LAST
LAST WEEK-- WE INTRODUCED YOU TO OUR "ROOTED" SERIES.
WE'RE CONFRONTING THE
DISCRIMINATION
SO MANY BLACK WOMEN AND MEN
FACE-- SIMPLY BECAUSE
OF THEIR NATURAL HAIR.
ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY-- A
MOVEMENT TO BAN THIS TYPE
OF DISCRIMINATION IS GROWING--
INCLUDING
RIGHT HERE IN TEXAS.
ASHLEY GOUDEAU EXPLAINS.
LET'S TALK ABOUT HAIR.
YOU SEE IT WORN -- DOWN --
HALF UP, HALF DOWN --
IN A PONYTAIL
OR BUN.
AND CHANCES ARE -- YOU DON'T
THINK ANYTHING OF IT.
BUT FOR SO MANY OF YOUR
NEIGHBORS -- CO-WORKERS AND
FRIENDS -- WEARING THEIR HAIR IN
THE EXACT SAME STYLES
DOWN --
HALF UP, HALF DOWN,
IN A PONYTAIL
OR BUN --
IS MET WITH A DOSE OF
DISCRIMINATION.
ALL BECAUSE THE TEXTURE IS
DIFFERENT.
<"CROWD SOUND"
HAIR DISCRIMINATION WAS PUT ON
FULL DISPLAY IN
2018.
A REFEREE TOLD A HIGH SCHOOL
WRESTLER
WRESTLER IN NEW JERSEY HE HAD TO CUT OFF HIS LOCS BEFORE A MATCH -- OR FOREFIT.
LAWMAKERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
SPOKE OUT.
AND IN 2019 -- CALIFORNIA BECAME
THE FIRST STATE TO
PASS THE
"CREATING A RESPECTFUL AND OPEN
WORLD FOR
NATURAL HAIR" -- OR CROWN --
ACT.
TO PUT IT PLAINLY -- THE LAW
STATES A PERSON CAN'T
BE DENIED EMPLOYMENT AND
EDUCATIONAL
OPPORTUNITIES BECAUSE OF THE
TEXTURE OF THEIR HAIR -- OR
FOR WEARING IT IN PROTECTIVE
STYLES -- INCLUDING
BRAIDS, LOCS AND TWISTS.
AS ONE STATE WAS PASSING
POLICIES TO PROTECT BLACK
HAIR --
TEXAS WAS GETTING NATIONAL
ATTENTION FOR
PENALIZING IT.
"I WAS CALLED DOWN TO THE OFFICE
EVERY DAY."
"IT'S A CRAZY FEELING BECAUSE
IT'S LIKE WHAT IS GOING ON? WHY
ARE THEY DOING THIS TO ME? LIKE
IT'S CONFUSING, IT'S DEPRESSING
AND IT'S STRESSFUL."
LAST YEAR -- DE'ANDRE ARNOLD WAS
SUSPENDED
SUSPENDED FROM BARBERS HILL HIGH SCHOOL -- OUTSIDE OF HOUSTON -- AND BANNED FROM
WALKING THE STAGE AT HIS
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION BECAUSE
HE WOULDN'T CUT
THE LOCS HE HAD BEEN GROWING
SINCE HE WAS 12
YEARS OLD.
"YOU WOULD THINK IT'S JUST HAIR,
BUT NO, IT'S NOT LIKE THAT. IT'S
ACTUALLY A PART OF WHO I AM."
"GROWING UP AROUND MY DAD'S SIDE
OF THE FAMILY, THEY'RE
FROM TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO."
"THIS IS SOMETHING YOU SEE ALL
THE TIME, YOU SEE
DREADLOCKS. AND IT'S LIKE ME
SEEING THAT AS A KID, IT'S LIKE
I REALLY WANT
TO BE A PART OF THIS. I WANT TO
IMMOLATE THIS AND EXPRESS THIS
CULTURE. I LIKE THIS."
ONE YEAR LATER -- THE DISTRICT'S
POLICY --
REQUIRING THE LENGTH OF MALE
STUDENTS'
STUDENTS' HAIR BE ABOVE THE COLLAR -- HASN'T CHANGED. "IT REALLY IS A SHAME THAT IN
2020, THAT WAS LAST YEAR OR
2021,
WE STILL ARE DEALING WITH THIS."
STATE REPRESENTATIV E RON
REYNOLDS MET
WITH DEANDRE.
"I APPLAUDED HIM FOR TAKING A
STAND, FOR BEING WILLING TO
STAND
ON PRINCIPLE AND HE WASN'T
WILLING TO CONFORM TO WHAT THE
SCHOOL
DEEMED ACCEPTABLE IN TERMS OF
HAIR."
IN FEBRUARY 2020 -- REYNOLDS AND
THE MEMBERS
OF THE TEXAS LEGISLATIVE BLACK
CAUCUS VOWED TO
FIGHT HAIR DISCRIMINATION THE
NEXT TIME THE
LEGISLATURE MET.
BANGS GAVEL
THAT TIME -- IS NOW.
REPRESENTATIVES REYNOLDS --
RHETTA BOWERS AND SHAWN
THEIRRY -- ALL FILED VERSIONS OF
THE CROWN ACT.
A SHOW OF SOLIDARITY -- TO SHOW
HOW IMPORTANT THIS
LEGISLATION IS --
"TO IMPOSE A EUROPEAN STANDARD
OF HAIRSTYLE ON
PEOPLE OF AFRICAN DESCENT IS NOT
EQUITY. AND SO IT'S TIME THAT
IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, THAT WE
GET ON BOARD AND WE MAKE A
STATEMENT THAT WE BELIEVE IN
AFRICAN-AMERICANS RIGHT
TO JUST BE AND WEAR THEIR GOD
GIVEN NATURAL HAIR TEXTURE."
REPRESENTATIVE REYNOLDS AND SENATOR BORRIS MILES FILED A BILL IN BOTH CHAMBERS
-- TO BAN
DISCRIMINATION AGAINST PEOPLE
WHO WEAR THEIR HAIR IN
BRAIDS, LOCS OR TWISTS IN TEXAS
SCHOOLS AND
BUSINESSES.
"YOU SHOULD BE JUDGED ON YOUR
MERITS AND NOT HOW YOU WEAR
YOUR HAIR."
BOWERS' VERSION OF THE BILL GOES
ONE STEP FURTHER --
ENSURING PEOPLE WITH NATURAL
HAIRSTYLES
CAN'T BE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST
IN HOUSING.
"IN OUR STYLE AND WHETHER THAT'S
HAIR OR WARDROBE, THAT
IS AN EXPRESSION OF YOURSELF.
AND YOU SHOULD FEEL IN SCHOOL,
IN THE
WORKPLACE AND IN WHERE YOU LIVE,
YOU
YOU SHOULD FEEL COMFORTABLE TO BE YOURSELF." THIERRY'S VERSION BANS
DISCRIMINATION IN BUSINESSES
AND SCHOOLS -- AND REQUIRES
CULTURAL AWARENESS
TRAINING FOR TEACHERS.
"WITHOUT CULTURAL COMPETENCY,
THEY REALLY DON'T
HAVE AN APPRECIATION OR
AWARENESS FOR WHAT OUR HAIR
MEANS TO US AS AFRICAN-
AMERICANS."
THREE BILLS -- ONE GOAL.
"OUR GOAL IS, IS UNITED. TO MAKE
SURE THAT IN TEXAS THAT WE
BAN DISCRIMINATION BASED UPON A
HAIR."
HAIR."
AND
AND THIS
AND THIS LEGISLATION -- IS PERSONAL. BOWERS' NEPHEW WANTED TO WEAR
HIS HAIR
IN TWISTS.
REYNOLDS DAUGHTER WAS TOLD NOT
TO WEAR BRAIDS AT
AN INTERNSHIP.
AND THEIRRY'S DAUGHTER CAME HOME
FROM
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CRYING AFTER
HEARING A TEACHER
BERATE A BLACK CLASSMATE WITH A
RACIST COMMENT
ABOUT HER HAIR.
"THERE ARE A LOT MORE STORIES
THAN WE'VE EVER REALLY HEARD OF.
I
THINK, I THINK IT WAS SOMETHING
THAT WAS SWEPT UNDER THE RUG
KIND OF AT EVERYONE'S KITCHEN
TABLE, THOSE
CONVERSATIONS. BUT THIS IS, THIS
IS LEGISLATION THAT IS
NECESSARY."
LAWMAKERS IN SEVEN OTHER STATES
SAW
SAW THE
SAW THE NECESSITY AND HAVE ALREADY PASSED THE CROWN ACT. TEXAS LAWMAKERS NOW HAVE THREE
MONTHS
TO GET IT ON GOVERNOR GREG