400 years without A Comb Exhibit at the City Building in Downtown San Diego

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

San Diego, CA (February 11, 2010) – City of San Diego City Council Building main lobby: 400 Years without A Comb: Celebrating four centuries of African American Beauty (1500-2000). This historical exhibition opens on Tuesday, February 16, 2010 and exhibits through Friday, February 26, 2010. There will be a reception on Friday February 19th 2010, from 3:00p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The City Building is located in the center of the Downtown San Diego, 202 C St.

"Hair and history are intertwined for African Americans like they are for no other people," said Willie Morrow, exhibition curator and founder. 400 hundred years of African American beauty come to life in this historical exhibition. The exhibit offers a rare look into and examination of African American hair care since 1900 and celebrates major figures in African American hair care history. It explains the evolution of beauty salons and barbershops and the development of African American hair care products. At the heart of the exhibition is the Morrow family's important "400 Years Without a Comb" Book and Documentary. It was written by Dr. Willie L. Morrow over thirty years ago.

The Morrow collection brings to life the social, cultural and spiritual aspect of African American beauty. The exhibition showcases rare African American beauty and hair care artifacts, memorabilia, archival photographs and fine art. The collection also features a display of plantation beauty practices, barbering tools, black hair treatments and one-of-a-kind artifacts documenting the historical evolution of African American hair care in America.

The collection is supplemented by rare product advertising and packaging, black women "firsts" on magazine covers and in corporate advertising, original fine artworks by famous San Diego artist Albert Fennell, Charles D. Rucker, Jean Cromwell and the late Jerry Logans.

The exhibition is organized into 4 sections:

• Section 1 examines 17th and 18th century plantation beauty practices and the beginning of African American efforts to identify with American standards of beauty.
• Section 2 talks about early 20th century beauty industry builders. It celebrates the personalities and legacies of the women, who pioneered the Black hair Care industry, including: Madame Annie Malone
  (1869-1957), Madame C.J. Walker (1867-1919) and Marjorie Joyner (1896-1994). The plantations of America bred the original thoughts and feelings of how African Americans feel about their appearance.
• Section 3 tells the story of the early 20th Century Barber Shop. The earliest barber was known as "the shade tree barber". The evolution of the barbershop and the role it played in Black communities is traced and documented. The African American barbershop is legendary, as the “Black man’s Country Club.” The legendary lives of famous barbers and the elegance of these men were amazing. The haircuts and styles worn by different branches of society are visually explored, including the KONK, quo Vadis and the Baldee.
• Section 4 reveals the economic Boom! of the beauty business in the mid 20th century. This section discusses the product line success of black hair care companies and the commercial success of black beauty. These commercial successes lead the way to an economic miracle for a few African Americans. It produced successful black hair care companies like Ultra Sheen. Black hair care products became a huge national economic force after the success of the "Curl".
• Section 5 explains San Diego is the home of the Afro or natural hair movement. In the 1960’s and 70’s, African Americans used hair to make political and social statements. During this time, natural African American hair became politically and socially accepted. This section highlights Dr. Morrow’s wood carving ingenuity and the history of the Afro comb and the most influential natural Afro hairstyles: for instance, cornrows, Afros and dreadlocks.

African American hair expert Dr. Willie L. Morrow is the author of the 1973 book and film "400 Years Without A Comb." He has researched and discovered over 100 hair-related patents and innovative black hair care formulas. As a scientist and innovator, Dr. Morrow has written more than 20 books on the subject of African American beauty and is well known worldwide for the commercialization of the first afro-pic comb, the blow-dry nozzle and the "curl." Dr. Morrow is the president of California Curl in San Diego, California.

Contact:

Willie Morrow
San Diego Monitor News/California Curl
3570 Olive St.
Lemon Grove, San Diego , CA 91945
(619) 668-1007

Public Relations and Press Contact:

Cheryl Morrow
3570 Olive St .
Lemon Grove, CA 91945
(619) 668-1007