GLOBE--HAIRSTYLES SUCH AS, AFROS DREAD LOCKS, TWIST
AND BRAIDS HAVE
BEEN TRACED BACK
TO ANCIENT TIMES.
BUT AS OF
RECENTLY HERE IN
AMERICA SOME
STATES HAD TO
ENFORCE NEW LAWS
TO ELIMINATE
DISCRIMINATION
BASED ON THESE
HAIRSTYLES BOTH AT
WORK AND AT
SCHOOL.
AS SIX NEWS
REPORTER JASMIN
CALDWELL
EXPLAINS--MORE
CALDWELL EXPLAINS--MORE AFRICAN AMERICANS
ARE SAYING GOOD-
BYE TO THE
STRAIGHTENING
CHEMICALS AND
EMBRACING THEIR
NATURAL HAIR
TEXTURE DESPITE
WHAT SOCIETY MAY
THINK.
THINK.
IF
IF YOU'VE
IF YOU'VE NEVER MET AEVIN DUGAS CHANCES ARE YOU'VE
HAVEN'T
HAVEN'T SEEN AN AFRO QUITE LIKE THIS.
"I
"I HAD
"I HAD TO
"I HAD TO SUBMIT MEASUREMENTS AND THEN GUINNESS CAME
TO NEW ORLEANS TO
MEASURE MY HAIR TO
CHECK TO SEE IF IT
WAS REAL AND THAT
WAS IT."
MEASURING AT 4 FEET
SEVEN INCHES DUGAS
HOLDS THE GUINESS
WORLD RECORD TITLE
FOR THE LARGEST
FEMALE AFRO. WHILE
SPEAKING AT A
NATURAL HAIR EXPO
IN KILLEEN--DUGAS
SAYS WEARING HER
AFRO ISN'T AN
EVERYDAY THING.
"PEOPLE STARE AND
PEOPLE WANT TO
TOUCH SO I DON'T
REALLY WEAR MY HAIR
OUT LIKE THIS. I DON'T
WEAR MY HAIR OUT
LIKE THIS UNLESS ITS
FOR SOMETHING LIKE
THIS BECAUSE IT CAN
GET KIND OF WEIRD."'
BRIT MCKNIGHT
SPECIALIZES IN
NATURAL HAIR STYLES
AT AT SALON MONAI.
SHE SAYS MORE
BLACK WOMEN ARE
EMBRACING THEIR
NATURAL BEAUTY.
"THEY ARE STARTING
TO SEE OTHER
WOMEN WHO ARE
NATURAL AND THAT
ITS POSSIBLE TO BE
NATURAL AND HAVE
NICE BEAUTIFUL
HEALTHY HAIR."
FOR YEARS BLACK
WOMEN PUT CREMES
AND CHEMICALS IN
THEIR HAIR IN EFFORT
TO MAKE IT STRAIGHT.
THE GOAL WAS TO
MODEL EUROPEAN
BEAUTY STANDARDS
AFTER BEING TOLD
STRAIGHT HAIR WAS
MORE
PROFESSIONAL--ESPE
MORE PROFESSIONAL--ESPE CIALLY AT WORK.
THIS IS WHO YOU ARE.
YOU CAN STRAIGHTEN
YOUR HAIR BUT IS
THAT REALLY GOING
TO BE CONSIDERED
PROFESSIONAL IN
EVERYONE'S
STANDARD OR JUST
YOUR JOBS
STANDARD."
JASMIN STANDUP: IN
THE EARLY 2000'S THE
NATURAL HAIR
MOVEMENT FORMED.
THE MOVEMENT
ENCOURAGES WOMEN
AND MEN OF AFRICAN
DESCENT
DESCENT TO KEEP THEIR NATURAL AFRO-TEXTURED HAIR.
SEVEN YEARS AGO
WACO MAYOR PRO
TEM ANDREA
BARFIELD MADE THE
DECISION TO WEAR
DREADLOCKS.
"I COLOR IT. I STYLE IT.
I DO ALL THE THINGS
YOU DO WITH HAIR.
THE HAIR THAT COMES
OUT OF OUR HEAD IS
BEAUTIFUL."
BARFIELD SAYS
WEARING HER
DREADS WAS NEVER A
PROBLEM FOR HER ON
THE JOB BUT STATES
LIKE MARYLAND,
CALIFORNIA AND NEW
YORK ARE PUSHING
TO GET THE CROWN
ACT PASSED. IT
WOULD BAN
DISCRIMINATION AT
WORK BASED ON HAIR
"ITS SHAMEFUL
SOMEONE HAS TO PUT
IN LAW A POLICY THAT
WAS GIVEN TO US BY
OUR BIRTHRIGHT.
WOMEN AREN'T THE
ONLY ONES CHOSING
TO STAY ROOTED IN
CULTURE...SO ARE
MEN.
"IT MEANS SO MUCH
TO ME. ITS MY HAIR.
MY AFRICAN
AMERICAN HERITAGE"
CUEVAS PEACOCK IS
THE ASSISTANT
DIRECTOR OF
COMMUNITY
RELATIONS AND
CULTURAL WEALTH AT
BAYLOR. HE'S BEEN
WEARING DREAD
LOCKS FOR 11 YEARS
AND AT TIMES TRIED
TO OVERCOMPENSATE
FOR OTHERS JUDGING
HIM BASED OFF HIS
LOOK.
"BY OVERDRESSING
AND BEING EXTRA
PREPARED. INSTEAD
OF ME TRYING TO BE
TWO TIMES AS
BETTER AS PEOPLE I
WOULD TRY TO BE
FOUR TIMES AS
BETTER, JUST IN
KNOWING SOMETHING
SO NATURAL TO ME
MIGHT BE USED
AGAINST ME."
PEACOCK SAYS HE
WANTS PEOPLE TO
UNDERSTAND THE
LONG LEGACY OF
LOCKS AND BEING
NATURAL.
NATURAL.
"FROM
"FROM RASTAFARIAN IN JAMAICA, TO PHARAOHS IN EGYPT,
TO THE MAU MAU IN
KENYA. THESE ARE
AFRICAN WARRIORS
WHO WORKED FOR
FREEDOM AND
INDEPENDENCE FROM
BRITISH RULE. AND
ALL THESE PEOPLE
WOULD TAKE ON HAIR
AS A SIGN OF
STRENGHTH A SIGN OF
PEACE, FREEDOM AND
COURAGE. KNOW
THAT YOUR HAIR IS
MORE THAN JUST
ABOUT THE WAY IT
LOOKS BUT ABOUT
THE LEGACY IT HOLDS
AS WELL. FOR 6 NEWS
IM JC REPORTING.
ELEVEN
ELEVEN ADDITIONAL STATES HAVE EITHER PRE-FILED OR FILED
THEIR OWN ANTI-HAIR
DISCRIMINATION BILLS. SO FAR THERE IS NO SUCH BILL IN THE
STATE OF TEXAS.