Harnessing her passion for social justice and commitment to community building, Carleton University graduate, Chidera Onyegbule, applied to the Pathy Foundation Fellowship with an idea to address racial disparities in haircare for Black youth in Ottawa. “As a young Black woman living in Ottawa, I share the lived experiences of racial disparities and discrimination related to Black hair,” Chidera shares. Her initiative, Links to Locs is inspired by her own journey of “overcoming these barriers yet witnessing younger youth and Ottawa newcomers facing the same persistent challenges.”
“I’ve always wanted to know more about how to take care of my hair, maintain it, style it, embrace it, love it, especially in a society that doesn’t always make that easy,” Chidera shares. “My community initiative is centered around Black hair care, most importantly connecting the Ottawa Black community to culturally affirming hair care as well as resources to support their hair care journey.”
Pathy Fellows are supported in designing and implementing an innovative project with a community where they have a meaningful connection. Over the course of one year, Fellows bring their visions to life while benefiting from a rich support network, generous funding, state-of-the-art training, and a committed cohort of likeminded changemakers. “The Black community in Ottawa has been so supportive to me, I have big dreams to create something meaningful to reciprocate that,” Chidera explains.
With a background in Neuroscience and mental health, Chidera’s work focuses on the intersections of mental health and haircare. “For the Black community, hair is culturally rooted, particularly for me as a Nigerian woman,” Chidera explains. “Many hairstylists are not trained in natural Black hair textures because the provincial board does not mandate that training, meaning hair stylists who enter the hair industry to serve the entire population simply cannot serve Black clients.”
Links to Locs works to address racial disparities in Black haircare among youth by providing information on accessing services, knowledge and learning opportunities, and supporting equitable access. “I’m hoping Links to Locs benefits the community by connecting not only clients to professionals but also fosters mentorship and friendship,” Chidera notes.
Recently, Chidera launched the Links to Locs Black Haircare Directory to ease the search for culturally affirming haircare for the Black community. The directory includes Black owned businesses that are trained in caring for natural Black hair textures. “Anybody can use the website free of charge to locate barbers, braiders, loctitians, you name it,” Chidera says. In addition to the directory, Chidera shares tips, tricks, product recommendations, style inspiration, learnings, and updates in the Black haircare industry through social media. “I want Links to Locs to be a place where everybody can come and learn in a non-judgmental space, celebrate themselves, their hair, and who they are,” Chidera explains.
Extending beyond the virtual space and into the community, Links to Locs offered a pop-up Black hair salon at Carleton University with over 15 different local Black-owned hair businesses offering discounted services to students. “It was important for me to provide services at a subsidized rate to make it accessible regardless of circumstances,” Chidera shares. “A lot of people spoke to the importance of having extra visibility for Black hair as it tends to be ignored in the hair industry. Prioritizing Black haircare is a step towards a revolution.”
Chidera’s initiative supports the Black community broadly, but throughout the year she has also had the opportunity to work with specific populations and organizations within the community. Through a partnership with the Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women, Chidera collaborated on a Black haircare drive where Links to Locs fundraised to provide free haircare services and distribute hundreds of haircare products to survivors of gender-based violence. “It’s exciting that people want to be a part of this, it means my passion is the community’s passion too,” Chidera shares.
As a program rooted in youth leadership, the Pathy Fellowship approach emphasizes supported autonomy. Pathy Fellows lead a self-directed initiative while benefiting from a rich support network to equip them with the necessary tools and resources to implement their visions for change. “The Fellowship has been transformational for me, it has given me the opportunity to learn about myself, engage in the community and embody what it means to be a leader, an entrepreneur, a founder, a CEO,” Chidera shares “Being in the driver’s seat is an incredible opportunity. It’s in those spaces that I get to grow more as a leader.”
Beyond the Fellowship, Links to Locs will continue operating in a virtual capacity, share their mission at in-person events, and support others to lead their own community events. In the fall, Chidera will begin her Master of Counselling Psychology at the University of Toronto to continue working at the intersection of mental health and culturally affirming care for the Black community.
For Chidera, success is “knowing that families are able to access culturally affirming care, seeing people smiling, interacting, and being present in the community.” To learn more about Links to Locs, please visit www.linkstolocs.com “Check out our website if you have somebody in your life who is looking for culturally affirming care,” Chidera shares.
To learn more about Chidera’s Pathy Fellowship initiative, or the Pathy Foundation Fellowship, please visit PathyFellowship.com.
