A 13-year-old Black entrepreneur named Lena Ford has launched the “Embrace Their Roots Campaign.” The program is for African-American foster children and their unique hair needs. Ford teamed up with co-founder/executive director, Tressie Bloodworth-Ford, to form the non-profit Kinship Family Initiative. It is a support network for kinship families developed under the mission of “the power of giving back to your community.”
The “Embrace Their Roots Campaign” highlights an issue Ford is passionate about. According to Kinship Family Initiative’s program page, the campaign’s mission is to bridge the gap between African-American hair products and African-American children in foster care and experiencing homelessness. The goal is to raise awareness, educate caregivers and service providers, and provide resources for proper haircare.
Black Foster Children’s Unique Hair Needs
In 2021 Fosterva collected data showing that 214,421 foster parents in the U.S. were fostering children of all ages. And sadly, African-American foster children’s hair needs are often overlooked due to the lack of understanding of the foster parents.
The campaign focuses on facilitating partnerships with hair care companies to provide resources and products for foster families and homeless shelters. Additionally, they want to create a supportive community that encourages parents to embrace African-American hair culture.
About Lena Ford
Kinship Family Initiative isn’t the only organization that Ford helps run. The 13-year-old is also the CEO of Positively Lena. It is a youth-oriented business that promotes positivity through various products and services. In an interview with Black News, Ford explained the work she does with her second organization.
“I started an initiative called ARTing for You. I collect art supplies and donate them to shelters, foster homes, and transitional homes that help children. I started this business, [Positively Lena] when I was just nine years old, inspired by my desire to spread positivity to everyone I meet,” Ford told Black News.