'I sit here thinking back to the times we worked in the garden together, we planted corn and radishes. I'm glad you like my hair so much.' But how's she going to turn the insult back on them when they connect it with whore? They linked my precious little Brenda's nappy cool hair with filth and just plain meanness, took my nappy word of blessing, and made a curse.

'And all these years I've been telling my little Brenda, 'If anyone uses the word nappy like an insult,' hold up your head and smile and say, 'Thank you for the compliment. He said it was like it's all right to be a whore as long as you don't have nappy hair.

And then the second dude added the word nappy-headed to whore, spit out the word nappy like it was pig slop somebody dumped in his coffee. It's an ace team from Rutgers in New Jersey.

It's a good team, and here they played for the championship of the whole country and he insults them like that. I know I'm supposed to say African-American and not black, but I'm an old man, just bear with me. Ain't that nothing? Because you know the team is mostly black. The first dude called that ace women's basketball team a bunch of whores. 'But some white dudes on cable did the damage. And she was so smart the curlicues just kept growing right up through her skull and into her beautiful nappy hair. one time I told her that her hair is nappy like that because the more curlicues you have in your brain, the smarter you are. Sure I know she's not little any more, smart as she is up there in college now. 'I don't want my little Brenda thinking that her old Uncle Mordecai lied to her when I said her hair is good in all its nappiness. What if she believes these lies and insults? 'Do you know what those folks are up to now, trashing my good word? Here you helped me tell everyone about Brenda's beautiful nappy hair, and now I'm just sitting here worried about her. 'My, my, my, have you heard what's happening about nappy hair? (Hear Herron read a portion of her book in this audio slide show.) Before I could get through the gate he had already started complaining. Do you remember Uncle Mordecai? He was the one who told me the story celebrating his niece, Brenda, in my book 'Nappy Hair.' All of us in the Kenilworth neighborhood were curious to hear his thoughts on these insults that have been flying around. WASHINGTON (CNN) - Uncle Mordecai was sitting on his front porch where his garden was going to be when I walked up. Uncle Mordecai is the principal character who praises Brenda, and Herron has written the following article from the perspective of what Uncle Mordecai would say about the sullying of the word 'nappy.' Editor's Note: Carolivia Herron is a former English professor and the author of the children's book 'Nappy Hair.' The book tells the story of an African-American family extolling the strength and wonder of young Brenda's natural hair while affirming her beauty and culture.

Nappy hair by carolivia herron