October 13, 2023

When Jodi Henderson was first assigned a youth to advocate for back in April, she remembers the teenager wore braids. One day, when the girl undid her braids to wash her hair, Henderson went to the supply closet to get some shampoo. She noticed, however, that there weren’t many products in the closet that were specifically for girls of color. It gave her an idea. 

Henderson proposed a donation drive in the community surrounding our girls home on Chicago’s South Side to increase the number and variety of natural hair products available to our young people.

Henderson titled the project “Permanent Crown” because a person’s hair is always a part of their identity regardless of the style, length, or cut. And she wanted to make sure that it was something that the girls knew Mercy Home valued.

“[I just wanted to make sure] that their hair is beautiful and that their hair is taken care of,” Henderson said. “And that [they know] it matters to us and [that we know] it matters to them.”

With the help of Amy Schultz, who leads our girls home, Henderson organized the program to solicit donations of hair products and got the word out.

“I said that this would be a great way for the community to get involved and give back to the youth that are here,” Henderson said. 

She was right. On August 1, people from around the area began dropping products in a bin at the girls home. Henderson isn’t sure who donated what because the bin would fill up with new items every day. 

“We got so much stuff,” Henderson said. “I was so, so happy with the way that it turned out because I know that it’s something that is needed.”

Henderson is hopeful that these products last a long time, but she also wants to continue this project annually.

“Being a Black woman and having Black and Brown youth in my program specifically, it’s important to instill that your hair is not who you are, but it’s definitely an extension of who you are,” she said. “[You should] always be proud of it because your hair is beautiful. You just need the right products to deal with it. And [that will show them] that it matters to us.”

Thank you to Jodi Henderson for her hard work and to the community for responding so generously.