until they indicate that they are able to do it on their own, (I have to make an appointment with my 4 years old, he can be a riot when getting his locs groomed), lol.

It's sad to say but the problem of lack of self-esteem, self love and the practice of living naturally goes back to who your parents is or was. Whatever you want your children to be, you have to be the best example of it; so be full of esteem, love yourself and live naturally (don't fake it, they will know).

Let's not make the same mistake twice. Don't allow society to dictate your African beauty as our mothers before us did. They didn't know then what we know now. We know today that the use of chemicals and other unnatural products can destroy brain cells which eventually leads to other medical problems. So as you ponder the decision to loc or not to loc focus on the health and wellness of your children and not society. I have resisted society for 25 yrs strong and have succeeded in raising a naturally beautiful young woman; who will continue to succeed because she naturally knows who she is and not what society want her to be.


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Profound information indeed. Thank you Nerissa for sharing your insight on rearing grounded, productive, and proud children!
 
Stay Blessed & Happy Locing!