In this episode of Hairitage Talks, Tamekia Swint, Executive Director of Styles 4 Kidz, sits down with Dr. Jenn Noble, licensed psychologist, parent coach, and founder of the Free to Be Collective. Together, they dive into real questions from our community about raising mixed-race and transracially adopted children. Don’t miss this powerful conversation on identity, belonging, and how parents can best support their kids to thrive.

Learn more about Dr. Jenn and the Free to Be Collective: www.freetobecollective.com

 Follow Dr. Jenn on Instagram: @drjennpsych

 Learn more about Styles 4 Kidz: www.styles4kidz.org

 Follow Styles 4 Kidz on Instagram: @styles4kidz

 Support our mission: Donate here

15 YEARS. | $15 A MONTH. | A LIFETIME OF CONFIDENCE.

Celebrate 15 years of Styles 4 Kidz impact by giving $15 a month for 12 months to transform lives!

When you give $15 a month, you're providing:

    A hair care kit for a child in foster care with essential tools

    Support for parents learning to care for their child's textured hair

    Confidence and joy for a child who feels seen and celebrated

Text to Give:15FOR15YEARS or click HERE. 

This episode will highlight the challenges and needs of foster youth in Illinois, featuring a conversation with Christina Wolken of Be Strong Families and Jamika Smith, who are leading youth advocacy efforts in Illinois. The discussion will explore the impact of the youth advisory board, barriers faced by foster youth, and how advocacy is shaping change. A special focus will be placed on hair care, a critical yet often overlooked aspect of identity and well-being for youth, particularly in transracial placements.

It’s Black History Month! In this episode, Tamekia Swint talks with Lanise Antoine Shelley, a transracial adoptee, about her experience with Black History, her connection to it, and the development of identity growing up!

In honor of National Adoption Month, we share two powerful stories of love, healing, identity, and belonging from adoptees Kiante Conger and Tony Parsons. In this very special episode, Kiante and Tony offer heartfelt insights into growing up as part of transracial adoptive families. Together with the show's co-host, Luke Mitchell, transracial adoptee, they explore how their experiences shaped their racial identities and the lasting impact on their lives today. Join us as they discuss the evolving importance of hair care and its cultural significance while also addressing key moments in their lives where they sought emotional support and counseling as adoptees. This conversation provides a rare glimpse into the joys and challenges of navigating life in a transracial adoptive community, both during childhood and as adults. Don’t miss the opportunity to hear their stories firsthand as they reflect on what it means to find identity and belonging in the embrace of family and culture.

In this episode, Tamekia Swint speaks with Alifia Young (Licensed Cosmetologist -An Empowering Educator-Curly-Coily Specialist, K18 Pro Educator) and Danielle Sanders (Licensed Clinical Social Worker - Youth Care) as they explore the historical significance of hair in Black culture, focusing on how European culture has shaped American beauty standards.

Did you know that in Black Culture, the way that you choose to wear your hair serves as a form of cultural identity and self-expression?

They will discuss how American beauty standards and the media's representation of hair, impacts children's self-esteem.

Tamekia Swint speaks with Loyola University's Chicago School of Law, law and social justice professor Anita Weinberg, Jocelyn Fetting, an aspiring intern for the IDCFS Statewide Youth Advisory Board, and Ni'Yuana Baker, intern for the central region of the Illinois Statewide Youth Advisory Board, about the HB 5097 bill. A call to action by the DCFS Statewide Youth Advisory Board to help youth maintain their connection to culture and identity while in foster care through proper hair care.

For more information on the Youth Advisory Board: dcfs.illinois.gov/brighter-futures/independence/ statewide-youth-advisory-board.html

Contact Anita Weinberg at [email protected] to initiate a bill like HB 5097 in your state.

Tamekia Swint speaks with transracial adoptive mom Roxanne Engstrom and Lydia Mercer, an advocate for others in the racial (Un)Learning space, about hair discrimination, racism, and advocacy.

Black hairstyling and its caring methods protect the culture, traditions, and hair protective rights of every Black person who would wear them. - Tamekia Swint

Welcome to Hairitage Talks! In this episode, hosts Tamekia Swint and Luke Mitchell talk with Transracial Adoptees Sisay Girma and Monisha Hendrix about their different experiences growing up in predominately white communities. Watch this episode on YouTube to join the discussion! https://youtu.be/AgQ-kuNt38g Follow @Styles4KidzNFP @mitchbluke @hairitagetalks on Instagram and Facebook

Welcome to Hairitage Talks! In this episode, hosts Tamekia Swint and Luke Mitchell talk with Rhonda Chandler, CEO/Founder of Lovin' The Skin I'm In (Green Bay, WI), about the fears and emotional struggles of transracial/foster kids feeling good, confident, and ready for school.  Watch the episode on YouTube to join the discussion! https://youtu.be/Y-JAsGyQSUQ?si=M-ApmgHw1scD5f5- Follow @Styles4KidzNFP @mitchbluke @hairitagetalks @lovinmyskinwi on Instagram and Facebook

Welcome to Hairitage Talks! In this first episode, Tamekia Swint, Executive Director of Styles 4 Kidz talks with co-host Luke Mitchell about the struggles of growing up in a transracial adoptive family and not fitting in with his Black culture.

Watch the episode on Youtube to join the discussion! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_ckSfRU-gM 

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