I vividly remember being in line for a ferry with my mom one day and a woman coming up to me and petting my head in fascination due to my hair. I did not know her and I wish I could say this only happened once but it’s happened more times than I can count on both hands. There’s always been a fascination with Black hair, especially when it comes to Black women due to the versatility our hair has. It’s played out in private and in public and now we are seeing news stories of children being sent home from school due to how their hair is done.
For this session, we are going to look at the history of the Tignon laws and how they set the stage for hair discrimination in this country. We will learn what it’s like for children to be sent home due to or embarrassed in public sports events. Then we will look at how politics are navigating discrimination through policies like the CROWN act.
Remember, you do not have to read all the articles to participate, but it’s highly recommended to read through as many as you are able.
Register in advance for this session:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAvceChrDgtHtd2assKhvRgBQD3OGXfQMeG
Tignon Laws:
Black hair in the workspace:
https://daily.jstor.org/how-natural-black-hair-at-work-became-a-civil-rights-issue/
https://www.essence.com/news/judge-ban-dreadlocks-workplace-discrimination/
https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/12/business/black-women-hairstyles-interview-scli-intl-scn/index.html
Black hair and children:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/22/magazine/kids-hair-discrimination.html
https://andscape.com/features/the-untold-story-of-wrestler-andrew-johnsons-dreadlocks/
CROWN Act (Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair):