TAMIAH BRIDGETT, SECOND FROM LEFT. (PHOTOS BY J.L. MARTELLO)
Tamiah Bridgett recalls 12 years ago, when there were about a dozen or so women who would meet in each other’s homes, discussing the importance of a Black woman’s natural hair and natural hair education.
Of course, the women had fun, too, discussing the ups and downs that life brings.
Today, the uniquely-titled “It’s a Natural Thang” hair meet up has outgrown those living rooms and dens, and on Aug. 7, the event was held at the spacious Heinz History Center. Hundreds of people, including Black men, met with various Pittsburgh-based vendors and heard from Bridgett on a number of topics, including information on how to get a U.S. patent. Bridgett holds a patent for a blow drying tool that’s specifically created for coily hair.
“Natural hair has not been demonstrated in the culture as being something worthy of celebration,” Bridgett told the New Pittsburgh Courier, “and so we started to do that out loud years ago, and this is just a carrying on of the tradition.”
TAMIAH BRIDGETT TEACHES A CLASS ON NATURAL HAIR AT THE AUGUST 2022 EVENT.
Bridgett grew up in Garfield and attended Oliver High School’s law and public service magnet program. After graduating from Oliver, she earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Carlow University, and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Pittsburgh. She’s been a licensed natural hair stylist for more than 20 years.
Bridgett said over the years, she’s been excited to see how some Black women returned to their natural hair “after never knowing it or not seeing it since they were little girls.”
And Black men have been in support of the movement, too, Bridgett said, as “locks” have become more popular for them.
VENDOR—TAMMY WASHINGTON FROM THE SMG LADY, LLC (SEA MOSS GEL)
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