Member Tamekia Swint
MemberDetails
| First Name | Tamekia |
| Last Name | Swint |
| Nickname | tamekia-swint-swint |
| Title | Executive Director |
| Organization | Styles 4 Kidz NFP |
| Who I am | I am a wife, mom, non-profit founder, and serial entrepreneur who loves life! My passion for hair and children drives my work, and what I love most about it is that it doesn’t feel like work. As a visionary coaching leader, I love helping others become their best version. I love watching others grow and encouraging them to follow and accomplish their dreams. People would describe me as charismatic, a socialite who includes others and has many friends. I love meeting new people and hearing their stories. I value freedom and justice and love advocating for those who can’t or don’t advocate for themselves. I am doing my part to empower others and lead in an ever-changing world! In 2013, I was diagnosed with MS and have been fighting the disease with courage and resilience to let others know that they can lead beyond their medical diagnosis. |
| My Experience | Styles 4 Girlz was born in my heart after teaching a hair braiding class to a youth group at an English Language learning camp in Poland in the summer of 2006 on a missions trip. After hearing two words, “kids” and “hair,” I returned to the U.S. and began building a hair braiding business for kids on the side of my full-time insurance job. After a few years, I met a transracial adoptive mom of two African-American girls who struggled with the day-to-day management of their hair. Upon helping her, she introduced me to a community of transracial adoptive families and foster kids living in group homes who also needed help with their hair. My passion for hair led to the creation of Styles For Girlz in 2010. It helped kids in group homes get hair care, and transracial adoptive, foster, and bi-racial families get education and services to learn how to manage their girls’ textured hair. After expanding the services to include boys, the name was changed to Styles For Kidz (2017), aka Styles 4 Kidz (2018). I am passionate about hair care and was determined to create a way for kids to get the care they need from stylists who give “Hair Care with Heart” every day. I am committed to leading the cause that helps kids get textured hair care in communities that need it most. “I’m a natural hair stylist passionate about education and healthy hair for our kids. It is vital, and I’m committed to telling the world about it and raising support so that kids get what they need to build healthy self-esteem and confidence worldwide.” Styles 4 Kidz (S4K) operates two programs:
I am a Southside Chicago native who received my B.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and my MBA from National-Louis University in Chicago. I have over 25 years of professional experience in the natural hair industry. In addition to being the full-time Executive Director of S4K, I love spending time with my family; I love to cook, teach wellness classes, read, write, and travel in my spare time. I am most proud of the opportunities I’ve had to share the work and mission of Styles 4 Kidz on Windy City Live, Good Morning America, 60 Second Docs, BET Online, Chicago Tribune, Fox 32 & WGN News, Essence Online, ABC’s Localish, CBS, CNN’s Great Big Story, & O Magazine’s Nov 2019-Living Your Best Life Section. I accomplished a childhood dream when I became a published author of the children’s book, “Your Hair is Your Crown,” in 2020. The light-hearted, educational, beautifully illustrated book is a page-by-page reflection of the ages and stages of hair throughout a kid’s life and into adulthood. “In Black culture, hair unfolds who you are to the world, and it is a form of self-expression. ‘Your Hair is Your Crown’ implants a positive message into children’s minds about their hair and its importance from birth through old age.” |