The Black Cultural Center was abuzz with the sound of trimmers and chatter about haircare at its third annual Black Hair Expo on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. Ava Francis, program manager of the Black Cultural Center, said she was inspired to create the expo when she noticed a lack of accessible textured hair care products around DePaul’s campus.
“I decided it would be great to bring in haircare professionals as well as go and buy haircare products that can be brought to the center so that students can come and experience what it’s like to be in a beauty supply store,” Francis said.
The center collaborated with barbers and hairstylists from ClipDart, an organization that provides haircare services to communities in need. Deandre Ermon, a barber who cuts hair in the south suburbs and northwest Indiana, works with ClipDart and volunteered at the event.
“Everybody deserves to look good,” he said.
DePaul junior Stephen Rothchild said that, on top of the bonus of a free haircut, he also wanted to learn more about which products are best to use for his hair texture.
“If you don’t grow up learning that stuff, you just really don’t know,” Rothchild said. “So I thought it was a great event for that.”
Sophomore Kennedy West said her hair is a crucial part of her identity, noting that she always wears part of her hair in a dreadlock to maintain a natural element of it, regardless of outside pressures to change her style.
“I would just say stay true to what is natural to you,” West said. “You don’t have to conform.”
DePaul alum Christine Augustine, a licensed professional counselor, facilitated a group discussion about haircare, self-expression and mental health at the expo.
“Beauty products are just meant to enhance what you have,” Augustine said. “And so what’s important is that you are rooted in who you are and that you discover more about yourself and just learn about what works for your lifestyle.”
Francis hopes to host another hair expo in the fall.
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