conk

A procedure in which the hair of an african-american boy is straightened through the use of potatoes, lye,vaseline,and soap. It is a mark of passage to adulthood and masculinity, because of the intense pain inherent in the process.

''Damn right, it's hot, thats the lye...it's going to burn when I comb it in--it burns bad...Shorty started combing it in. But then my head caught fire... The comb felt as if it was raking my skin off.''
--Autobiography of MalcolmX--

337👍 112👎