Before bringing home daughter Autumn as a newborn in October 2014, adoptive mom Jessica had no clue about black hair care. She's not alone: The rise of transracial parenting meaning a child of one racial or ethnic group is placed with adoptive parents of a different racial makeup has exposed an unfortunate knowledge gap that experts say can be emotionally detrimental to the children.
Tamekia Swint is the founder of Styles 4 Kidz, a non-profit salon in Illinois that focuses on textured hair education for transracial adoptive parents and.
A non-profit salon in Oak Park, Illinois is teaching transracial adoptive parents how to take care of Black hair. Tamekia Swint has helped dozens of families since launching Styles 4 Kidz in 2011, providing services such as cornrows, braids and twists. Swint’s salon also provides one-on-one training sessions, online courses and workshops.