Author: KOKO NSOUGAN

For my video pitch, I’m thinking of interviewing a chef or visiting a local deli about the changes they’ve made in their business due to the reopening of the economy.

Covid’s Impact on an African Hair Salon

HOST INTRO:  As the pandemic is drawing to an end, some people are parting ways with salons and learning to style and care for their own hair. Others are seeking assistance for the result of their ‘pandemic hair.’ Koko Nsougan spoke to one New York hairstylist about how this cultural shift has affected her job.

AMBI: Nat sounds of scissor sniping / Grace directing a client to the restroom (FADE DOWN AS TRACK BEGINS)

TRACK: I’m here with Grace Nunekpeku at the African Traditional House salon, located in, Jamaica, Queens,  as she weaves an extension into a client’s hair. Grace, 23, is a student at Pace University. When she’s not doing schoolwork, she’s styling people’s hair, something that runs in her family.

ACT: GRACE: My sister owned a salon when we lived back home in Africa so I learned there and I liked it. So, when I came here I didn’t really like working for people, but I realized that with braiding I have to learn to work for myself. 

TRACK: She finds the hair fulfilling.

ACT:GRACE: I like the end result and how satisfied the client is.

TRACK: But, the pandemic forced many people to learn how to do their own hair. 

ACT: GRACE: A lot of people didn’t get the chance to get their hair done throughout the pandemic so when everything opened back up, it was kinda busy. Everybody wanted to get their hair done.

TRACK: But, not every woman of color has returned to get their hair braided. Most switched over to YouTube to learn how to not only braid their hair but also install wigs. Wigs have grown in popularity as people now desire to express their individuality through their hairstyles. Dee Ornella, social media and Youtuber influencer tells me why she hopped on the trend.

ACT: DEE ORNELLA: Well, I’d rather wear wigs because it’s less painful than wearing wigs. With the wigs, I can always change the style of it. I could put it straight, I could put some crimps in it. I can cut it, I can dye it to a different color. I could do basically whatever I want to do with it.

TRACK: Despite this growing trend in wigs, Grace feels it hasn’t hit the hair braiding industry yet.

ACT:GRACE: Honestly, I feel like it doesn’t really matter. I feel like It’s not everyone that wears wigs all throughout the year so even though I feel like it’s a business that’s still picking up, I feel like it’s not affecting the braiding business that much now. Maybe in the future, it might. I don’t see the big difference.

TRACK:  Wigs are the least of her worries. She says some people are less willing to pay for something they figured out how to do for themselves during the past year and a half. 

ACT: GRACE: It kind of has to do with saving money If I think about it. As someone that can do their own hair, it’s beneficial because you don’t have to sit for a certain amount of hours.

TRACK: While some salons are experiencing a drop in customer retention because of Covid, the African Traditional House salon and hair braiding industry has not been touched by this. According to NPD, hair care products witnessed significant sales growth in the United States between February and March 2020 due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and salon closures. Top performing products included hair masks, hair detanglers,  and other hair treatments, which both experienced sales gains of 30% in the period. Grace says these home hair sales spikes have made her work progress more efficient.

 ACT: GRACE: It kind of helped out too, in a way, when it comes to them coming in now to get their hair braided. It’s not everyone that knows how to detangle their hair or like blow-dry their hair or take care of their hair to make sure they don’t have split ends. It was a little bit easier for us to get the work done. Just to get straight to what needed to be done.

TRACK: Black women’s appearance often comes under scrutiny, so consistency in hair appointments can allow them to present themselves authentically. Jazz, a regular, tells me why she keeps coming back.

ACT: JAZZ: I like to come here because they’re friendly and do great hairstyles.

TRACK: As an alternative between wigs and weaves, micro links are now being promoted by the black hair community. For Baruch College, I’m Koko Nsougan

Host Intro: With students across the globe returning back to classes,  Koko N’sougan spoke with Cristine Trimarco, a CUNY journalism student, about her favorite pastimes.

 

TRACK: I’m here with Cristine Triamarco in our JRN 3510 class, located at the vertical campus, while she props up in her seat. Cristine is a journalism major and is still undecided about her minor. One thing she enjoys is photography.

 

ACT: CRISTINE: I’m a journalism major and I haven’t chosen my minor yet. I got into photography at the age of like 11 or 12.

 

TRACK: While photography is her favorite hobby, she also does art and writing.

 

ACT: CRISTINE: Which leads me to my favorite hobbies, which are photography, art, and writing. Any type of art.

 

TRACK: Cristine offers some advice to others who are starting out in the field of photography.

 

ACT:CRISTINE: Take any opportunity you can get. Don’t shut anything down. Don’t shut any criticism because it’s important to grow.

 

TRACK: Cristine explains how she got into photography then discusses a photography course she took at Borough of Manhattan Community College, or BMCC.

 

ACT: CRISTINE: At first I was self-taught until I got to BMCC. I had my first photography class.

 

TRACK: She discusses her Instagram, where she posts her photos and mentions her portfolio.

 

ACT:CRISTINE: Yes, I do use social media to share my photos. I have an Instagram and also a portfolio on a site called 500 px.com

 

TRACK: Photography can be both exciting and challenging at times. Cristine lets me in with her most memorable photo of Colbie Caillat, as well as her worst, which was overexposed.

 

ACT:CRISTINE: The best picture I’ve taken. I’m not sure. But most notable, probably of Colbie Caillat, at one of her concerts. My worst would be when I wasn’t really good with settings, and there was overexposure, during a maternity shoot for my friend from high school. I just couldn’t save the photo. It would have been really cute, but it was garbage. I have since learned.

 

TRACK: Cristine, like most people with a great love for art, sees herself in the field of photography in a few years.

ACT:CRISTINE: In a few years, I hope to become a photojournalist somewhere. Just out in the field doing interviews. Anything in journalism and photography, I hope to be doing that. And, being paid for it.

 

TRACK: She expresses her thoughts on journalists who manipulate their photographs in order to stand out.

 

ACT: CRISTINE: Well ethically, you are not supposed to do that. You can get fired from the publication you’re working with and I’ve never manipulated my photos. Not once. Edit it in lightroom, but never photoshop.

 

TRACK: Cristine loves snapping photos regardless of what device she is on.

 

ACT: CRISTINE: I guess I take photos weekly. Whether it’s on my camera or on my phone. I’m always taking photos.

 

TRACK: Cristine Trimarco will continue fulfilling her passion by capturing memorable moments. For Baruch College, I’m Koko Nsougan.

 

Host Intro: With students across the globe returning back to classes,  Koko N’sougan spoke with Cristine Trimarco, a CUNY journalism student, about her favorite pastimes.

TRACK: I’m here with Cristine Triamarco in our JRN 3510 class, located at the vertical campus, while she props up in her seat. Cristine is a journalism major and is still undecided about her minor. One thing she enjoys is photography.

ACT: CRISTINE: I’m a journalism major and I haven’t chosen my minor yet. I got into photography at the age of like 11 or 12.

TRACK: While photography is her favorite hobby, she also does art and writing.

ACT: CRISTINE: Which leads me to my favorite hobbies, which are photography, art, and writing. Any type of art.

TRACK: Cristine offers some advice to others who are starting out in the field of photography.

ACT:CRISTINE: Take any opportunity you can get. Don’t shut anything down. Don’t shut any criticism because it’s important to grow.

TRACK: Cristine explains how she got into photography then discusses a photography course she took at Borough of Manhattan Community College, or BMCC.

ACT: CRISTINE: At first I was self-taught until I got to BMCC. I had my first photography class.

TRACK: She discusses her Instagram, where she posts her photos and mentions her portfolio.

ACT:CRISTINE: Yes, I do use social media to share my photos. I have an Instagram and also a portfolio on a site called 500 px.com

TRACK: Photography can be both exciting and challenging at times. Cristine lets me in on her most memorable photo of Colbie Caillat, as well as her worst, which was overexposed.

ACT:CRISTINE: The best picture I’ve taken. I’m not sure. But most notable, probably of Colbie Caillat, at one of her concerts. My worst would be when I wasn’t really good with settings, and there was overexposure, during a maternity shoot for my friend from high school. I just couldn’t save the photo. It would have been really cute, but it was garbage. I have since learned.

TRACK: Cristine, like most people with a great love for art, sees herself in the field of photography in a few years.

ACT:CRISTINE: In a few years, I hope to become a photojournalist somewhere. Just out in the field doing interviews. Anything in journalism and photography. I hope to be doing that and being paid for it.

TRACK: Cristine adds her voice to the public discussion over photojournalists who heavily manipulate their images in order to stand out.

ACT: CRISTINE: Well, ethically, you are not supposed to do that. You can get fired from the publication you’re working with and I’ve never manipulated my photos. Not once. Edit it in lightroom, but never photoshop.

TRACK: Cristine loves snapping photos regardless of what device she is on.

ACT: CRISTINE: I guess I take photos weekly. Whether it’s on my camera or on my phone. I’m always taking photos.

TRACK: Cristine Trimarco will continue fulfilling her passion by capturing memorable moments. For Baruch College, I’m Koko Nsougan.

I chose to participate in the online session titled “Fighting Misinformation Using Attribution And Provenance.” It was a very enjoyable, interesting, and educational experience. When I first saw Santiago Lyon, a well-known photographer, on my screen, I was taken aback. I had never heard of him before, but he piqued my interest when he shared some of his incredible photographs and discussed his role at Adobe. Lyon advised, among other things, to “build some level of trust with people,” “don’t just sneak up on them,” and that “bolstering trust in the media is super important.” Then he delved into the history of journalism, using some of his photographs to show how journalists began with photo transmitters and how technology evolved. Lyon mentioned that there was once an exalted status associated with journalism, which gradually dwindled over time as journalists began to be targeted. Lyon then shifted gears to inform us about how many journalists are heavily manipulating their content to gain attention. He talked about how his employees were fired for that reason. I learned about the four ways to fight misinformation: provenance, detection, legislation, and education. To conclude the session, Lyon demonstrated how he could easily detect a manipulated picture. He scrolled through Instagram and found a picture of a white pyramid in Egypt, then used a program to undo all the edits/ manipulation the original photographer did. I found that very interesting!

For my radio pitch, I would like to either interview one of the MTA’s top executives and get their back story or interview a Nyc DJ about his roots, and how the pandemic has affected his career.

https://medium.com/@Koko.N/the-pandemics-thrash-on-a-physical-therapy-facility-d5bf39ebcc?source=friends_link&sk=78d311191329c1a8f0fec3382932ed85