The afro pick is an undeniable piece of Black culture. Similar combs have existed for thousands of years, found in tombs in Ancient Sudan and Egypt. But in the 1960s, as afros became a symbol of resistance, pride, and identity in Black America, the comb, too, became something else.
After a friend gifted him a traditional comb from Nigeria, barber Willie Lee Morrow fine-tuned wooden and plastic prototypes in the United States. Henry M. Childrey and Samuel H. Bundles are also credited for being the first to patent a rake-style comb.
And in 1972, an Italian businessman added the Black Power fist to a comb for a Black client, just four years after 1968’s Olympic Black Power salute.
That comb became a powerful accessory, symbol of solidarity, and political statement. People let it poke through or stand tall in their ‘fros, making the pick, and themselves, purposefully visible.
By the 80s, everything came full circle. This new comb began being manufactured in Nigeria, forging a bond of unity and communication across the diaspora.
Today, you can find afro picks anywhere, from online shops to your local beauty supply store. But the next time you pick one up, remember that generations of your ancestors have likely held one, too. Oceans away, someone will have the same comb in their hands. And that’s something worth embracing.