black hair politics
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Proving She’s the Best Selfie-Taker in the Game, Tracee Ellis Ross Shot Her Own Magazine Cover—on Her iPhone
Is there anything Tracee Ellis Ross can’t do? She makes us laugh weekly on Black-ish, is a producer on Mixed-ish, is a regular on best-dressed lists, is a regular (and real) source of fitspo, and recently launched her own haircare line (knowing her hair sparks major envy). And apparently, her selfie game is epic enough…
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Big Hair, Don’t Care: A 5th-Grader Stands in Defiance of the Policing of Black Hair
“So, yesterday, I went to school, and I wore my hair in an afro like this…and a lot of people had a lot of mean things to say about it,” said Nashville fifth-grader Promise Sawyers, gesturing to her enviable halo of natural hair in a now-viral video on YouTube. “So that made me feel some…
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Nappily Ever After: H&M Issues Statement About Black Girl’s ‘Natural’ Hair, No Apologies This Time
So… H&M has found itself the subject of another b(l)acklash. The fast-fashion retailer got called out again for their questionable choices in reflecting black kid magic. But this time they are not folding up like the cheap suits they shill out. On Friday, the Stockholm-based clothing company issued a statement on the firestorm that ignited…
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Texas School District Gives 4-Year-Old Boy Two Options: Either Cut Your Hair or Wear a Dress
I don’t condone violence, but if ever there was a story that completely justifies throwing hands, you’re about to read it. According to WKYT, four-year-old Michael “Tink” Trimble’s plans to spend his first day of school minding his business while living his best Capri Sun-flavored life came to an abrupt end when his grandmother, Randi…
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Jay-Z x NFL in Another Clusterf#ck After One of Its Charities Forced to Apologize Over Dreadlock Drama
Ain’t no n-word, indeed. (For your edification, that’s taken from the title of a classic 1996 track by Jay-Z and Foxy Brown from The Nutty Professor soundtrack.) For all the good Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter is hoping that will come out of his problematic partnership with the problematic NFL (yes, I said it), yet another controversy…
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The Tresses and the Tea: Everything We Learned at the 72nd Annual Bronner Brothers Hair Show
It’s hard describing what many of us know as the infamous Bronner Brothers Hair Show to those who have never attended. Twice a year in February and August, it goes down—almost always in Atlanta—and the summer show is by far the most popular. Since it started in 1947, a little bit of everybody has rolled…
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'Those Are All Little Black Faces': Georgia School Under Fire for Designating 'Appropriate' and 'Inappropriate' Hairstyles
Narvie J. Harris Traditional Theme School in Decatur, Ga., has some explaining to do. The DeKalb County elementary school is facing significant backlash as the result of a display that outlined “appropriate” and “inappropriate” hairstyles for its students. The glaring issue, aside from discussing with parents individually? All of the children pictured (though identity-protected by…
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With a New Amendment, New York State Quietly Joins California in Fighting Hair Discrimination [Updated]
New York City passed amendments to ban hair discrimination in February, but now the state has followed suit, lending its legislative weight to the ongoing conversation around hair bias. Prompted by the CROWN Act (SB 188), proposed by Sen. Holly J. Mitchell (D-Calif.), California became the first state to pass anti-hair discrimination legislation on July…
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Excuse Me, New York Post, but Your Ends Need Sealing
Folks—especially fellow media folk—can we stop commenting on things we know nothing about and are too lazy to look up? Because assuming only makes an ass out of you and the media outlet you work for. It was mere months ago when a reporter embarrassed herself and her new political beat at the Washington Post…
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California Is a Governor’s Signature Away From Prohibiting Employers From Discriminating Against Black Hair
On Thursday, California lawmakers passed a bill protecting black folks from hair discrimination, an important step in decriminalizing blackness. Huffington Post reports that the state assembly passed the CROWN Act, which prohibits both employers and schools from enforcing discriminatory policies that penalize black people for wearing their hair naturally. Specifically, those who wear ethnic hairstyles…