One of the things I truly enjoy about living in the Greater Toronto Area are all the interesting events that you can get involved in. I grew up in Montreal, which is a very different beast. I hope that things have changed in that city… but I digress. Today, I wanted to let you know about a couple of events that are happening in Toronto in the next few weeks. If you’re interested in beauty, self-image, media images of people of colour, etc., you’ll enjoy these events.

Book launch – The Politics of Black Hair by Althea Prince: November 20

A Different Booklist is hosting the launch of Althea Prince’s The Politics of Black Hair on November 20. This is what Ms. Prince’s publisher writes about the book:

From furious debate on the Web about Michelle Obama’s straightened hair to keen interest in model Tyra Banks’s revelation of the hair she usually hides under wigs and weaves, Black women’s hair has taken a prime place on the pop cultural agenda. More than just a fashion statement, a Black woman’s choice of hairstyle can reflect her self-image, childhood experiences, and personal beliefs as well.

Using interviews, memoirs, and personal essays, this book sensitively charts Black women’s journeys with their hair: how it is perceived, judged, and graded on the yardstick of mainstream society’s standards of beauty. Women from Canada, the United States, Britain, and the Caribbean discuss their lives through the medium of their hair. Unhappy childhood struggles with the comb, adolescent experiments with identity through hair, and adult decisions for or against “natural” hair are all expressed with honesty, some wry humour, and the poignant realization that hair can be another social battlefield.

Sounds pretty interesting. I can’t make it out, but you can find event details here if you’re thinking of checking it out. 

BP Uncensored – Real Beauty: December 6

The Ladies of Black Pearls are putting on their first BP Uncensored event in partnership with The University of Toronto’s Black Alumni Association. As the title of the event says, the group will be discussing real beauty, what it means to the Black community, how it’s portrayed in the media and more.

Black Pearls Community Services Inc. is a not-for-profit organization that is committed to the advancement, development and education of the Black, West Indian and African community and the community at large in the Greater Toronto Area. Black Pearls produces community service programs focusing primarily, but not exclusively, on socioeconomic and academic concerns for Black women and girls.

I highlighted this event on The Accidental Natural a week or so ago.  It’s gonna be a good one and I encourage you to come out. I will be there — I volunteer with Black Pearls — and I hope that I’ll see some of you out. Here are the details:

Date: December 6, 2009

Time: 3:00pm – 5:00pm

Location: J. Robert S. Prichard Alumni House, University of Toronto, St. George Campus, 21 King’s College Circle, Toronto, ON

Price: Free

RSVP by November 27 to info@black-pearls.org

Have a happy Thursday evening!