The Afro-comb is not, by any means, a modern development. True, it is a popular item today, recognizable to individuals of all races. For the African-American, though, it represents an artifact full of history. It speaks a story that spans continents and centuries.
I did not choose this material item arbitrarily. I will, with the slightest bit of shame, admit that I did not know where to begin. How does one decide lightly, what object they will choose as representative enough of an entire culture? So where did I begin? Google, of course. I typed into the search engine: "material items significant to African American Culture". Google, in all of its magical glory, returned with a slew information just waiting to be digested. After much consideration, I chose an object whose history seemed to resonate powerfully. The Afro comb is not just a tool that makes some everyday task more efficient. It is not representative of one particular period of time. It captures history, an attitude, a feeling about one's identity as a black individual. Simply put, the Afro Comb seemed too good to pass up.
