Trey Anthony
Before Canadian comedian and playwright Anthony wrote the play (and later made-for-TV movie) Da Kink in My Hair, she faced her own deadlock with dreadlocks, so to speak. Through her comedic drama, which looks at the stylists and patrons of Novelette’s, a hair salon in Toronto’s Eglinton Ave West Caribbean neighborhood, Anthony sought to “validate black womyn’s experiences… and reinvent and challenge the media portrayal of who black womyn are.” Wanting to redefine beauty, she cast women “of all body sizes, different shades, [and] different hair textures.” Through her writing workshops, Anthony helps women of color express their voices.“ Usually we are not given many platforms or opportunities to speak. Many times the only ‘womyn’s voice’ which is heard and validated is usually very white, mainstream, heterosexual, able-bodied, middle class, and that is the ‘voice’ which is used to define all womyn…leaving many womyn silent and invisible.” She encourages women to “write your truth,” as she has done; Anthony said her proudest accomplishment was coming out publicly.
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