Black History and Hair

 

    When it comes to celebrating Black history, one part of that history, natural Black hair. gets overlooked. The hair of Black people has played a significant part in the evolution of Black people in America and the hairstyle DREADLOCKS has been center stage.

    Hair matters and there is no other choice of hair style that has elicited strong emotions more so than dreadlocks. The dreadlock hair style is filled with history, confusion of origin, myth, and strong political and ethnic ownership. People argue about who is allowed to wear dreadlocks and where dreadlocks can be worn. Dreadlocks have been designated as a no in the workplace, but that is changing. Authors have penned books about dreadlock history or how to care for them. My book, Don't Dread Dreads, The People Speak is different. Through personal interviews and photos from around the world from dreadlock wearers, I give the reader intimate access to the world of dreadlocks. The dreadlock world is a world where even the ‘name’ to call the hair style is contentious. Dreadlocks evoke strong emotions and endless debate. Even if you do not choose to wear your hair in an African-centric hairstyle such as dreadlocks, your choice of hairstyle still speaks volumes.

    Has the African American community embraced their natural hair as a thing of beauty, or will the natural kinks and wooliness of our hair continue to cause shame and self-loathing? Recently, there has been a reclaiming and pride of natural hair in the Black community. Due to the availability of Black hair care products and the revelation of hair straighteners being linked to cancer, the Black community has begun to love their natural hair. The once hated coiled hair is now being viewed as beautiful and holds a sense of pride for Black men and women. But that was not always the case.

    Madam C. J. Walker (December 23, 1867-May 25, 1919) an American businesswoman, hair care entrepreneur, tycoon, and philanthropist, marketed beauty and hair products for black women. She was the first female to become a millionaire. She was born Sarah Breedlove in Delta, Louisiana and was the first member of her family to be born free. Her parents had been slaves.

    When she began to lose her hair from extreme dandruff and scalp disease from washing her hair once a month, which was customary during that time period, she designed her own line of hair care products. By 1917, she had the largest business in the United States owned by a black person. "I am a woman who came from the cotton fields of the South. From there I was promoted to the wash tub. From there I was promoted to the cook kitchen. And from there I promoted myself into the business of manufacturing hair goods and preparations...I have built my own factory on my own ground.'' An estimated 75% of American black women continue to perm or relax their hair. The award winning 

    Whoopi Goldberg often has members of her own community tell her that her dread locks are disgusting and that she should "take those nappy braids out." A generation earlier, actress Cicely Tyson was told by members of the black community that she may be a gifted actress, but her short natural hairstyle was detrimental to the image of black women.

     "As the twentieth century closes, I believe that Black women have come to better appreciate the array of beauty we portray, despite subtle, and not so subtle, pressure from the media, the workplace and the larger society to conform to their standards of attractiveness. Yet, I am sometimes troubled that too many of us still make snide and cruel comments about the politically, professionally, or socially acceptable way to wear our hair. We would be a lot stronger as a people if we used that energy to support each other economically, emotionally, and spiritually." Quote by A'lelia Perry Bundles, Great-great-granddaughter of madam C.J. Walker, black hair care industry pioneer. Information source: Article by Russell K., Wilson M., and Hall R. (1992) Hair: the Straight and Nappy of it all, "The Color Complex: the Politics of Skin Color Among African Americans" NY: Anchor, 81-93.

    There is a rich history regarding Black hair on several continents. For some, hair has always connected them to status and pride. For the African American during the slave era, their hair connected them to negativity and became a source of ridicule and shame. The slave was demeaned for their natural hair and encouraged to adopt the European standards of hairstyles, which meant straightened hair. For many Black women today, long straightened hair is still the ideal standard of beauty and that choice is fine. But, natural Black hair is also viewed as beautiful and women are no longer demeaned for choosing to wear their natural hair.

    The Black hair industry has grown to be a multi-million dollar industry. Black people care about their hair. No matter the hair style choice of Black people, they have left behind the indoctrination of being seen as ugly for their African features, which included their hair. Black history consists of embracing one's beauty in its various forms. Black hair is Black history.