MY HAIR IS…

In 2006 India Arie released “I Am Not My Hair.” In the song, she discusses the nuances of black hair, what it means for job prospects, and what its different iterations (flat ironed, locs, etc) mean for black identity. But what is most important about the song is the chorus where she says “I am not my hair.” While a powerful reminder to black folks that we are more than our hair, more than our skin, and more than societal expectations of us; these lines are still, 13 years later, aspirational at best.

Mainstream society continues to see black people based on our physical characteristics, hair being one of them. Today in 2019, black hair is just as political as it ever has been. Just a few days ago, the NYC Commission on Human Rights banned hair based discrimination in employment. Though this is a win, it is but a small one. Just last year the US Supreme Court refused to hear a racial discrimination case based on hair; and the Baltimore Police Department continues to enforce racist professional appearance policies including a ban on locs, cornrows, and beards, though the beard ban was ruled illegal. The elders knew how important a statement our hair was. That is why the embrace of natural black hair has always been political. Black men who chose not to have a fade or caesar, who remind you every day of their blackness through their hair have always been at the margins, but perhaps no more?

Despite systemic oppression, we still continue to make hair art and be trendsetters in hair styling. One might say that black men have been the catalysts for the beard care industry. I do not recall seeing beard care products before black men started getting love on Instagram, let alone a whole section at Target, do you? There is also now a traveling party called “Must Love Beards”. Like…who would have thought, in 2009 when I was applying for jobs fresh out of college, and shaving weekly to ensure I looked professional, that in 2018 I would land a Director position with full beard, black afro, and a nose ring. And its not just me. I see brothers everyday pushing the boundaries of what is considered professional: having amazing beards, wearing curly afros, etc. I see brothers with waves, brothers with designs on the sides of their heads, brothers with freeform locs and brothers with manicured locs. And the list goes on. I see all of these amazing crowns on our brothers, as they go about changing the world and I am encouraged. Though intentional or not, our decisions about our hair are still rooted in societal expectations of us, contrary to Ms. India Arie’s 2006 statement. The question becomes, do we accept those expectations, or rebel against them? And if we rebel, who is watching? Who is taking notes? Who is seeing this small act of resistance?

Being proud of our hair as black men is important, not only because of its political nature, but also because we have people looking up to us. As a former educator, I cannot stress for you how boys’ grooming habits change based on what they see the black men in the school building doing. I have a low curly fro, and when I walk in a classroom, boys will start twisting their hair to make my curls. Boys also ask my fellow educators what products they use all the time. My Principal friend started locs, and suddenly half his school was growing out their hair for locs. Our hair is important, not just for the statement it makes about ourselves to the outside world, but also for how it inspires the next generation.

So embrace your curls. Love your naps. Grow your beard. Use your wave cap. Black self-love in today’s society is an act of resistance, and I plan to resist forever…as I deep condition this beard right now.

__________

Credits:

Creative Director: Henry Edwards II
Photographer: Xang Mimi Ho
Assistant: Erika Talley
Groomer: Aisha Butler
Contributing Writer: David Edwards

Posted Wednesday February 27, 2019 | Categories: David Edwards, Lifestyle, Uncategorized | 5 Comments »