Here at The Tease, we are passionate about making an impact on the beauty industry. To tell stories of Diversity, Inclusion, Texture, Gender, Equality, mental health identity, or cultural background. This mission led us to an amazing relationship with Keya Neal and the Texture Vs Race Summit.
This year we were honored to be selected as the official media partner of Texture Vs Race. To start this journey we sat down with Keya to talk to her about how this summit got started and what we can expect at this year’s event.
A stylist with over 28 years of experience, whose passion for color and texture is unmatched, Keya Neal leads a national revolution breaking textural boundaries that have long separated those in the hair industry. Keya’s passion for hair color and education led to the conception of Kolour Kulture, an educational resource for stylists who are particularly interested in the science of hair color and how it interacts with various hair textures. Keya launched her cornerstone education series “Texture vs Race” at The Energizing Summit hosted by the American Board of Certified Hair Colorist (ABCH), which has since become a nationwide movement with a summit of its very own. Texture Vs Race has amassed the support of top industry influences, including but not limited to the American Board of Certified Hair Colorists.
Through the evolution of Texture vs Race and her REPAIRations movement, Keya is at the helm of the salon industry’s diversity and inclusion movement, encouraging “uncomfortable” conversations surrounding race and hair texture. Now, Keya acts as a color educator, texture expert, and DEI consultant, working to create a more inclusive and understanding industry.
The fourth annual Texture VS Race Summit tackles the salon industry’s long-standing textural discrimination and favoritism towards straight hair through hands-on education and anti-racism coaching. Each year, hopeful stylists graduate from beauty school with a standardized education that leaves them wholly unprepared and undereducated to serve a rapidly diversifying clientele. The Texture VS Race Summit, hosted by salon industry DEI consultant and color educator Keya Neal, offers education on cutting, coloring, and styling all hair textures.
“And talk about the social aspect of why we’re segregated. How did we get here, why do we stay here and what do we do to get out of it.”
“Now I’m just in the ocean, just doing my thing, and here goes this huge wave that just lifts Texture Vs Race up. So when people say, I had never heard of you, like they don’t understand that we were already there. It was the rising tide that lifted the ship because we were already in position.”
“Texture Vs Race stands in the space of we create safe conversation, we facilitate conversations. We continue to have classes. We continue to offer education for people who want to learn how to do textures they are not familiar with and we are not beholding to just one person learning how to do this fabric. We are attacking all fabrics and we are changing and evolving all curriculum to be inclusive.”
“But the second day is when we get hands in, hands-on, heart in. Right? Minds change. This is where we bring fabric and community together. This is where we open your mind, we change your heart and we move your hands and in that order.”
Listen to the full episode here or wherever you stream and head over to our Instagrams @Readthetease and @volumeupbythetease.
