Hair Raising Tales

Confession. I cannot braid cornrows. My mother couldn’t either. With great effort I can do a french braid- my mother could not teach what she didn’t know. My mother was raised with a Eurocentric esthetic. The colonial norms were imprinted like a tattoo, bias buried layers deep in the dermis of the psyche. The aspiration for ‘good hair’ made it a sacrilege to cut it off. Until the heat of a comb or chemical processed the kink out of my hair, my tresses were kept locked in two braids.
Today I have the freedom to wear my hair natural and full or blown out and sleek, according to my mood. But the bias is still there. And while the bias exists freedom is tenuous.
There is a video image burnt indelibly in my memory. A young Black boy in a wrestler’s singlet has his dreadlocks publicly shorn on the sidelines before a match. A verdict was declared on the spot, there was no court of appeals, the teenager risked forfeiting everything he’d trained for with discipline and diligence unless he sacrificed his locs. What mother would not wail in protest; a complete stranger usurping her child’s autonomy? I cannot watch the video without my stomach twisting in rage; it’s an assault. At the time, New Jersey (where the incident happened) had no protections against discrimination based on natural or protective hairstyles. It is staggering to me that we need to have legal protection for every civil liberty. But then again, the overturning of Roe v Wade is a stark reminder that autonomy over our bodies is not guaranteed. In all but 19 states (NJ is among them) it is perfectly legal to discriminate against a person in a workplace, school or pool because of natural or protective hairstyles. There is currently a federal bill The Crown Act, awaiting Senate vote. Please take a minute and click; sign the petition, write your Senator.

The last few years of my career have been a revelation and a celebration. I’ve seen film and TV hair departments add crew members proficient in styling natural hair. I’ve had cornrow braids literally crowning the top of my head. I made a case for a recurring character to sport both curls and straight styles, like myself and many Black women do. These representations matter. Despite the constant onslaught on our freedoms, I am optimistic. I don’t take my freedoms for granted. I don’t take my right to vote for granted either. Apathy is not resistance. Action is resistance. Click. Sign. Register. Vote.