Black people’s hair is the only texture of hair that is shunned by all races. Yes, that’s right, even Black people shun their own hair. It’s astonishing! A texture that’s so different from all other textures, one that can do almost anything, is looked at as ugly, unmanageable, and unprofessional. Yet I see it as our crown of royalty, perfection, and heavenly halo; the very words used to create the Lex Pyerse HAIR t-shirt.
For years, the United States has discriminated against black hair. In almost every state, they would ban or retaliate against protective hairstyles, afros, and dreadlocks. The media has portrayed black hair nappy and extremely kinky. This type of mindset caused many young (as well as old) adults to disown their hair texture, opting for relaxers, other chemicals, and heated hair straighteners. Although the black natural hair movement has already been started and seems to be thriving, there’s still education needed for black crowns.
We must teach our young women and men how to properly care for their hair because once they understand how to care for it, they will innately desire to stay natural. We must show them the shows where little black boys and girls represent their culture. That’s why it was so important for Matthew Cherry’s film to win an Oscar. It humanizes the Black process of beautification in relation to styling hair. It animates the process so that young children are intrigued enough to focus on the message of loving their hair. The video is extremely accessible and free to watch on multiple platforms.
However, we can’t stop there. We have to force the rest of the world to accept our hair love. We must be allowed to wear our hair the way it grows from our heads just as everyone else does theirs. I urge you to take part in the petition that’s advocating for Black crowns. It’s called the Crown Act and the organizers are pushing it to become a nation-wide issue. If adopted, the petition would become law and would make it illegal in the workplace and/or school to be discriminated against on the basis of your hair. The less discrimination we have against hair, they more our children will be free to love their black crown. It’s called the Crown Act. I hope you will join us in teaching girls to love their Black Crowns.