DW McKinney

Black women are the central focus in Ebony Flowers’ collection of graphic short stories, "Hot Comb." Here, Flowers shares her insight on Black women’s relationships, how racism and misogyny shape our hair experiences, and relinquishing self-imposed boundaries on our hair to make room for new life.

Black women are not listened to. Our needs are not met. We are dying because of this ignorance. Medical professionals are operating in an inherently racist system that provides opportunities for subconscious racial biases to pervade.

I used to calm my anxiety by telling myself that my fears were unrealistic, that my family was safe. Then the Austin bombings began.