Ready Made

Big Ma, my great grandmother

I have a beautiful cousin named Nickcole who lives in Memphis. She had the pleasure of being raised in a home with our great grandmother. One day, I decided to ask her what was it like. I asked her if she could share with me an important lesson our great grandmother shared with her while being raised by her. She replied in her extreme southern accent, “Ooh, there’s so many. Ok cousin, here is a good one. Big Ma said, stay ready and ain’t gotta get ready.” Upon sharing our great grand mother’s beloved wisdom, that became the mantra of my life. As I continue living, I find myself looking for advice and wisdom to carry me through, motivate me and teach me like my Big Ma’s wisdom did. Blessedly, I am able to do this through conversing with my elders, the youth and reading.

I’ve talked to many, read many books and articles. Of all the people I’ve talked to and things I’ve read, no one has quite motivated and inspired me like the wisdom of my great grandmother like the legendary, Madam C.J. Walker. I was reluctant to becoming a licensed cosmetologist because my hair styling skills were very poor. My creative mind, fingers and concepts just would not mesh together to create all the elaborate hairstyles that makes once successful. Hair styles such as: finger waves, tapered Anita Baker styles, pineapple waves, En’Vogue’s updo’s, Aretha Franklin’s beehives, Beyonce’s hair weaves; you name it, I simply could not master the skills to bring about a fabulous hairstyle. Yet, while working as an outreach worker, people loved my hair. Their love of my hair influenced my decision to actually becoming a licensed cosmetologist. It was during that time I discerned the difference between hair care and a hair style. I deduced hair care is what contributed to what they liked about my hair. I was complimented on the appearance of it, the feel, the length and my scalp. As I investigated the idea of becoming a licensed cosmetologist, who could I turn to for guidance and lessons if I don’t actually know how to create a hair style, but was good at hair care? In the spirit of staying ready, I decided to do a lot of research and then enroll into cosmetology school. During this time, I read about a prominent African American hairstylist out of Boston, Massachusetts named Olive Benson. Olive Benson turned out to be my “Oprah Winfrey” of cosmetology. She had many accomplishments in her life. She helped improve the formula of hair color to create safe permanent coloring options for people with textured hair. She promoted hair care. She created her own line of hair care products. She styled many celebrities. She won many awards and served as a proctor for the American Board of Certified Colorists. She was truly in a lane by herself because she achieved all of this under the guise of trichology. Trichology is the science of scalp and hair. Olive’s stance on all great hair styles and hair coloring was healthy scalp and hair.

Ms. Olive Lee Benson

Fate would have it, the first year of me becoming a licensed cosmetologist, I had the opportunity to actually meet Ms. Benson. It was via one her customers who needed a hairstyle while visiting Cleveland.  She was a Boston news anchor woman named, Karen Holmes. Karen received compliments on my hairstyle from viewers and her hairstylist (unbeknownst to me), Olive Benson! Olive asked Karen if she could have my number to which she obliged. The day I got the phone call was like any other. The phone rang, I said, “Hello.” She introduced herself as Karen’s hairstylist. We talked literally for almost 30 minutes. We discovered we had much in common. There I was wanting to become a great hairstylist and she wanted to become a great social worker. Then via mid-sentence, she excused herself for not telling me her name. I replied, “Oh yeah, what is your name?” She replied, “My name is Olive Benson.” I immediately started crying. There was nothing I could say or do, but cry. How could that be? I’d patterned my entire career; even my hair color pattern after her. I did everything like Olive Benson, except roller set hair. It was my ability to blow dry hair safely that prompted her to call me because she admittingly was not a fan of blow dryers. She wanted to compliment me and invite me to meet her and share with her how I blow dried hair so effectively. During the conversation, I could feel my Big Ma’s energy of “stay ready and ain’t gotta get ready,” emanate from the ethers around me and the phone call. During this conversation, I asked Ms. Benson who inspired her. She replied, Madam C.J. Walker. “Oh, the lady who invented the straightening comb?” She suggested I do more reading about Madam C.J. Walker and to come visit her after I completed my research. 

Eager to meet her and learn more about Madame C.J. Walker, I ended up getting the facts in the form of a book that was gifted to me from a customer who new I was serious about my Madam C.J. Walker research so I could meet Ms. Benson. This was before the internet. So, when I got that book, I screamed with excitement. The book was titled, On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker by A’Lelia Bundles. Ms. Bundles is the great-great granddaughter of Madam C.J. Walker. It was truly a magnificent read. The book was drop dead interesting with facts about her humble beginnings, her struggles, her accomplishments, her family, her ability to build an empire, earn millions and shockingly the fact that she did not invent the straightening comb! I recall calling Olive Benson almost one year later with my research. I had to retract my statement. I was able to visit Olive Benson. We became good friends. I got a chance to be personally trained by her on her famous roller sets. She shared with me some of her secrets and more. She was most extremely proud that I did my research on Madam C.J. Walker. She introduced me to hair coloring and required that I become a Master Colorist to inspire other African American cosmetologists to become one as well. She mentored me to her last days. I was devastated by her passing. Currently, I’ve worked in the industry for 20 years and that was the only day, I simply could not come in.

Self Made: March 20th, Netflix

Ironically in June of 2020, I will have been in business working as a salon owner and cosmetologist for 20 years. And this month on March 20^th, Netflix will be airing a mini-series titled, Self-Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker. This mini-series is inspired by the book On Her Own Ground, again, written by her great-great granddaughter. NBA star LeBron James collaborated with a few of Hollywood’s heavy hitters to produce this series with a star-studded cast. In my lifetime of meeting fascinating people and reading fascinating books, I believe Madam C.J. Walker was the readiest made for her purpose and passion. She has impacted and influenced the entire beauty industry beyond measure. From homemade to door to door sales, to education, patents, image, determination, business and the newly enacted C.R.O.W.N Act legislation of 2019; this woman prevails as the greatest of all times. Her contributions and standards are being lived out as you read this blog. Her legacy of being self-made on her grounds is the epitome of the wise words of by Big Ma as shared with me by my cousin, “Stay ready and ain’t gotta get ready.”