WVU Student Nurses Association (SNA) to host conversation about ethnic hair
Saturday, Feb. 19 from 1 to 3 p.m.
The West Virginia University Student Nurses Association (SNA) will host a conversation about ethnic hair, including hair care and struggles in personal and professional life due to ethnic hair. Attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions and share their experiences. Protective hairstyle demonstrations will also be offered at the event.
The event will be held Saturday, Feb. 19 from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Mountainlair MSU Bluestone Room, as well as online via Zoom.
"This is an important topic because the experiences and care surrounding ethnic hair are different, and so is the way society views it," said Kali Fischer, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) representative on the SNA board. Ateria Walker, a community outreach board member on SNA and the president of WVU Minorities Association of Pre-Healthcare Students (MAPS), is also helping to host the event.
"Because many people do not understand how different hair textures have different needs and cares surrounding it, bias can take place," Fischer said. "Something that is common knowledge to the people who have to maintain their hair is a deficit that some people do not even know they have. It is important to point attention to that blind spot, and to give a voice to the people who have been living in it."
Fischer said the event will be conversational and welcoming for everyone.
"If you have ethnic hair and want to share some things you wish more people know or experiences you have had, this is a good place to talk about it," she said. "It is also a place for someone who has no knowledge base to come in and ask questions and learn something new."
For additional information, contact Kali Fischer at kf0045@mix.wvu.edu.