>>JOY PURDY: NOW TO OUR SERIES PASSING THE CROWN. HAIR IT’S SOMETHING
PEOPLE IN GENERAL FIND
CHALLENGING ITS 2 STRAY TO
CURLY
TO GRAY, BUT FOR AFRICAN
AMERICANS HAIR HISTORICALLY HAS
BEEN A WAY TO DEMEAN
DISCRIMINATE AND DIVIDE
WHEN THE WAY YOUR HAIR GROWS
OUT OF YOUR HEAD KEEPS YOU FROM
GETTING A JOB OR IS THE OF
JOKES. IT CAUSES
IRREPARABLE DAMAGE. THIS HAS
BEEN THE REALITY FOR BLACK
PEOPLE SINCE THE BEGINNINGS OF
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
WHAT EXAMPLE IN 1786 LOUISIANA
GOVERNOR IS STEP ON
THE ROAD CREATED A LAW THAT
REQUIRED WOMEN OF COLOR TO USE
A PIECE OF CLOTH TO COVER THEIR
HAIR AND THE DISCRIMINATION
DIDN’T STOP THERE.
BUT THINGS ARE CHANGING JUST
LOOK AT OUR REPORTERS AND
ANCHORS ON NEWSFOURJAX
BLACK WOMEN NOW ACCEPTED AND
APPLAUDED FOR WEARING THEIR
NATURAL HAIR ON TV.
RIVER CITY LIVE HOST EVEN
KENDALL TELLS A STORY THAT
STARTS
AT BIRTH.
>> AS LITTLE GIRLS THEY WERE
PIGTAILS TWISTS BRAINS NOW
SEVERAL NEWS 4 JAX JOURNALISTS
ARE SITTING DOWN TO TALK ABOUT
A TIME WHEN WEARING THEIR HAIR
IN ITS NATURAL STATE WASN’T AN
OPTION. I CAN REMEMBER LIKE MY
NEIGHBOR COMING OVER AND I HAD
A TOWEL OVER MY HEAD WAS
WRAPPED UP I WAS LIKE NO YOU
CAN NOT SEE MY HAIR I
REMEMBERED I WANTED TO BE
LIGHTER SKINNED.
>> THAT WAS ALL THAT I SAW
AROUND ME THAT WAS ALL THAT I
SAW REPRESENTED
THE MEDIA I WANT TO REALLY LONG
FLOWING HAIR MATCH IN BEING A
YOUNG BLACK GIRL
BEING MARYLAND. GETTING A RELAX
OR FROM AGE,
13 UP INTEL.
22 TO THINK THAT YOU WOULD TELL
A CHILD FROM THE MOMENT THAT
THEY BEGIN TO BREEZE. LIFE’S
A YEAR. YOU’RE GONNA HAVE TO
ALTER THESE THINGS
ABOUT YOURSELF.
>> RECENTLY I HAD AN
OPPORTUNITY TO SIT DOWN WITH
SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES TO
DISCUSS THE IMPORTANT ROLE HAIR
PLAYS AND HOW WOMEN OF COLOR
MAY BE PERCEIVED AND HAVING
ME IDENTIFY.
IT WAS A CONVERSATION THAT HAD
TO INCLUDE SOME VERY EYE
OPENING AND PAINFUL STORIES.
>> SHE NEEDS HARRIS EXPLAIN
THAT FOR MANY YEARS, SHE OPTED
TO WEAR AWAY.
>> SOMEONE HAD TAKING A SCREEN
GRAB OF MY HERE.
AND HAD POSTED IT ON A RACE’S
WEBSITE AND SAID
LOOK YOU CAN SEE PART OF THE
MONKEY COMING OUT. AND
IT WAS
ABSOLUTELY DEVASTATING.
>> IN RECENT MONTHS, THE LAW
CALLED THE CROWN ACT WAS PASSED
NOT HERE IN FLORIDA AT THE
STATE LEVEL. BUT AT THE HOUSE
OF REPRESENTATIVES AT THE
FEDERAL LEVEL AND NOW SITS WITH
THE SETE.
THE CROWN ACT MAKES IT ILLEGAL
TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST SOMEONE
IN THE WORKPLACE OR IN SCHOOL
OVER THE WAY THEY WEAR
THEIR HAIR, MELANIE LAWSON SAYS
THE LAW IS A GOOD START.
BUT HAD HER OWN DAUGHTER IN
MIND WHEN SHE MADE THE
DIFFICULT DECISION TO GO FROM
A WIG TO WEARING A NATURAL
HAIRSTYLE ON AIR LAWS ARE ONE
THING.
>> PUBLIC PERCEPTION AND
ACCEPTANCE OR ANOTHER, BUT IT
TAKES
EXAMPLES WHEN I CAME HERE ONE
OF MY VERY FIRST CONVERSATIONS
WAS WITH MELANIE IT WAS
ABOUT HAIR BECAUSE WE’RE
FINDING THESE SPACES WHERE WE
RELATE WITH ONE ANOTHER AND WE
LOVE IT, WE LOVE TO
SEE US WE’RE REPRESENTING OUR
COMMUNITY WE’RE
BREAKING BARRIERS.
>> ALWAYS ON THE GO REPORTER
KELLY WILEY WEARS HER HAIR IN A
VARIETY OF WAYS. SHE’S
GRATEFUL. SHE SAYS THAT
THE CHOICE IS HERS TO MAKE NOW.
>> FEELING A LITTLE BIT MORE OPEN TO WORRY THERE ARE NATURALLY. A GOOD FEELING LIKE
IT WILL BE.
>> WE’LL BE LOOKING AT IS A
PROFESSIONAL REPRESENTATION.
>> IT’S NOT IMPORTANT IT’S
ESSENTIAL YOU KNOW, AND WHEN
YOU HAVE LITTLE WOMEN THAT LOOK
LIKE YOU SEEING
US ON A KURD S REPORTING
TRAFFIC IN THE COMMUNITY LIKE.
I FEEL LIKE WHAT YOU BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN DO JUST FURTHER CONTINUES TO EXPAND.
>>JOY PURDY: COMING UP TOMORROW ON THE MORNING SHOW AT 9.40 MELANIE LAWSON AND EVEN KENDALL
WE’LL TALK MORE ABOUT THE
PASSION BEHIND THIS STORY AND
WHY IT’S SO IMPORTANT THAT WE
UNDERSTAND OUR DIFFERENCES BUT
ALSO SEE THE CONNECTION WE ALL
HAVE TO
EACH OTHER. THEN AT 11:00AM ON
RIVER CITY LIVE WATCHING EDEN’S
EXTENDED STORY ON PASSING
THE CROWN AS WOMEN IN OUR NEWS
4 JAX FAMILY SHARE THEIR
EMOTIONAL JOURNEYS. WATCH
PASSING THE CROWN TOMORROW ON
CHANNEL 4.
>>TARIK MINOR: WE HAVE AN
ENTIRE PAGE DEDICATED TO
CELEBRATING BLACK CULTURE BEING
BLACK HISTORY MONTH AT OUR
WEBSITE NEWS 4 JAX DOT COM.
THERE YOU’LL FIND A TON OF
STORIES ON LOCAL AFRICAN
AMERICAN HISTORY WAYS
WE ARE CELEBRATING BLACK
CULTURE AND ALL THE STORIES
THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED FROM
OUR
CONTINUING COVERAGE. RIGHT NOW
ON OUR WEBSITE YOU CAN READ UP
ON ONE GEORGE WALKER, HE’S A
CONSIDERED A MUSICAL GENIUS
BECOMING THE FIRST
AFRICAN-AMERICAN TO WIN THE