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This weekend, Erykah Badu was the grand marshal of the Natural Hair Parade, which ended with a festival at the Pan-African Connection across from Fair Park. The parade and festival are the efforts of Isis Brantley, who has long been an outspoken defender of African-American identity. She was arrested in 1997 for braiding hair without a license and has used her work as a stylist to talk about larger issues in the community. Erykah Badu was a natural fit to lead this weekend’s festivities because of her own longstanding use of art to elevate broad cultural discussion. And, of course, she is a fashion icon.
This weekend she wore a headdress and thigh-length braids. Here are some of the other styles she’s employed in her hometown recently.
See also: Scenes from the Natural Hair Parade
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Granada Theater, February 26, 2013
Good Records, April 2010
