We made eye contact, this auntie and two nieces with bonnets

bright and bold and regal on their crowns for all to see. They

lowered their heads expecting judgment, and I smiled the biggest

smile I could muster in my 4’11” self to send the message of “I

Love Y’all”, and wherever you are on your way to, may your

bonnets guard you from all people and things that say you are not

good enough just the way your are.
 

Please remember that you have always set the trends and others

insidiously copycat and then pull out their bag of tricks and make

you believe that you are a lie. I’m sure that they have already

showcased a bonnet on a runway in Milan or someone is thinking

about it.
 

May your Bonnets majestically propel you on your journey to

whatever destination your hearts desire. May you know that your

bountiful coils of curls hold stardust DNA that you must protect at

all costs.
 

I can not choose your standard. I can only be your guide, but what

I know deep in my soul is that we have bigger fish to fry than your

Bonnets In The Airport.
 

I need you to know the soul stories that beat through your blood.

I want us to know that Africa lives inside of us.
 

We think in fragments and pieces, but we are way more whole

than our brains can compute. You see despite the horror that

ensued, our ancestors concocted some magical brew that made

the love hang in there like super glue.

 

Colie Aziza published her first children’s book, Corey’s Dreams in 2016 using her pen name Aziza M. Throughout her life’s work, she encourages both adults and young people to always follow their dreams. She is a singer/songwriter from Bronx, New York, based in Maryland.

Learn more at ColieAziza.com.