Ep. 11: A'Lelia Bundles

Hair! How I Grew It

On today’s show, I interview A’Lelia Bundles. She is African American haircare royalty. I spoke to A’Lelia just days before the 152nd birthday of her great-great-grandmother, Madam C. J. Walker. I’d heard of Madam Walker, the first documented, self-made black millionaire, who built a haircare empire in the early 1900s. What self-respecting black person hasn’t? But, I didn’t know about A’Lelia until my Delta Sigma Theta Sorority sister and Hair! How I Grew It guest, Tamika Felder, suggested I reach out to her. Thank you, Soror! Listen to Hair! How I Grew It episode seven to hear Tamika share her journey back to natural hair, which includes lots of laughs, some lowcountry history and sobering cancer and hair talk. Born in Chicago and raised in Indianapolis, A’Lelia has been natural for most of her life. She is a journalist, historian and Madam C. J. Walker biographer. Even though we’d never met before I contacted her, she didn’t hesitate to say yes to sharing her hair journey, and I am so grateful. So far, Hair! How I Grew It has featured sistahs typically talking about traumatic childhood hair experiences, like hot comb and chemical relaxer burns. A’Lelia didn’t go through any of that. Early on in our conversation, she fondly recalled her mom’s gentle touch. Photo credit: Que Duong