Hair Politics

In pre-colonial Africa, you could tell people's social status by their hair. The older women did the younger women's hair according to the customs of the day, not neccessarily as a statement of glamor but of social identity. When 'the white folks came', they saw how much affinity Blacks had with their hair and...cut it off. It is no exxageration when people say we were stripped of EVERYTHING.  Nonetheless, in the few tribal communities that have been barely touched by colonialization, short nappy rules the day. The women walk tall, have husbands, children, and are respected within their village. There has been a 500 year break. Of course, slavery didn't offer the luxury of time to care for our hair. Since we were told that white was right, we counted ourselves out as real women anyway. This natural hair movement is a monument of Black women repairing the dam that broke centuries ago. Black women are really starting from scratch with how to (affectionately) deal with their hair. Women of other races have had several thousands of years of hair practice or at least could hide behind the straightness or loose curls that they have when the 'white people came'. Black women: not so.

Therefore, I salute Black women, particularly Black American women for digging in their heels and learning (and teaching) the mechanics of Black Hair. We have been battered and bruised to say the least but we seem to be more open to getting ourselves  back to being whole women.