Inspired by our featured vendor- The Melapop Shop
The Melapop Shop curates clothing and accessories that express melanated love and confidence. The reason why small business owner, Kyra, came up with The Melapop Shop is that she noticed a lack of melanated clothing with relevant references to the melanated community.
But what exactly is Melanin?
Melanin is a biochemical substance that provides our skin color with pigment and ultimately- determines what our skin color will be. Black people’s cells contain the highest concentration of Melanin.
In the book, titled Melanin: What Makes Black People Black, author Llaila Afrika breaks down how extraordinary Melanin really is- including how to protect and nourish it. She dives deep into systems and institutions strategically designed to evoke chemical warfare on the Black and Brown community. It is a must-read!
“Melanin is the biochemical substance that drives physical, mental, emotional and spiritual life.” – Dr. Llaila Afrika (Melanin: What Makes Black People Black)
“Melanin is a civilizing chemical, reproduces itself, a free radical protector, can be transformed in the blood, concentrates nerve and brain information, neutralizes, oxidizes (breakdown) converts substances, reduces (builds) another substance and is unchanged by radiation and high temperatures.” – Dr. Llaila Afrika (Melanin: What Makes Black People Black)
Historically speaking, Melanin is the very indicator that links all people back to the first Black Africans. And because the Melapop Shop owner, Kyra, wanted to instill a sense of confidence and ownership of the Melanin magic in the Black community, the Melapop Shop was born!
