NOT
NOT SOMETHING NEW.+@
NOT SOMETHING NEW.+@+@ IT IS A DISCUSSION THAT HAS BEEN
GOING ON FOR YEARS.
>> IT IS THE CELEBRA+@TION, A
CONVERSATION, ALL IN
CONSIDERATION O+@F BLACK HAIR.
♪
♪
♪ >>
♪ >> WHEN
♪ >> WHEN I STARTED FIRST GRADE,
ALL OF THE GIRLS IN MY CLASS HAD
+@
+@ PRETTY
+@ PRETTY STRAIGHT HAIR.
I HAD CURLY HAIR.
SO, THEREFORE, I BEGGED MY MOM
TO LET ME GET MY HAIR
STRAIGHTENED LIKE EVERYBODY
ELSE, AND BACK THEN, WE USED+@ A
HOT COM+@B.
HOT COM+@B. YOU WOULD GET ON THE FIRE A+@ND
STRAIGHTEN YOUR HAIR, SO I WOULD
GO TO THE BEAUTY SHOP, AND THEY
WOULD STRAIGHTEN IT, AND --
>> DO YOU EVER LOOK BACK ON THAT
MOMENT AND UNDERSTAND WHERE YOUR
MOM WAS COMING FROM?
+@
MOM WAS COMING FROM? >> YES, AND I TRULY REGRET THAT
I DID NOT LISTEN TO HER, BECAUSE
MY HAIR, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS
CURLY, M+@Y HAIR IS NOT AS PRETY
AS IT WAS BACK THEN.
>> AFRICAN AMERICANS FOUGHT FOR
OUR RIGHTS TO EXIST IN AMERICA,
TO BE SEEN AND HEARD AS PEOPLE,
AS HUMANS, SO A PART OF THAT
P+@ROVING THAT WE WERE WORTHY,
PROVING THAT WE WERE JUST LIKE
EVERYONE ELSE, THAT
ASSIMILATION, THAT I+@ CAN READ
BOOKS, I CAN SPEAK THE SAME WAY,
I CAN WEAR MY HAIR THE SAME WAY
I CAN WEAR MY HAIR THE SAME WAY@ --
--
-- >>
-- >> I
-- >> I THOUGHT I KNEW.
I EXPLAINED ABOUT THE PRESSING
COMB AND GRADUATED TO RELAX
ERS, AND NOBODY TALKED ABOUT
HOW BEAUTIFUL MY +@HAIR WAS OR
THAT IT WAS AN OPTION.
IT WAS, OH, MY GOSH, IT WILL
TAKE FOREVER TO DO YOUR HAIR.
AND YOU HA+@VE TO TAM+@E IT.
AND YOU HA+@VE TO TAM+@E IT.+@ RELAX YOUR HAIR TO KEEP EVERYONE
AROUN+@D YOU RELAXED, BECAUSE
BLACK HAIR HAS BEEN SO
POLITICIZED.
POLITICIZED. I MEAN, YOU GO BACK TO THE
1970'S, WHEN PEOPLE ASSOCIATED
AFROS WITH BLACK POWER, AND
SOME+@HOW, +@THAT WAS A BAD THI.
>> I THINK THE REASON THAT
S+@TRAIGHT HAIR IS ASSOCIATED WH
BEAUTY IS BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT
WE SEE IN THE MAGAZINES.
THAT IS WHAT IS ON TV.
AS A PARENT, I TRY TO TEACH MY
GIRLS AND+@ MY SON, TOO, THAT
HOWEVER YOU LOOK, THAT IS HOW
YOU LOOK, AND +@YOU ARE BEAUTIFL
JUST THE WAY YOU ARE.
>> TO ROCK YOUR NATURAL HAIR,
SOME GIRLS, LIKE IF THEY DO NOT
MAKE THEIR HAIR THE NEATEST AS
POSSIBLE AS THEY CAN TODAY, THEY
WILL TRY TO FIX IT.
>> AS A BLACK WOMAN WHO HAS
WORKED IN PREDOMINATELY WHITE
INSTITUTIONS HER ENTIRE CAREER,
I HAVE BEEN VERY INTENTIONAL
ABOUT THE THINGS THAT I SAY
SOMETIMES AND HOW I SAY THEM.
DELIVERY IS VERY IMPORTANT.
YOU ARE HYPERAWARE ALL OF THE
TIME, AND Y+@OU ARE HYPERAWARE,
BECAUSE WE LIVE IN A SOCIETY
THAT TELLS YOU THAT CERTAIN
GROUPS ACT CERTAIN WAYS.
>> OK, S+@O WHEN I DECIDED TO
TRANSITION INTO BEING NATURAL,
THERE WAS A REACTION.
IT WAS DEFINITELY GOING FROM
BONE STRAIGHT TO COME AGAIN,
+@
BONE STRAIGHT TO COME AGAIN, CUTTING OFF ALL OF MY HAIR,
SHOWING MY NATURAL CURLS.
I REMEMBER SOME COMING TO ME AND
+@SAYING, IS THERE SOMETHING GOG
ON?
ON?
ON? TO
ON? TO THE POINT THAT MAYBE I WAS
SICK, OR WAS I MAKING A
STATEMENT, SOMEBODY ELSE IN MY
FAMILY?
FAMILY?
FAMILY? I
FAMILY? I HAD TO PREPARE MYSELF WHEN I
DECIDED TO MAKE THE TRANSITION
THAT I WAS GOING TO BE ANSWERING
A LOT OF QUESTIONS THAT MADE ME
VERY UNCOMFORTABLE, AND I WAS
NOT PAIRED FOR THAT AT ALL.
>> AT ONE PLACE THAT I WORKED, I
ONCE HAD SOMEONE JUST COME UP
AND SAY, "OH, MY GOODNESS, HOW
LON+@G DOES THIS TAKE?
HOW LONG? WHAT ALL DID YOU HAVE
TO DO?"
TO DO?"
TO DO?" AND JUST RUN THEIR FINGERS
THRO+@UGH MY H+@AIR.
AT THAT POINT, +@I WAS PRETTY MH
O+@VER IT AND WALKED AWAY.
LATER THAT DAY, I +@THINK I WENT
AND FOUND SOME+@ONE THAT I COULD
TALK TO TO UNDERSTAND LACK HAIR
AND THE MICRO AGGRESSIONS.
>> IT IS A FIRST RIGHT.
NATURAL HAIR IS PART OF OUR
ANCESTR+@Y.
ANCESTR+@Y. IT IS HOW WE WAKE UP AND LOVE
OURSELVES, SO IT SHOULD JUST BE
A THING THAT IS NATURAL, AND OUR
HAIRS AND OUR TWISTS AND+@ OUR
BRAIDS SHOW THAT, BECAUSE THAT
IS THE ONLY WAY IN WHI+@CH
EVERYONE ACROSS THE COUNTRY
SPEAKS.
SPEAKS.
SPEAKS. >> IF SOMEONE SAID "GOOD HAIR"
TO YOU, WH+@AT WOULD THAT LOOK
LIKE TO YOU IF YOU HAD TO
EXPLAIN IT?
EXPLAIN IT? >> ANYWAY YOU WANT TO WEAR YOUR
HAIR IS GOOD HAIR.
WE WERE GIVEN HAIR FOR A REASON.
♪
♪