We Dreadin’ the CROWN
Humans of different ethnic origins have diverse hairstyles and textures in society. Black African hairstyle is represented as unique in history, being used in Black African culture for political orientation, social status, comfort, and spirituality (Dabiri, 2019; Essien and Wood, 2021). However, Black African hairstyles such as afros, braids, “dreadlocks”, and twists have been racialised into a socially mis-constructed oppression. Side note y’all, I use the term ‘misconstruction’ rather than ‘construction’ because the ‘mis’ provides justice to identities marked as deficit and inferior through dehumanizing opinions (race is a social misconstruction and is not biologically determined i.e., race is not an objective fact). Back to hair politics and how it substantiates negative connotations towards Black folx. Hair politics impact perceptions of attraction and beauty, for instance, preserving women who are White Blonde and/or straight hair as the “status quo” of beauty (Dabiri, 2021; Essien and Wood, 2021).
Moreover, in our social reality, actions of cultural appropriation (e.g., Black fishing) are conflated as infatuation and admiration when Black African hairstyles are embraced and practiced by those outside of the Black African continuum i.e., White folks having braids. However, these mainstream ideas irritate people of Black African descent like myself when lived-experiences and research suggest historical and modern anti-Black policies have been used to oppress Black Africans because of their hairstyle. Black Africans have to change their hairstyle in order to populate certain environments such as the workplace and schools, to fit in socially, and be hired in the workplace (Essien and Wood, 2020; Joseph-Salisbury and Connelly, 2018; Robinson, 2011). For example, where I currently live in England, Chikayzea Flanders experienced hair discrimination in 2017, where his “dreadlocks” were considered a “breach” of uniform policy at their school, Fulham Boys School in London, England (Joseph-Salisbury and Connelly, 2018).
Additionally, commonalities of hair policies percolate in the USA where at a high school in my hometown – Houston Texas - demonstrates its gendered and racialised policing of hair by punishing Darryl George who is a Black teenager over his “dreadlocks” (Adams, 2024). In Texas, September 2023, The Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act was established and prohibits race-based hair discrimination (Texas Crown Act, 2024), however, the school insists the CROWN Act does not mention hair length which is in their school policy. Ironically, the CROWN Act (2019) originated to uplift Black female’s hairstyle. In the workplace, Black women are 1.5x more likely to be sent home because of their hair – trash! But as shown, it impacts Black males as well. I wish this act was implemented in my schooling as it was our coach’s rule that we could not have braids or afros on the basketball team because “we needed to look professional and not like thugs” (no cap). Obviously, I grew up in a predominately White space and this misconstructed racist ideas into my psyche to perceive Blackness as a deficit. Either way in my experience and Darryl’s there are still loopholes that manifest to maneuver around this dreaded policy.
Speakin’ of ‘dreaded’ you may have noticed my “” to emphasise the term “dreadlocks”. I’m really big on terms when I have the chance to rehumanise (feel free to correct me if I use a dehumanizing term). Like many others, I used to say “dreadlocks”, however, dread means fear in British terms and our ancestors described them as sacred locs. SMH, you see how ingrained racism in the form of White insecurity is and how it impacts our social and psychological functioning? Anywhoo we must Flip the script and embrace our locs as they are our spiritual antennas which connect us and nature. Yes, y’all hue-mans are one with nature, something European culture continues to miseducate us on.
Sheesh, much more to unpack but I’ll leave it there and this rehumanising section of the F&V Chronicles is now at its end. Thank you for Flippin’ & Vibin’ with me.
Love,
Dr.X
Adams, C. (2024, February 22). Judge rules Texas school’s hair length policies do not violate CROWN Act. NBC News. Online at: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/darryl-texas-schools-hair-length-policies-violate-crown-george-rcna140014
Dabiri, E. (2019). Don't touch my hair. Penguin UK.
Dabiri, E. (2023). Disobedient Bodies: Reclaim your unruly beauty. Wellcome Collection
Essien, I. and Wood, J.L., 2021. I love my hair: The weaponizing of Black girls hair by educators in early childhood education. Early Childhood Education Journal, 49(3), pp.401-412. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10643-020-01081-1
Joseph-Salisbury, R. and Connelly, L., 2018. ‘If your hair Is relaxed, white people are relaxed. If your hair is nappy, they’re not happy’: Black hair as a site of ‘post-racial’social control in English schools. Social Sciences, 7(11), p.219. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci7110219
Texas CROWN Act (2024) Everything you need to know about the fight against Hair Discrimination. Texas CROWN Act. Online at: https://texascrownact.org/
