TONIGHT,
TONIGHT, WE'RE DISMANTLING WHAT SOME CALL A CULTURE OF BLACK
HAIR DISCRIMINATION. HOW DID WE
GET HERE? AND
A LOOK INSIDE THE UPCOMING4@ KENTUCKY
LEGISLATIVE BATTLE TO CHANGE IT.
4@
4@ HERE'S
4@ HERE'S SENAIT GEBREGIORGIS.
OUR ROOTS CAN SAY A
LOT ABOUT US. "THIS IS MY HAIR AND IT IS
FREEDOM." "THIS IS MY HAIR AND
IT IS POWERFUL."
"THIS IS MY HAIR AND IT IS ME."
FOR SOME OF US, HAIR IS MORE
THAN
THAN JUST
THAN JUST HAIR.4@ " MY HAIR MEANS MY CULTURE, IT
MEANS ME AS A WOMAN, MEANS I CAN
EXPRESS MYSELF
EXPRESS MYSELF IN ANY W4@AY, SHAPE OR FORM." FR 4@
ASHANTI SCOTT, IT'S PERSONAL.
SHE'S 19-YEARS-OLD. A
FRESHMAN
FRESHMAN AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE. AND SHE'LL NEVER FORGET HER
FRESHMAN AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE. AND SHE'LL NEVER FORGET HER4@
FIRST DAY
OF SOPHOMORE Y4@EAR AT BUTLER HH
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL. "WHERE IT SAID HAIR IT SAID NO BRAIDS, NO CORNROWS, NO TWISTS,
4@
NO
4@ NO
4@ NO DREADL4@OCKS, AND NO AFROS.
"WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION WHEN YOU
READ THAT?"
READ THAT?" "I WAS EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED IN
MY4@
MY4@
MY4@ SCHOOL, I FELT TARGETED AS A BLACK
STUDENT BECAUSE I HAD MY HAIR AT
THE
THE
THE TIME
THE TIME IN BRAIDS." A KNOT HER MOTHER, STATE REP.
ATTICA
SCOTT...
ATTICA SCOTT... "
SCOTT... "
"
" 4@
4@
4@ SO
4@ SO THOSE KINDS OF THINGS STILL
HAPPEN TO OUR KIDS, BUT THEY ALSO
HAPPEN IN THE4@4@
WORKPLACE."
.IS TRYING TO UNTANGLE. AFTER
2015, JCPS CHOPPED OFF WHAT WAS
CONSIDERED A DISCRIMINATORY AND
4@ RACIST POLICY.
BUT FOR THIS STATE LAWMAKER. "
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE
ARE
ARE
ARE HIRED
ARE HIRED BECAUSE OF WHO THEY ARE4@ AND
WHAT THEY BRING TO A BUSINESS."
4@
4@
4@ 4@
4@
4@ THE
4@ THE WORK TOWARDS CHANGE IS JUST
BEGINNING.
BEGINNING. " PROMPTED ME TO PUT TOGETHER THIS
4@
BILL
4@ BILL
4@ BILL AROUND MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE
NOT
DISCRIMINATING AGAINST PEOPLE
BECAUSE OF THEIR NATURAL HAIR."
IT'S AT THE CENTER OF A GROWING
CONVERSATION ON RACE AND
IDENTITY. AS MORE AND MORE
PEOPLE OF COLOR, SPECIFICALLY
4@
4@ BLACK
4@ BLACK WOMEN, ARE CHOOSING TO4@ EMBRACE THE HAIR
THEY
THEY WERE
THEY WERE BORN WITH. TO UNDERSTAND THE4@ PRESENT, PROFESSOR KAILA STORY
SAYS YOU
HAVE TO KNOW THE PAST. "
HAIR ISN'T JUST A STYLE OR A
PROCESS4@4@
OF BEAUTIFICATION."
OF BEAUTIFICATION."
STORY
STORY TEACHES WOMEN'S GENDER,4@ SEXUALITY, AND PAN AFRICAN STUDIES AT
THE UOFL.
"
WE SEE LOCS, WE SEE NATURAL
HAIR, WE SEE
BANTU KNOTS, KINKI TWI4@STS, SO
WE SEE LOCS, WE SEE NATURAL HAIR, WE SEE BANTU KNOTS, KINKI TWI4@STS, SON
AND SO4@
AND SO4@
AND SO4@ FORTH." SINCE THE EARLY 2000S, THE
VISIBILITY OF NATURAL HAIR HAS
GROWN BIGGER, BUT
STORY SAYS NATURAL HAIR HAS
ALWAYS BEEN
A PART OF BLACK4@
HERITAGE.
"
HERITAGE. " THE RESEMBLANCE IN DIFFERENT4@
4@HAIRSTYLES
IN THE WAY WHICH HAIR WAS DONE,
KEPT, AND
KEPT, AND
KEPT, AND MAINTAINED SIGNIFIED ONE'S CERTAIN
POSITION IN SOCIETY."
IN EARLY AFRICAN CIVILIZATIONS,
4@
STORY
4@ STORY
4@ STORY SAYS NATURAL HAIRSTYLES COULD
INDICATE A PERSON'S FAMILY
BACKGROUND,
TRIBE, AND SOCIAL STATUS.
"THIS BROTHER HERE,
MYSELF AND ALL OF US WERE BORN
LIKE THIS
BECAUSE IT'S NATURAL."
IN THE FACE OF4@ RAC4@ISM
AND SEGREGATION, AFRICAN
AMERICANS
FOUND A SENSE OF SANCTUARY
THROUGH
THEIR HAIR.
"
BLACK PEOPLE RECLAIMING THIS
BLAC4@K4@
CENTER FEELING EMPOWERED AND
RESILIENT. SOME HAIRSTYLES IN
ANCIENT
TIMES, EVEN NOW WILL TAKE DAYS,
HOURS AND
HOURS AND
HOURS AND THAT WAS A WAY TO BOND WITH ONE
ANOTHER."
ANOTHER."
ANOTHER." REGINA CAMPBELL IS A HAIRSTYLIST AT NATURAL
ALTERNATIVES SALON IN
LOUISVILLE.
"
LOUISVILLE. " I LOVE TEXTURE, I LOVE TO
CREATE, AND
INNOVATE NATURAL HAIR." SHE'S
BEEN DOING HAIR FOR OVER 154@
YEARS.
"
YEARS. "
"
" 4@
4@
4@ IT
4@ IT WAS
4@ IT WAS VERY MINIMUM TEN YEARS
AGO A LOT OF PEOPLE DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT HOW
4@
TO MANIPULATE THE HAIR."
IT WAS A TIME WHEN STRAIGHTENERS
AND RELAXERS WERE DOMINATING. "A
LOT OF IT WASN'T A PERSONAL
THING IT WAS MORE LESS WHAT SOCIETY KIND
4@
OF PUT
4@ OF PUT
4@ OF PUT THEM IN A BOX."
BUT NO MATTER THE STYLE... "
IF ANYONE WANTS TO WEAR THEIR
HAIR THE
WAY THEY WANT TO THEY SHOULD
HAVE
THAT RIGHT, THERE SHOULDN'T BE
ANY
STIPULATIONS."
ANY STIPULATIONS." SOME STATES AGREE.
THIS PAST SUMMER, CALIFORNIA AND
NEW
NEW
NEW YORK
NEW YORK WERE THE FIRST TWO TO PASS
A LAW
A LAW
A LAW THAT PROTECTS PEOPLE FROM NATURAL HAIRSTYLES
DISCRIMINATION IN THE
WORKPLACE AND IN THE CLASSROOM.
4@
4@
4@ 4@
4@ 4@ STATE. REP ATTICA
SCOTT IS FOLLOWING IN THOSE SAME
FOOTSTEPS.
FOOTSTEPS. " THERE WERE COUNCIL MEMBERS
ASKING ONE
ANOTHER WELL DO YOU THINK SHE'S
GOING TO
GOING TO
GOING TO KEEP HER HAIR LIKE THAT? AS IF MY ABILITY
TO BE AN EFFECTIVE METRO COUNCIL
MEMBER HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH
MY HAIR." SHE SOON REA4@LIZED SHE'S NOT
ALONE.4@4@
"
ALONE.4@4@ " I'M HEARING 4@FROM PEOPLE ACROSS
KENTUCKY WHO HAVE SAID YES I WAS
FIRED
FIRED
FIRED BECAUSE OF MY HAIR OR MY DAUGHTER
COULDN'T BE ON THE DANCE TEAM
BECAUSE
OF HER HAIR."
REP. SCOTT SAYS HER HOUSE BILL
231 THAT
WOULD OUTLAW NATURAL HAIR
DISCRIMINATION WILL BE AN UPHILL
BATTLE...BUT WHEN IT COMES TO
PROTECTING WHAT YOU WERE BORN WITH...4@
"NATURAL HAIR IS THE WAY IT
GROWS OUT OF
YOUR SCALP."
IT'S A TASK SHE SAYS.4@
"THIS IS MY HAIR."
4@"THIS IS MY HAIR."
"THIS IS MY HAIR."
.IS WORTH FIGHTING FOR.
THIS IS MY HAIR AND IT'S THE4@
CROWN I'LL NEVER
TAKE
TAKE OFF.
TAKE OFF. FOR WHAS11, I'M SENAIT GEBREGIORGIS.
GEBREGIORGIS.